Sean McLaughlin

The former Scripps exec will be responsible for developing and implementing newsgathering, storytelling and distribution models strategy across all platforms.

Time- and staff-starved newsrooms often cling tightly to practices they’ve always had, impeding their ability to take on newer, more relevant projects. Here are some practices to question and some enterprises that might better replace them.

If local TV journalism is to have a future, its leaders need to assess the true value of everything it holds sacred and empower the change agents who may have been pushed to the margins.

How a station handles weather — and the caliber and connectedness of weathercasters in a local market — are critical to a successful news reinvention.

TV anchors in their conventional form have outlived their sell-by date. It’s time to think about jettisoning many and putting those worth keeping out into the field where they can prove their connection—and value — to local viewers.

TV stations throw many impediments in the way of reporters trying to produce quality work. Clearing the way for their success starts with asking hard questions about where station resources are allocated and considering options like shared field resources.

Local audiences no longer see the value of TV news, and newsrooms are barreling towards the end of their runway to change that. But there are changes they can make immediately to repair trust and relevancy and secure their future.

Station groups including Gray, E.W. Scripps and Nexstar are increasingly drawing on their stations to contribute stories for their national reporting projects. The ensuing collaborations are having a transformative effect on news production. Pictured: Susan Campbell reporting a story for one of Gray Television’s “consumer franchises” — Did You Know? — from KOLD Tucson.

The leadership and employees of The E.W. Scripps Co., TVNewsCheck’s 2022 Station Group of the Year, are guided by a devotion to impactful journalism and the long-term sustainability of the group. They’re not averse to bold moves and risks that will deliver it. This is the first installment of a three-part series. You can read part two here and part three here.

Executives from Fox Television Stations, E.W. Scripps, Tegna, Gray and Blackbird said in a TVNewsCheck webinar Thursday that local content is becoming increasingly crucial in a world of shrinking syndication options, but to pull it off more resources need to be invested in local people and the technology to support them.

Executives from Fox Television Stations, Gray Television, Tegna, Blackbird and E.W. Scripps will discuss how they’re diversifying local programming to replace syndicated content and create new options for their linear and streaming channels, all while containing costs, in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on April 14 at 1 p.m. ET. Register here.