Paul Westhelle
Executive DirectorPaul Westhelle oversees management of JPR's service to the community. He came to JPR in 1990 after holding jobs in non-profit management and fundraising for a national health agency.
Originally from northern New Jersey, Paul developed a love of live music while exploring the clubs of Greenwich Village as a student at Seton Hall University. He headed west to attend San Jose State University, where he earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Paul is an avid baseball fan. He’s coached several of Ashland's outstanding youth baseball teams and served as Head Coach of the Ashland High School Varsity team in 2012.
Paul and his wife, Patti Grant, live in Ashland. They have two adult children, Kelsey and Evan.
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In the last issue of the Jefferson Journal, I wrote about JPR’s plans to expand our local news coverage over the coming year. I thought it would be helpful to give you a closer look at how we plan to do that—and what you can expect as you listen to JPR and read our reporting on ijpr.org and our mobile apps. -
The loss of all federal funding for public media last July, combined with a new report recommending significantly reduced funding from Southern Oregon University, create real challenges for JPR's service to the region. -
A federal judge recently ruled that President Trump’s executive order seeking to block federal funding for NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, reaffirming First Amendment protections for public media and editorial independence. While the decision is an important victory in principle, it does not restore federal funding. -
This January, Jefferson Public Radio was selected as a 2026 newsroom partner by Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms across the country as a way to strengthen coverage of under-covered communities and issues. -
As we look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of a new year, it’s becoming clear that our work to preserve independent public broadcasting stations, along with NPR and PBS, as vital institutions of our democracy and our culture has only just begun. -
As we begin the final week of our Fall Fund Drive, it's clear that our listeners have come through for us once again. With two days remaining in our Fall campaign, we've increased the amount we've raised by nearly 35% above last Fall's drive while also significantly expanding both the number of monthly sustaining contributors and first-time donors. Both of these achievements are critically important as we work to make up the federal funding we lost this fiscal year and establish a new business plan for the future built entirely on local support. -
The loss of all federal funding with little advance notice has rocked the public media ecosystem. Hardest hit are stations serving small, rural communities which reach less wealthy parts of the country and which need to support and maintain expensive infrastructures because their audiences are spread across larger geographic areas – stations just like JPR. -
Funding for JPR comes from a variety of sources including individual donors, business support and, prior to July 2025, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Now that Congress and President Trump have eliminated federal funding for all public radio and television stations in the country, JPR's financial structure looks different.
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Since losing our federal funding in July, 2025 JPR listeners have stood with us and helped us raise the $525,000 in federal support we lost in our 2026 fiscal year. Thank you!
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On June 12th the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, by a vote of 214-212. This is the bill advanced by the Trump Administration that would claw back funds previously appropriated by the current Congress and authorized by President Trump to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes operating grants to public radio and television stations around the country.
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The drumbeat to cancel all federal funding for public media has continued in Washington and significant new steps have been taken to make this outcome a reality. Here’s an update on where we stand.
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In recent weeks the Trump administration has taken several steps that cast an ominous shadow on public broadcasting and may forebode future actions that attempt to weaken the role public radio and television stations play in communities across the country.
