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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.

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.

Next week is National News Literacy Week, and the News Literacy Project’s Peter Adams and Hannah Covington share tips on what TV newsrooms can do every day to help better equip their viewers with critical skills while building trust. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt says he’s “tremendously frustrated” with the FCC’s late December decision to reaffirm and tighten its regulations on broadcast ownership. So, what’s the organization’s next move? A full transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s annual conference in New York last week charted the forward trajectory of news technology and storytelling. See all the videos of the sessions here.

TVNewsCheck Editor at Large Harry Jessell and Editor Michael Depp look back over an eventful year in broadcast business news and ahead to the steepest challenges it will confront in 2024. A full transcript of the conversation is included. [Ed. note: Jessell erroneously noted Nexstar stock took a 32% hit, when it actually lost 32 points. Since this episode was recorded, its stock rebounded to 155 yesterday.]

Britta Merwin, a Fox Weather meteorologist and co-host of its morning block, says the network’s success so far stems from its unique distribution strategy. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Johnny Green, president and GM of CBS-owned WCBS New York, and Sarah Burke, the station’s VP and news director, say its community-focused reporters are gaining traction — and trust — in the neighborhoods where they’ve been embedded, a strength to draw on in a fractious news year ahead. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Portia Bruner, a former anchor at Fox-owned WAGA Atlanta, is in the second season of an eponymous talk show also getting national carriage on Fox Soul. National syndication is next in her sights. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

See full videos from the sessions at TVNewsCheck’s TV2025: Monetizing the Future conference at the NAB Show New York, including panels on how to build a breakout hit in a multiplatform world, a C-suiter’s guide to AI and a wide-ranging discussion with three of the industry’s top executives.

The Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism just marked its 25^th year of training newsroom leaders to be more ethical, empathetic and inclusive in their management. Joan Barrett, president and GM of WCNC Charlotte, N.C., and Anzio Williams, SVP of diversity, equity and inclusion at NBCUniversal Local, both Kneeland board members, explain its unique value. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from Aug. 18, Pia Blumenthal, design manager for the AContent Authenticity Initiative at Adobe and co-chair of the UX Task Force at the Coalition for Content, Provenance and Authenticity, explains how the proliferation of generative AI is making that job a lot harder. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Daily Blast Live, a Tegna-produced topical talker shot in Denver, may be heralding a new wave of cheaper, functional syndicated daytime shows. Its producer, Burt Dubrow and Tegna’s Brian Weiss, VP of entertainment programming and multicast networks, make the case. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

CBC journalist Dave Seglins has become a leading voice for addressing the profound stressors impacting journalists’ mental health. He explains why the whole industry needs to lean into the problem. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Peachtree Sports launched out of Gray Television’s WANF and WPCH Atlanta in early October with a programming slate of eclectic Georgia sports and a trajectory aimed at statewide distribution. Erik Schrader, the stations’ VP and GM, explains why he sees a viable market there. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from June 23, Brian Morris, CISO for Gray Television, says that building successful defenses against ever more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks on broadcasters depends on having a strong culture of cybersecurity from the C-suite down. A full transcript of the conversation is included. For more information about TVNewsCheck‘s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26, click here.

Julie Baker, a reporter at KXRM Colorado Springs, has landed strongly with users on TikTok and Instagram for her weird, funny, antic-y videos. Social platforms reward such a niche, she says, with the side benefit of letting her real self break through the TV reporter artifice. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Chris Nagus, senior director of storytelling and content strategy at E.W. Scripps, explains how he works closely with reporters across the group’s stations to hone their journalistic chops and storytelling skills to make for stronger newscasts. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from June 23, Brian Morris, CISO for Gray Television, says that building successful defenses against ever more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks on broadcasters depends on having a strong culture of cybersecurity from the C-suite down. A full transcript of the conversation is included. For more information about TVNewsCheck‘s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26, click here.

David Hudson, head of original programming for Scripps Networks, explains the originality and authenticity powering Bounce’s breakout hit series Johnson and what he’s looking for in a potential hit against the intense competition coming from streamers. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Pia Blumenthal, design manager for the AContent Authenticity Initiative at Adobe and co-chair of the UX Task Force at the Coalition for Content, Provenance and Authenticity, is on the front lines against news disinformation. She explains how the proliferation of generative AI is making that job a lot harder. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Ahron Young, CEO of Ticker News and its primary anchor, explains why he turned solely to FAST channel terrain for what he’s positioning as a global news service. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Mark Critch, creator and star of the autobiographical coming-of-age comedy series Son of a Critch, is bringing his Newfoundland, Canada, export to U.S. TV screens via The CW this month. He’s hoping its nostalgic charms strike the same chord as The Wonder Years did in his own childhood. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Keren Henderson and Bob Papper, journalism professors at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, discuss the big takeaway from their recent study on TV newsroom employment: Staff are burning out hard, and the problem is hitting red line levels. So, how to bring things back from the brink? A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Avid’s Craig Wilson, host of the Making the Media podcast, shares insights he’s gleaned over the past 50 episodes on AI, FAST channels, a skills shortage and leaps forward in video news storytelling in a particularly meta edition of Talking TV. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist for NBC’s Today, co-anchor of the show’s third hour and host of Earth Odyssey in the network’s The More You Know block talks about how to weave climate change into weather reporting and what she gets out of making a good, old fashioned nature show. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Brian Morris, CISO of Gray Television, says that building successful defenses against ever more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks on broadcasters depends on having a strong culture of cybersecurity from the C-suite down. A full transcript of the conversation is included. For more information about TVNewsCheck‘s Cybersecurity for Broadcasters Retreat on Oct. 26, click here.

Paul Caluori, AP’s VP of global products, and Derl McCrudden, AP’s VP and head of global news production, discuss the organization’s new AI-based archive search tool that circumvents the need for metatags and the shadow that generative AI casts over the industry at large. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Dorthy Miller Shore, CEO of Prime Women Media, shares her plans to launch a cable network in Q2 2024 that will target what she feels is a vastly underrepresented demographic on TV screens: 50-plus-year-old women. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Kyle Rogers, news director of Gray Television’s Local News Live, explains how the streaming news service has upped its game and its polish since its relocation to Washington, D.C., and settling into a more conventionally anchored approach to stitching together local reports from around the U.S. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

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.

Cherie Grzech, VP of news and managing editor of Nexstar’s NewsNation, shares the importance of the network’s recent expansion to 24 hours of news each weekday and its two new state-of-the-art studios in New York. She says while other news organizations are cutting staff, NewsNation is still hiring producers and reporters. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

See full videos from all the sessions at TVNewsCheck’s inaugural Programming Everywhere event at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, including panels on syndication’s changing business model, fresh approaches to news content, the future of sports on broadcast TV and where FAST channels are directing the evolution of broadcasting. This content, which previously was limited to TVN premium members, is now available to all.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Joe Murphy of Deep Brain AI, a technology company that’s creating digital copies of TV news anchors for outlets in China and South Korea, about how the tech works, the ethical issues around it and the likelihood that we’ll be seeing digital anchors on U.S. screens. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Erin Kennedy and Megan Glaros, who followed their layoffs as an anchor and meteorologist, respectively, at Chicago’s WBBM with the video podcast Broken News. Their show pulls back the curtain on local TV to reveal the sexism, punishing schedules and career unsustainability they encountered and its aftershocks in their lives.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Carol Fowler, director of content at Tegna-owned NBC affiliate KDSK and Art Holliday, its news director, about the station’s 75-year milestone, how it’s evolving its reporting approach to crime coverage amid a dramatic surge and how the station is creatively navigating the staffing crisis facing the entire industry. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp and Michael Stahl discuss Stahl’s bombshell reporting on News 12’s New York area hyperlocal news channels, where multiple sources allege systemic abuse and a damaged, diluted news product. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC and co-host of Hearst Media Production Group’s Hearts of Heroes, along with fellow host Sheldon Yellen, about broadcast’s role in disaster preparedness and the frontline workers whose stories they tell in the show. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with veteran New York broadcaster Ernie Anastos, who is returning to television this fall with Positively America with Ernie Anastos, a new syndicated offering through which he plans to share accumulated wisdom and compelling conversations. A transcript of the conversation is included.

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Erika Dilday, executive producer of PBS’s POV documentary series as the show enters its 35^th season, looking at what makes potent documentaries work and how local TV stations can make successful forays into the space by drawing on their strong community ties. A full transcript of the conversation is included.