local news

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.”

Across the industry, contraction, layoffs, sales and labor unrest remind of 2008 — but insiders are less optimistic this time.

Angela Grande, director of streaming news channels at NBCUniversal Local, says FAST channels represent a unique and powerful opportunity for local news, but choreographing the relationships between stations, platforms and tech partners is a fast-evolving dance. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Sharing data, regular cross-company communication and working outside of TV are three key trends.

Mass layoffs, closures and reader fatigue are afflicting news organizations as Americans prepare for a consequential election year.

Some of local TV’s brightest and most ambitious talents are leaving beloved jobs — and the industry — behind facing salary prospects that fall far too much below an acceptable mark.

Capitol Broadcasting hires him from KUTV Salt Lake City to succeed the retiring Rick Gall.

Forward-looking station groups including Gray Television, E.W. Scripps and Graham Media are forming internal policy groups to tackle the challenges that will come with adopting generative AI in their newsrooms.

WKMG Orlando, Fla., and other Graham Media stations believe news coverage that provides evidence-based solutions to community problems is a way to keep themselves relevant to viewers.

Margaret Sullivan: “Huge swaths of the country have turned into ‘news deserts’, lacking credible journalism. I fear for the Baltimore Sun.”

This year’s election offers television stations an opportunity to rebuild trust with viewers by super-serving them with substantive coverage of the candidates and a forum for debates.