local news

The station winners are WRAL Raleigh, N.C.; WBAL Baltimore; WNYC New York; WETA Washington; KMOV St. Louis; and Arizona PBS.

Panelists all agreed that, as adjuncts to their broadcast coverage, digital platforms will be used next November in more strategic and more precise ways than ever before. They’re finding that their digital platforms are shaping up as media they can use to report on very local races, while their broadcast coverage deals with statewide and, of course, national results.

Virtual sets or augmented reality  represents a totally new way of producing news, and whether — or how — to tap the technology can be market-dependent. While viewers in some markets may be able to handle bold moves like virtual sets, others may be better suited for a more conservative approach.

The IP foundation of next-gen transmission standard ATSC 3.0 means the new standard will make it easier for broadcasters to distribute content across multiple devices, according to Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. She says it will also allow targeted advertising, improved emergency warning capabilities and other advantages.

Fox-owned KSAZ Phoenix (DMA 12) has hired Liz Kotalik. Beginning Jan. 11, 2016, Kotalik will serve as a reporter and fill in anchor, primarily for the morning and noon newscasts. […]

CBS News President David Rhodes says there is a great deal of affiliate interest in its CBSN platform. “And we’re hoping that some of the things we learn about it on a national or even on an international scale are lessons that could be applied locally.” Not surprisingly, Rhodes is just as bullish on traditional broadcast news as he is on his news division’s forays into digital. He noted that The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley had its largest November audience in nine years last month. And Rhodes also expressed satisfaction in the steady audience growth of CBS This Morning in recent years too. (Photo by Wendy Moger-Bross)

TV station group news leaders say while their products are growing both online as well as on-air, what they’d really like is workflow systems that “let them be better reporters, and storytellers and question askers.” The panel (l-r): moderator Harry A. Jessell of TVNewsCheck,  Barb Maushard of Hearst Television, Sharri Berg of Fox Television Stations, Bart Feder of Tribune Broadcasting, David Friend of CBS Television Stations and Scott Livingston of Sinclair Broadcast Group. (Photo by Wendy Moger-Bross)

Scripps-owned ABC affiliate KTNV Las Vegas (DMA 40) has hired Todd Quinones as news anchor for Good Morning Las Vegas. Quinones joins Beth Fisher, Dayna Roselli, Jessica Janner and Greg […]

Schurz Communications-owned CBS affil KWCH bests the social media market in Wichita-Hutchinson, Kan., according to Shareablee data, both in total social actions and fans followers, but Gray-owned ABC affiliate KAKE trails just behind.

In the wake of criticism that stations’ online coverage of terrorist attacks in Paris wasn’t thorough enough, I’d like to disagree. I don’t think anyone turned to local stations’ websites expecting to see live, up-to-date coverage of that tragedy. And why should they? International news isn’t their thing. Local is where their commitment is and should remain.

After nearly five years as executive news director, Phil Bruce will be leaving Tegna’s Houston CBS affiliate at the end of January.

News Director Don Shafer has left San Diego CW affiliate XETV. Shafer joined XETV in 2013 from Peoria, Ill., where he was news and multimedia content manager for NBC affiliate WEEK.

The new ones offer Spanish-speaking viewers enhanced weather, up-to-the-minute severe weather push alerts and a new “Breaking News” bar on desktop, mobile and app platforms.

Former WOR anchor Brenda Blackmon is joining WPIX New York to co-anchor a new weekday, 6:30 p.m. newscast with WPIX veteran Kaity Tong. The newscast, targeted for a mid-to-late January launch, will be the only local newscast airing at 6:30 p.m. in New York — competing against the NBC Nightly News, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News.

Chip Mahaney, the station group’s former regional general manager for the digital division, will hire news directors, assistant news directors and executive producers across the company’s news-producing stations.

For decades, local investigative reporting has been done largely by regional newspapers like The Globe in Boston. With their substantial staffs — often several hundred journalists — newspapers could do the painstaking, time-consuming and often unglamorous work that can lead to breakthrough stories. But now, with newspaper profits hit hard by the sharp decline in print advertising, and with newsroom staffs withered after endless rounds of cost-cutting layoffs, local investigative journalism is threatened.

Patrick Paolini, GM of WTTG Washington, who came to the Fox O&O in 2013 talks about the innovative approach his station takes in choosing stories for its newscast, his formula for choosing on-air talent and more.

Entravision continues its downsizing of news operations. It has now canceled the morning newscasts in all of its stations across the country, laying off most of the talent. Buenos Días DC, Despierta San Diego, Despierta El Paso and Alegre Despertar in McAllen, Texas, are among the morning shows affected.

Hearst-owned ABC affiliate WCVB Boston (DMA 8), has added investigative reporter Mike Beaudet to its investigative unit, 5 Investigates starting today. As a multimedia investigative journalist, Beaudet will join reporters […]

NBC-owned WTVJ Miami (DMA 16) today named Sheli Muniz news anchor for NBC 6 News at 4:30 a.m. and at 11 a.m. Muniz is a bilingual journalist who has experience […]

KPTV is the clear leader among local outlets in Portland, Ore.’s social media landscape. The Meredith-owned Fox affiliate captured nearly five million total actions in the last six months, while scooping up over half a million fans/followers as well, according to Shareablee data.