Journalism

Media and entertainment organizations have unique requirements that should not be ignored even in the wake of crisis. To quickly and reliably transfer large media files over the internet, companies need file acceleration, defense-in-depth security, flexible user administration, powerful reporting and other tools to maintain business continuity and support a distributed workforce.

Houston Hunt, VP of marketing for Griffin Communications, said the building that houses its CBS affiliate in Tulsa, Okla., was to reopen at noon Sunday and broadcasts were to resume as normal. On Saturday, an employee tested positive for COVID-19 and the building was closed. The station carried newcasts Saturday simulcast from Griffin’s KWTV Oklahoma City.

The party “may have to do a virtual convention,” the former vice president said Sunday. “The idea of holding the convention is going to be necessary. We may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place,” he told ABC’s This Week, calling an online convention “very possible.”

Just as it has for many viewers, the coronavirus pandemic has transformed the work lives of TV newspeople in Philadelphia. As news operations continue to evolve their approach to social distancing in an effort to keep their workers safe, jobs that once seemed impossible to do outside a studio are getting done from home.

Fox News is facing intense scrutiny for its initial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and a lawsuit filed in Washington is asking a state court to bar the network from sharing false information about the pandemic. The top-rated network was sued Thursday by the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics.

As people turn to local news stations for critical updates amidst the crisis, the free streaming platform is experiencing a record number of users and sessions.

Gray Television is launching a late night newscast focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, with Greta Van Susteren and Lee Zurik hosting. Full Court Press Now will launch on Monday across Gray’s stations in 93 markets. The show will draw on reporting from Gray’s newsrooms in local markets.

New apps from ABC News Live debut on Fire TV and Android TV platforms with an update coming to the Roku platform and Apple TV apps. The ABC Owned Television Stations are also introducing market-specific apps on Fire TV, Android TV, the Roku platform and Apple TV.

TV stations, including those in Los Angeles, have had to adapt quickly to the new normal of programming news while adhering to government mandates designed to stop the spread of the virus. While TV audiences continue to tune in to CNN and MSNBC for the latest national updates, they are also relying on broadcasters closer to home to apprise them of what’s going on specifically in their communities.

Gray’s InvestigateTV brings the pandemic story home, creating an impressive tool — an interactive COVID-19 Tracker that collects positive test results in every single county in the United States, updates the data every day, and makes the information easily accessible. Just mouse over or search the map, find your county, and you can see how many cases per capita have cropped up there.

Readers desperate for information are more reliant than ever on local media as the coronavirus spreads across the U.S. They want to know about cases in their area, where testing centers are, what the economic impact is. Papers say online traffic and subscriptions have risen. But newspapers and other publications are under pressure as advertising craters. They are cutting jobs, staff hours and pay, dropping print editions — and in some cases shutting down entirely.

Nate Johnson, NBU Owned Stations’ director of weather operations, says the group’s naturally techy meteorologists made a smooth transition to doing their forecasts from home. Viewers have been grateful for the domestic snapshots and fleeting returns to pre-pandemic life they’ve gotten in the process.

Milwaukee will still host the convention, which is now scheduled for the week of Aug. 17. Republicans are sticking with their plan to meet in Charlotte, N.C., a week later to renominate Donald Trump.

Mark Lukasiewicz:: In recent years, ‘live’ and ‘breaking’ have become even more dominant, and somewhat devalued, buzzwords of the business. And that has marked a substantial further surrender of journalism and journalistic values in television news.

David Zurawik: “Sounds of coughing and moaning throughout the room. Corridors overflowing with gurneys bearing COVID-19 patients, some in postures of distress. Sheets of plastic taped to walls, makeshift borders aimed at protection and some semblance of privacy. This is what ground zero looks like in the war on COVID-19, according to a CNN report that aired Monday. I believe we need to see more of these images from media outlets of the horrible truth shown here.”

Fox-owned WAGA in Atlanta has transitioned smoothly to a remote working environment for most of its staff. Its GM and news director say lots of advance planning and regular all-hands virtual meetings are helping a coronavirus-driven diasporic station stay together as a unit. Above, the station’s temporary studio outside its building.

The veteran news leader returns to Spokane, Wash., after stints in Sacramento, Seattle and Charlotte, N.C.

Over the last few years, a wave of unionization has swept local newsrooms and digital media outlets. As the coronavirus sweeps the country, forcing media companies to enact drastic cost-cutting plans, unionized newsrooms are putting the power of collective bargaining to the test.