The economic downturn brought severe unemployment to Oregon and considerable harm to the state’s many rural small businesses. Working with community partners, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) developed a Small Business Rural Resource Network Initiative to inspire sustainable community building and promote resources available to small business owners and unemployed workers. Through community events, on-air programming, and online content developed by ordinary citizens, the initiative showcased stories of successful entrepreneurs, people trying to make ends meet, and communities working to build stable, vital economies in Oregon’s rural towns.

All Classical FM partners with the Oregon Symphony and Portland Opera to host lectures, provide music lessons, and invite listeners to watch prerecorded concerts online. On air, the station provides behind-the-scenes looks at how art organizations work and insight into performances.

OPB’s Think Out Loud, a daily call-in and online regional forum, provides a safe, nonpartisan place for discourse in which citizens of the Pacific Northwest learn from one another and gain a deeper understanding of complex issues.