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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO

PASADENA, CA · EIN 954765734 · Form 990 · FY2021 · NTEE A340 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Large ($10M-$50M) · www.scpr.org
revenue
$42.1M
expenses
$36.3M
net assets
$43.6M
employees
225
volunteers
27
program ratio
65%
mission · from form 990

NONCOMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO PRODUCTION AND BROADCASTING.

profile · synthesized from sources

Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is an audience-funded nonprofit news organization operating LAist, a multi-platform source for news and cultural programming. It provides daily news briefs, in-depth reporting, and covers local events and issues relevant to the Southern California community.

named programs · 3 · from sources

what they call their work

LAist
A multi-platform source for news and cultural programming, including daily news briefs, in-depth articles, and a daily radio schedule.
LAist Daily Radio Schedule
Curated radio programming schedule offering local news, culture, and community updates across Southern California
The Brief
Daily news program providing concise coverage of the most important stories for Southern California listeners
activities · 5 clusters

what they do

  • Local Civic & Community Newsletters 8 activities
    • Community resource guides and educational materials
      Develops and distributes practical local guides such as a family-friendly places guide for parents of young children and school choice guides, with 7,200 school guides distributed to Los Angeles families.
    • Digital News and Information Services
      Produces various newsletters providing daily news summaries, breaking news alerts, weekly local engagement stories, wildfire updates, event listings, and resources on housing challenges and family issues for Los Angeles and Southern California residents.
    • Educational Resource Distribution
      Distributes educational resources, such as 7,200 school choice guides to families in Los Angeles.
    • News and community engagement newsletters
      Produces and distributes a suite of digital newsletters including daily, weekly, biweekly, and limited-run editions covering top news stories, family resources, local events, housing issues, wildfire updates, and regional life in Los Angeles and Southern California, with real-time alerts for major breaking news.
    • Newsletters and digital audience engagement
      Produces and distributes multiple newsletters including a weekday morning summary of top LA stories, an evening breakdown of new developments, a weekly regional round-up, a biweekly guide to local events and nightlife, a biweekly resource for families with young children, a seven-day educational course on housing issues, and real-time breaking news alerts. Also produced a limited-run wildfire update newsletter with personal stories and aid information for fire survivors.
    • Newsletters and digital audience engagement
      Produces and distributes multiple newsletters including a weekday morning summary of top Los Angeles stories, an evening breakdown of news affecting Southern California, a weekly regional round-up, wildfire-specific updates, a biweekly lifestyle newsletter with event and dining recommendations, a biweekly guide for families with young children, and a seven-day educational course on Los Angeles housing issues.
    • Public information and civic resources
      Distributes practical civic and community resources including 7,200 school choice guides to Los Angeles families and provides comprehensive regional content such as event listings, food recommendations, and guides for Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
    • Public information and resource distribution
      Distributes educational and civic resources to the public, including 7,200 school choice guides to Los Angeles families and comprehensive regional guides covering news, events, food, and local recommendations for Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
  • Non-Commercial Radio Programming 5 activities
    • Broadcast Radio Programming
      Produces and broadcasts a daily radio schedule featuring news, live talk shows covering local news, politics, science, arts, and entertainment, and on-demand programming for Southern California.
    • Local news production and dissemination
      Produces and broadcasts a daily radio schedule featuring news, talk shows, and on-demand programming, including live coverage of local news, politics, science, arts, and entertainment, along with daily news updates and a weekly news magazine podcast (Imperfect Paradise) focused on major Southern California stories.
    • Local news production and dissemination
      Produces and broadcasts a daily live talk show, daily news updates, and a weekly on-demand news magazine podcast covering major Southern California stories. Also maintains a daily radio schedule featuring news and programming content, including NPR programming, event listings, food recommendations, and regional guides for Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
    • On-Demand Audio Content Production
      Produces weekly on-demand news magazine podcasts and programs, including "Imperfect Paradise," exploring major Southern California stories, and a weekly film review and discussion program.
    • Radio broadcasting of news and cultural programming
      Produces and broadcasts a daily radio schedule featuring live news, talk shows, NPR content, and on-demand programming covering local and national news, politics, science, arts, and entertainment for Southern California audiences.
  • Civic Education & Voter Preparedness 4 activities
    • Ballot preparation and voter engagement workshops
      Conducts ballot workshops designed to increase civic participation, which have been shown to improve participants' preparedness and likelihood to vote in local elections.
    • Civic Engagement Workshops
      Conducts ballot workshops to increase participants' preparedness and likelihood to vote in local elections.
    • Civic engagement and voter preparedness initiatives
      Conducts ballot workshops to increase voter preparedness and participation in local elections, with demonstrated impact on participants' likelihood to vote.
    • Civic engagement and voting advocacy
      Conducts ballot workshops to increase voter preparedness and participation in local elections, with demonstrated impact on participants’ likelihood to vote.
  • On-Campus and Pop-Up Food Pantries 1 activity
    • Food distribution for families in Southern California
      Provides meals to families in need through partnerships with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, serving communities in LA County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
  • Uncategorized 22 activities
    • Advocacy for Transparency
      Petitions for the disclosure of warrants related to investigations into alleged voter fraud.
    • Breaking News Alerts
      Sends real-time alerts about major breaking news events affecting Los Angeles and Southern California.
    • Community Engagement and Content Creation
      Creates and publishes content based on community input and memories, such as hand-drawn illustrations of pre-fire Altadena and Pacific Palisades, stories about Día de los Muertos celebrations, and guides to family-friendly places in Los Angeles.
    • Community Memory and Storytelling Initiatives
      Creates hand-drawn illustrations based on community memories of Altadena and Pacific Palisades before fires, and publishes stories about Día de los Muertos celebrations featuring memories shared by Angelenos.
    • Community storytelling and cultural documentation
      Creates and publishes community-driven content such as hand-drawn illustrations based on memories of fire-affected neighborhoods (Altadena and Pacific Palisades), stories honoring loved ones during Día de los Muertos, and curated guides to family-friendly places in Los Angeles informed by parent input.
    • Community storytelling and cultural documentation
      Creates and publishes community-driven content including hand-drawn illustrations based on memories of fire-affected neighborhoods, stories from Día de los Muertos celebrations, and parent-curated guides to family-friendly places in Los Angeles.
    • Cultural storytelling and community memory projects
      Creates and publishes illustrated community memory projects, such as hand-drawn illustrations based on recollections of Altadena and Pacific Palisades before recent wildfires, and features cultural stories like Día de los Muertos celebrations through personal narratives shared by Angelenos.
    • Daily News Updates
      Produces daily news updates summarizing top stories in the Los Angeles region.
    • Daily Newsletters
      Produces daily newsletters summarizing top stories in Los Angeles and providing a daily breakdown of news affecting Southern California residents.
    • Family Resource Guides
      Publishes guides to family-friendly places in Los Angeles based on parent input and distributes school choice guides to families in Los Angeles.
    • Film Review and Discussion Program
      Produces a weekly film review and discussion program featuring interviews with filmmakers.
    • Food distribution for families and shelter pets
      Provides meals to families in need across LA County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire through the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and supplies meals to shelter pets in 11 cities in the greater Los Angeles area via partnership with Pasadena Humane.
    • Live Talk Show Production
      Produces and broadcasts a daily live talk show covering local news, politics, science, arts, and entertainment.
    • On-Demand News Magazine Programs
      Produces weekly on-demand news magazine podcasts and programs, such as Imperfect Paradise, exploring major Southern California stories.
    • Organized public protests and demonstrations
      Organizes and participates in regional protests including a march and rally in Pasadena from Pasadena City College to City Hall, a large-scale demonstration in Downtown Los Angeles with 50,000–100,000 attendees, and other actions as part of the No Kings movement across the Los Angeles area.
    • Organized public protests and demonstrations
      Organizes and participates in regional protests across the Los Angeles area as part of the No Kings movement, including a protest march from Pasadena City College to City Hall and a large-scale demonstration in Downtown Los Angeles with an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 attendees.
    • Pet food distribution for shelter animals
      Provides meals to shelter pets across 11 cities in the greater Los Angeles area in collaboration with Pasadena Humane.
    • Protest Organization and Participation
      Organizes and participates in regional protests and large-scale demonstrations across the Los Angeles area, including a march and rally in Pasadena and a demonstration in Downtown Los Angeles with an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 attendees, as part of the No Kings movement.
    • Public Demonstrations and Protests
      Organizes and participates in regional protests and large-scale demonstrations across the Los Angeles area, including marches and rallies, as part of movements like "No Kings."
    • Radio News and Programming Broadcast
      Produces and broadcasts a daily radio schedule featuring local and national news, NPR programming, and on-demand content for Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
    • Specialized Newsletters
      Produces various newsletters including a weekly local engagement newsletter for L.A. County and Orange County, a limited-run wildfire update newsletter, a biweekly Los Angeles events guide, a seven-day course on Los Angeles housing challenges, and a biweekly newsletter on issues affecting families with young children in Los Angeles.
    • Voter Education Workshops
      Conducts ballot workshops to increase participants' preparedness and likelihood to vote in local elections.
financials · form 990 · fy2021

the money

revenue
Total revenue$42.05M
Contributions & grants$41.04M98%
Program service revenue$1.27M3%
Investment income$-11K-0%
Other revenue$-251K
expenses
Total expenses$36.30M
Program expenses65%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising24%
Salaries & benefits$21.55M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$54.30M
Cash$0
Investments$23.93M
Liabilities$10.67M
Net assets$43.63M
Liquid reserves7.9 mo
3 years on record · 2019–2021 · YoY revenue +12.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

who runs it

paid leadership · 19
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
WILLIAM HERB SCANNELL TRUSTEE/PRESIDENT/CEO, SCPR 40 $674K
THOMAS BILL DAVIS FORMER-TRUSTEE/PRESIDENT/CEO, SCPR 0 $583K
JON MCTAGGART FORMER-PRESIDENT & CEO, APMG THRU 8/2021 8 $559K
MICHAEL LEWIS SVP & GENERAL COUNSEL OFFICER 8 $452K
MORRIS GOODWIN JR SVP & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 8 $420K
CHRISTINE PHELPS SVP & CHIEF HR OFFICER, APMG 8 $398K
LARRY MANTLE HOST 40 $394K
MARY HAWLEY VP - UNDERWRITING 40 $387K
KELLY KOLLA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 40 $380K
KRISTEN MULLER CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER 40 $363K
ELSA LUNA CFO & COO, SCPR 40 $346K
CARLA WOHL SVP - DEVELOPMENT, SCPR 40 $337K
DOUGLAS JOHNSON VP - TECHNOLOGY & OPS, SCPR 40 $260K
JUSTIN RILEY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 40 $259K
CAROL KOMATSUKA MANAGING DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT 40 $236K
VERONICA LOPEZ DIRECTOR, UNDERWRITING SALES 40 $213K
JEAN TAYLOR PRESIDENT & CEO, APMG 8 $180K
JON COHN EXEC DIRECTOR, LIVE PROGRAMS & EVENTS 40 $136K
CARLO GIOVANNI VP OF PEOPLE & CULTURE 40 $31K
board members · 6
  • ALEJANDRO GUERRERO — TRUSTEE
  • ANA VALDEZ — TRUSTEE
  • BARBARA NATTERSON-HOROWITZ — TRUSTEE
  • BRAD BARRETT — TRUSTEE
  • BRYONY GAGAN — TRUSTEE
  • CAPRI MADDOX — TRUSTEE
relationships · 10

who they work with

  • CalMatters Partner — Jointly produces a wildfire recovery newsletter with LAist and other media organizations.
  • CalMatters Partner — Partnered with CalMatters and other news organizations to petition for the disclosure of warrants.
  • KCRW Partner — Jointly produces a wildfire recovery newsletter with LAist and other media organizations.
  • Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Partner — Partner organization through which donated meals are provided to families in need.
  • NPR Network — Carries NPR programming as part of its broadcast content
  • NPR Network — Member of the National Public Radio network, broadcasting NPR content.
  • No Kings Partner — Collaborated with No Kings organizers to cover and support regional protests.
  • PBS SoCal Partner — Jointly produces a wildfire recovery newsletter with LAist and other media organizations.
  • Pasadena Humane Partner — Partner organization through which donated meals are provided to shelter pets across 11 cities in the greater Los Angeles area.
  • engagement@laist.com Partner — Community engagement team contact for public input and collaboration