Through Candid Edwards
November 20, 2025
The donation is the largest of its kind in the public media station’s history.
WABE has received a landmark $3 million donation from Atlanta resident Richard “Rick” Bortle, who died of esophageal cancer.
According to the organization, the donation is the largest of its kind in the history of the public media station Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bortle was born in Florida and spent the last twenty years of his life in the Atlanta area. The new station was the sole beneficiary of the 72-year-old’s estate.
WABE CEO Jennifer Dorian described the donation as “a historic commitment that strengthens our ability to report deeply and accurately.”
She added that Bortle’s generous gift will allow the station to “invest in journalism that serves all parts of Atlanta, especially communities that deserve more consistent local reporting.”
The contribution is a timely gift that will support the station’s long-term plans for stronger local journalism and expanded community programming.
Dorian called the surprise donation “unexpected, uplifting” and noted that typical individual gifts to the station range from $10,000 to $100,000. The sudden $3 million increase aims to offset the impact of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s funding changes.
The Trump administration has cut approximately $1.9 million from WABE’s 2025 budget. The cut led to staff reductions and program closures, including the end of the long-running art show City lights. WABE has reduced its workforce from 99 to 79 over the past 18 months.
Station leaders said the $3 million gift will do just that supporting extensive investigative reporting, new digital storytelling projects, and additional training for aspiring journalists. The funding will also help strengthen the station’s technology infrastructure and support audience engagement programs that bring reporters into neighborhoods for conversations with residents.
For staff members who have experienced years of rapid change in the newsroom, the gift signals renewed confidence in the station’s mission. WABE has expanded its social coverage in recent years, adding reporters focusing on the Atlanta City Council, regional housing pressures and shifts in the local arts sector. Dorian told the AJC that the donation “provides the long-term stability needed to serve listeners with clarity and purpose.”
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