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 gift from Atlanta resident Richard “Rick” Bortle, who passed away from esophageal cancer.
The donation is the largest of its kind in the public media station’s history, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bortle was a Florida-native who spent the final two decades 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 with depth and care.”
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 coverage.”
The contribution is a timely gift that will help 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. With the sudden $3 million boost, the station aims to offset the impact of funding changes coming from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Trump administration cut roughly $1.9 million from WABE’s 2025 budget. The cut led to staff reductions and programming closures, including the end of its long-running arts show City Lights. WABE trimmed its workforce from 99 to 79 over the past 18 months.
Station leaders said the $3 million gift will support expanded investigative reporting, new digital storytelling projects, and additional training for early-career 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 worked through years of rapid newsroom change, the gift signals renewed confidence in the station’s mission. WABE has broadened its civic coverage in recent years, adding reporters focused on the Atlanta City Council, regional housing pressures, and shifts in the local arts sector. Dorian told the AJC the donation provides “the long-term stability needed to serve listeners with clarity and purpose.”
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