The Richmond Forum on VPM

Big ideas don’t take the summer off, and neither does The Forum.

We are partnering with VPM once again to bring the magic of The Richmond Forum straight to your living room. This summer, catch hour-long broadcast editions of three of our 2025 – 2026 season programs. View the full schedule below.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin

Europe’s Next Generation (recorded January 17, 2026)

Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland, took the stage at The Richmond Forum on the same day President Trump announced tariffs targeting Finland and seven other European nations. She spoke about the international rules-based order built after World War II, why it is now under threat, and what democratic nations must do to defend it.

Thursday, June 25 @ 5:00 pm on VPM PBS
Sunday, June 28 @ 6:00 pm on VPM Plus
Tuesday, July 21 @ 10:00 pm on VPM PBS

John Green

Perpetually Curious (recorded April 18, 2026)

John Green, bestselling author of “The Fault in Our Stars” and “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” closed our 40th season with a talk that moved from the strangeness of human existence to tuberculosis to the world’s largest ball of paint.

Thursday, June 25 @ 8:00 pm on VPM PBS
Saturday, June 27 @ 5:00 pm on VPM PBS
Sunday, June 28 @ 2:00 pm on VPM PBS
Tuesday, June 30 @ 9:00 pm on VPM PBS
Wednesday, July 1 @ 8:00 pm on VPM Plus
Thursday, July 2 @ 5:00 pm on VPM PBS
Sunday, July 5 @ 6:00 pm on VPM Plus
Tuesday, July 28 @ 10:00 pm on VPM PBS

Ted Koppel with Amna Nawaz

40 Years: Moments That Mattered (recorded November 22, 2025)

Ted Koppel returned to The Forum 40 years after inaugurating its first season, joined by “PBS NewsHour” co-anchor Amna Nawaz, who began her career as his intern on “Nightline.” Together they traced journalism’s transformation from Vietnam War film couriers to smartphone broadcasts, and made the case for why an informed public still depends on rigorous reporting.