Marketplace

U.S. center-left

Background

Marketplace launched on January 2, 1989, founded by journalist Jim Russell and initially affiliated with KLON-FM at California State University Long Beach. In its first year it nearly collapsed financially; the University of Southern California stepped in as a production partner, stabilizing the program. Minnesota Public Radio acquired the show from USC in 2000, and when MPR formed American Public Media in 2004 to handle national distribution independently, Marketplace moved under that umbrella. APM is now one of the largest producers of public radio content in the United States. Marketplace is broadcast on more than 500 public radio stations and draws roughly 11 million weekly listeners; longtime host Kai Ryssdal has anchored the program since 2005. Media bias analysts at Ad Fontes Media rate it near the center, while Media Bias/Fact Check places APM in the left-center category based on story selection emphasizing topics such as poverty, inequality, and labor. In April 2025, amid a softening underwriting market and the Congressional elimination of CPB federal funding, Marketplace cut seven staff positions while shifting resources toward digital expansion. The program's coverage of the second Trump administration has examined manufacturing job losses, immigration policy economic effects, healthcare marketplace rollbacks, and the administration's equity investment deals.

Sources

1. Marketplace (radio program) — Wikipedia
2. American Public Media — Wikipedia
3. Marketplace Bias and Reliability — Ad Fontes Media
4. American Public Media — Media Bias/Fact Check
5. Marketplace cuts seven positions, invests in digital expansion — Current
6. Changes at Marketplace — APM Distribution
7. Tracking down the Trump administration's $27.6 billion in investments — Marketplace
8. About Us — Marketplace

Profile compiled 2026-08-06; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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