local news

The murder of a Navy pilot’s wife went unsolved for 44 years until a cold-case detective used a new method to find the killer.

KAKE, Lockwood Broadcast Group‘s ABC affiliate in Wichita, Kan., unveiled an all-new state-of-the-art set and graphics package during the station’s 70^th anniversary year.

KHOU’s dogged determination to get to the bottom of why some Houstonians aren’t getting their mail earns congressional approval and thanks from viewers.

Circle City Broadcasting moves him up from assistant news director to oversee journalism at its Indianapolis CW affiliate.

In just over two years, Hearst Television’s Very Local streaming service has built a library of dozens of titles and more than 500 original episodes. VP of Programming Laura Ling explains how the streamer makes cable-quality shows at scale and on a lean budget. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Nexstar’s Des Moines, Iowa, NBC affiliate has embarked on an interesting program to fill some of its on-air positions. WHO has brought back a group of veteran journalists and meteorologists who have been absent from central Iowa airwaves.

The current news director at sister Hearst station WVTM Birmingham, Ala., joins WTAE on March 4 to succeed the retiring Jim Parsons.

Annika Pergament’s new weekday newscast on NY1, The Rush Hour, wants to offer an epilogue to newsworthy stories viewers have invested in “to see how they pan out.” A full transcript of the conversation is included.

The home base for Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle has close to 300,000 tech workers. It boasts the highest proportion of advanced tech employees in the nation, according to a study from Burning Glass Institute. As a result, stations in DMA No. 12 work hard to reach users on the move. Seattle-Tacoma is a highly competitive TV market, with the traditional Big Four affiliates all in the hunt in key races.

New Baltimore Sun owner and Sinclair Broadcast Group Executive Chairman David Smith has been quietly involved in a lawsuit accusing Baltimore City Public Schools of defrauding taxpayers, documents show. Smith has had several discussions with the plaintiffs and their attorneys about the suit and is behind a corporation paying the plaintiff’s legal fees, according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Banner. All the while, Baltimore’s WBFF, Sinclair’s flagship station, has covered the case extensively without disclosing Smith’s role. A WBFF spokesperson said that WBFF reporters and staff did not know of Smith’s involvement in the lawsuit, and that the station will add disclosure to its stories. (Doug Wells/AP)

WVEC in Hampton Roads, Va., saw increased viewership when the station used tune-in promos for special reports that aired in targeted newscasts.

Dak Dillon: ”

Local broadcast news faces an existential crisis. As viewing habits rapidly evolve, these outlets confront crumbling business models, fleeing audiences and withering trust in journalism overall. The meteoric rise of ad-supported streaming and the slow death of cable present new pressures. Shareholders demand growing returns while journalistic integrity is strained. In this tumultuous landscape, business as usual is no longer an option. Providing steady “coverage you can count on” will not cut it. With local newspapers obliterated, broadcast is one of the last bastions of journalism left in each market. Reinvention is imperative, or these critical community voices will disappear.”