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Community Idea Stations to Become VPM

Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corp., known for its public broadcasting platforms is changing its brand identity from the “Community Idea Stations” to “VPM.” The change is effective Aug. 5, 2019.

All stations owned by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corp. will be known as VPM, which
represents Virginia’s home for Public Media. This includes PBS stations in Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg as well as NPR stations in Richmond, Chase City and the Northern Neck.

“This is an exciting time in our station’s history,” said Jayme Swain, VPM President and CEO of the
Virginia Foundation for Public Media (VFPM), the parent company of VPM. “We have undergone a
number of changes over the last year that have made us an even stronger public media station and
community partner. This new name will enable us to unify all of our stations across platforms and
simplify our message in a crowded media landscape.”


The name VPM was selected following market research conducted by Simpson Scarborough (Alexandria, Va.) which included online surveys of donors, email subscribers, the general public and focus groups comprised of advisory board members, supporters and community stakeholders. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed were in favor of the name change.

TV station name changes

Accompanying the organization’s name change will be several changes to station names.
Starting Aug. 5, Richmond’s WCVE PBS will be renamed VPM PBS. Under this new moniker, VPM PBS will continue to offer the same national and local programming to viewers in Central Virginia. In addition, WCVW PBS, which broadcasts in all three markets, will be known as VPM Plus. By offering an alternate schedule to the main station, VPM Plus will provide the opportunity for more educational programs and encore presentations of programs that premiere on VPM PBS. Similar name changes are planned for the station’s PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, lifestyle channel Create TV and international program channel MHz Worldview.

Radio name changes

On the radio, WCVE News (88.9 FM) and WCVE Music (107.3 FM and 93.1 FM) will become VPM News
and VPM Music.

VPM brand events

As part of the new name and brand rollout, VPM will be hosting several “brand experience” events in
Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg. These interactive, family-friendly events will offer the
public an opportunity to visit with VPM staff and catch a glimpse into the station’s exciting future.

Upcoming “brand experience” events and venues include:


? Oct. 5-6 (Richmond): A large tent at the 2nd Street Festival in Jackson Ward, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
? Oct. 12-13 (Richmond): A large tent at the Richmond Folk Festival, 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.

“Our newly crafted brand promise is to be Virginia’s trusted source for lifelong learning that is
entertaining, objective and locally relevant,” said Swain. “To fulfill this promise, we will produce more
local storytelling across platforms and connect that content to the community through outreach and engagement. Building on our over 50-year legacy, we hope to have an even greater impact in the next 50 years.”

Beginning Aug. 5, keep apprised of new developments at VPM by visiting the station’s brand-new, redesigned, and interactive website at VPM.org. Follow VPM on social media @myVPM.


About VPM

VPM is the largest locally owned and operated public media company in Central Virginia. As Virginia’s home for public media, VPM provides the best of PBS and NPR programming coupled with a strong set of community-based programs and services designed to make an important impact in the areas of arts, news, history, science and education. Each week, the stations in Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg are accessible to nearly 2 million people across Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.


More information can be found at VPM.org.

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