FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

for Maine Public’s new Southern Maine facility

Maine Public’s new Southern Maine facility is located in the heart of downtown Portland at 320 Cumberland Avenue. Maine Public has been renting space in Portland on Marginal Way and will leave that location when construction at the new facility is completed.

Maine Public is a statewide network with multiple locations. The new facility is about creating modern studios with collaborative workspaces and opportunities for public engagement in Portland; it is not about consolidating facilities. Maine Public will continue to operate facilities in Bangor, Lewiston, and the State House bureau in Augusta. The rented studios on Marginal Way in Portland will close once renovations in the new facility are completed.

Remaining in Maine Public’s current Portland space is not feasible. The crowded working space and studio schedules that run into one another are preventing Maine Public from growing and providing more valuable content for our audience. In the past five years, Maine Public has added a daily talk show, a full-time classical music service, and brought in additional reporters that share the same studio and control rooms. The lack of space is affecting Maine Public’s growth and our ability to serve the entire state of Maine more fully.

The pursuit of an improved facility to replace Maine Public’s existing Portland facility aligns with the organization’s stated strategic goals to address and resolve the need for our studio and office facilities to be updated and modernized, so that we are well-positioned to maximize public service and audience impact for many years to come.

The new facility will be “the best of public media” – purpose-built, versatile, and comprehensive space. Existing work will be enhanced through a better work experience and facilities that are designed specifically for our mission. Excitement around better collaborative work environments, sound-proof and welcoming broadcast and podcast studios, public spaces where screenings and live engagement take place with the public – all these will translate into more robust on-air programming and content that serve the community of Maine.

Maine Public purchased the building with funds raised in the quiet phase of its capital campaign, Building for the Future. The organization also announced a new $5 million anonymous pledge to launch the public phase and inspire matching donors for the remaining $5 million needed to achieve the goal. The campaign has raised over $26 million in commitments toward a goal of $31 million. The anonymous gift is the largest in the network’s history. If you are interested in learning more about how you can support the new facility, contact Scott Marchildon at smarchildon@mainepublic.org.