Journalism

A new book — This is Chance!, by Jon Mooalhem — tells the story of a part-time radio reporter and mother of three who rose up to guide Anchorage through the earthquake of unprecedented power that rocked Alaska in 1964. The broadcasts of Genie Chance over KENI-AM were “heroic,” says New York Times reviewer Timothy Egan. She “became the voice of reason, sanity and vital information at a time when Alaska felt as if it had been cut off from the rest of the planet.”

New jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s MediaJobCenter include openings for a general manager, assistant news director, executive producer, news producers, sales director, digital sales, meteorologists, engineers and reporters in 12 different markets.

Margaret Sullivan: The Trump administration is muzzling government scientists. It’s essential to let them speak candidly to the press again.

SmithGeiger research finds that TV consumption trend lines are reversing, with more adults 25-54 now watching linear TV than SVOD streaming services. It also shows local TV news has become the primary destination for trusted and relevant news and information, a trend on which Dr. Seth Geiger says local stations can capitalize.

The Trump campaign has targeted a small Wisconsin station in a libel suit over a super PAC ad. Its fellow broadcasters need to step up now by coming to its defense and fending off a critical assault on their First Amendment rights.

In these pandemic times, local newscasts are developing creative stories that offer real answers to viewers’ main concerns. They are finally opening two-way communication channels with the viewers’ and answering their questions in meaningful ways. In short, local TV newscasts have finally found their way out of their self-created rut by becoming relevant to their audience once again. And ratings have followed.

Vox Media, owner of sites including Vox, The Verge and New York magazine, is furloughing about 9% of its employees for three months. The decision is one of several measures the digital media company announced to cut costs after the coronavirus pandemic decimated its revenue sources.

WGCL Atlanta anchors Rick Folbaum and Shon Gables will anchor CBS Evening News this weekend. Folbaum anchors Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET and Gables anchors Sunday 6 p.m. The national newscast will originate from the CBS46 Studios in Atlanta. The CBS News Broadcast Center in New York is closed due to the coronavirus. For the first time, the newscast will be produced remotely with producers and writers based out of New York.

Reliable work-from-home options may find a more lasting place in local weathercasts even after we’ve reached the other side of the pandemic. These are some possible scenarios for weekday and weekend forecasts, along with severe weather and traffic.

A debate over how much unfiltered airtime the president should get virtually every day during a pandemic is heating up. The coverage is a moving target, with CNN and MSNBC taking a more critical approach lately. Yet despite on-air talent like Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough suggesting they’d pull the plug if it were up to them, their bosses have given no indication that they will.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the best in many people — and the worst in a few. It has also given local TV newsrooms the opportunity to connect with their communities in innovative ways and to re-think the roles of their most prominent personalities.

Washington’s WRC has launched a weekly half-hour show aimed at taking local kids’ wide-ranging questions on the pandemic and its impact on their lives. The show’s creator, Scott MacFarlane (above with his son Jonathan), says the questions are so good, he and his colleagues should’ve been asking them weeks ago.

Reliable work-from-home options may find a more lasting place in local weathercasts even after we’ve reached the other side of the pandemic. These are some possible scenarios for weekday and weekend forecasts, along with severe weather and traffic.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said President Trump’s attacks on press credibility have been “dangerously effective,” even as the pandemic kills tens of thousands of Americans. It has issued a report on Trump (penned by former Washington Post Executive Editor Len Downie) and the media and has written the president asking for a meeting — virtually or when social distancing is relaxed–to talk about its concerns and improving the press environment.

Quincy Media’s NBC-CW affiliate in Rockford, Ill., chooses its assistant news director to succeed Josh Morgan after he’s promoted to station manager.

CNN chief Jeff Zucker has urged editors and producers at the network not to shift focus from coronavirus news updates despite weeks of wall-to-wall coverage of the pandemic.