Emily Barr

Emily Barr, TVNewsCheck columnist and former CEO-president of Graham Media, weighs in on the troubling implications of Sinclair’s closure of five newsrooms across its markets and what shoes may drop next for an industry up against serious headwinds. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

After a long career in television, I’m hoping to do my bit to secure the future of trusted information and civility in media by launching a not-for-profit newspaper company in Maine.

The communal experience of watching the Final Four tournament reminds us of what can bind us, happily, as a culture. Local TV stations can tap into that vein everyday by mining and celebrating what is unique to their communities.

A recent conference from the National Press Foundation, Radio Television Digital News Directors Association and Arnold Ventures offered journalistic paths out of conventional — and damaging — TV news crime coverage conventions. All newsrooms would do well to check in with the ideas raised there.

Western New York’s deadly holiday storm gave us yet another example of how local news shares life-saving information better than any other platform, weaving a continuous thread of information and critical perspective.

TVNewsCheck columnists and veteran TV executives Hank Price and Emily Barr began their friendship more than 40 years ago as an industry mentor and mentee. In this joint column they reflect on that relationship, how it shaped their respective careers and how young professionals today can form their own fruitful mentoring relationships.

Local news needs to examine its addiction to crime stories and how that coverage is pushing aside other serious issues — the economy, cost of living, growing national divisiveness, among them — that viewers want to hear more about.

The broadcast networks may be desperate to keep up with the big streamers by laying big bets on their own, but in the process, they’re choking off their local affiliates and hastening their own demise. It’s time for a more cooperative relationship.

The Big Tech behemoths are squeezing local media for content, controlling the algorithms that reach broad digital audiences, limiting or denying monetization and withholding data, which in turn control who can see the stories we are working so hard to tell. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which enjoys rare bipartisan support in Washington, is how local media need to fight back.

Trust is the crucial currency that keeps audiences returning to local TV news, but most newsrooms can do more to build it. Here are some practical steps that will pay off in dividends for newsrooms.

News directors are the backbone of local broadcasting, wrangling an endless onslaught of crises while managing the most complex department of a TV station. Let’s ensure they have everything they need to shoulder their burdens.

Emily Barr, former president and CEO of Graham Media Group, gave an impassioned speech at the B+C Hall of Fame as she was inducted April 14. Barr urged local broadcasters to stay strong amid their mounting challenges. She also blasted social platforms for borrowing from local TV, and networks for shifting broadcast shows to streaming.

Graham Media Group President and CEO Emily Barr talks about her outlook for the upcoming convention.

The veteran broadcasting executive is stepping down later this year. She joined Graham Media Group, then Post-Newsweek Stations, in 2012. Under her leadership, she has transformed the organization from a broadcast-based model to seven local media hubs — each in a top-71 market, representing just under 7% coverage in the U.S. Her successor, Catherine Badalamente, joined Graham in 2000, serving in a number of executive roles, including spearheading the organization’s digital efforts since 2009, most recently as VP and chief innovation officer.

The heads of Graham Media, Emily Barr, and Hearst Television, Jordan Wertlieb, yesterday agreed that local journalism, particularly that practiced by TV stations, was critical to the nation’s well-being. The two made their remarks as they were honored as Giants of Broadcasting and the Electronic Arts by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation.

Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, enjoys an unrivaled level of respect and admiration among station group chiefs. TVNewsCheck’s Station Group of the Year-winning leader forged her reputation on her exceptional empathy and embrace of innovation. Read part one of this three-part series here.

Led by Emily Barr, Graham Media Group has long been at the vanguard of multimedia experimentation, making bold moves in streaming and on digital platforms. In an era of dramatic industry consolidation, the family-owned group has also remained defiantly independent.

Broadcasters must hold public officials accountable, Graham Media CEO Emily Barr tells TVB conference attendees, and diversify station ranks from the bottom to the top.

Leaders from Sinclair, E.W. Scripps, Graham Media and Entertainment Studios will share their outlook on a momentous year and its implications for revenue prospects, M&A, NextGen TV and an evolving relationship with the networks at TVNewsCheck’s virtual conference TV2025: Monetizing the Future on Oct. 21. Register here.

Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, is holding the line against layoffs, furloughs or salary cuts, but still sees a rocky second quarter unfolding. She says being communicative and honest with employees has been the most essential part of managing through an unprecedented crisis.

Graham Media Group President and CEO Emily Barr credits local GMs, news directors and sales leaders with spinning up creative and inspiring efforts to pull their markets through the crisis.

Not all broadcasters believe that the cap should go away completely. Graham’s Emily Barr: “The problem is, 39% seems wrong and 100% seems wrong.” Other topics at the TV2020 conference Wednesday: The panelists were extremely bullish on how much live programming will play into the overall health of the broadcast industry. And they expressed enthusiasm for ATSC 3.0, saying that there is no need for a solid business 3.0 business plan to make sense of the massive initiative. L-r: TVNewsCheck’s Harry Jessell, Graham Media’s Emily Barr, Nexstar’s Perry Sook, Fox Television Stations’ Jack Abernethy and Gray’s Hilton Howell. (Photo: Wendy Moger-Bross)

The top executives of four TV station groups will survey the state of the TV broadcast business and its major growth opportunities at TVNewsCheck’s third annual TV2020: Monetizing the Future conference in New York. Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations; Perry Sook, chairman, president and CEO of Nexstar Media Group; Hilton Howell, chairman, president […]