What is the Ohio River Radio Consortium?

The Ohio River Radio Consortium, hosted by WFPL, Louisville’s NPR news station, is a regional environmental news service, dedicated to covering the environment in the Ohio River Valley watershed. Our mission is to provide the highest quality environmental news on air, and on the web, for residents throughout the region. Consortium reporters hail from cities throughout the watershed. And as they’ll tell you, there are many stories to tell and many issues to explore, from the lingering effects of our common industrial heritage to the current pressures on our natural resources.

About our regional focus

The river connects us—geographically, socially, historically, and economically. It feeds a watershed that is home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of people. It slakes our thirst, carries our waste, transports our goods. And, like pollution and other environmental problems, it ignores state lines. Pesticide run-off from a farm near Pittsburgh rushes past the drinking water pipes for Cincinnati. Coal-fired power plant emissions from Louisville waft over West Virginia. Pollution is only one of our region’s struggles, of course. But there are hopeful environmental stories, as well. Cities are reconnecting residents with their waterfronts. Biologists are saving endangered species. Local farmers are getting more food on local tables. In short, telling the environmental stories of a region connects the dots, so to speak, and may ultimately help us make more informed decisions.

Our Funders

We thank Emily Bingham and Stephen Reily, Mrs. Alice S. Etscorn, the Irvin F. and Alice S. Etscorn Charitable Foundation, the Gheens Foundation and the Energy Foundation of California for their generous support in developing and sustaining The Ohio River Radio Consortium.