Public Radio International, founded in 1983 as American Public Radio, acquires, develops, funds and distributes programming from a variety of station-based, independent and international producers. It was founded to provide more diversity in programming sources. Together with NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it began AMERICA ONE, a 24-hour English language audio channel headquartered in Munich.

PRI features programming in four general areas: news and information; comedy and variety; classical music and contemporary music. Programming includes St. Paul Sunday Morning, A Prairie Home Companion, Whad’Ya Know? and The World, a collaborative 1-hour weekday with the BBC.