Journalism

Even in a fractious era, the filmmaker still believes that his documentaries can bring every viewer in. “Documentaries are traditionally advocacy,” Burns says. He sees his films as acts of “emotional archeology” that aspire to be art. When Paula Kerger, PBS’s president, recently introduced Burns in Los Angeles, she quoted a tweet that described him as “the Marvel Studios of PBS.”

Jeffrey Herbst, president and chief executive of the Newseum, stepped down suddenly on Monday as the museum’s board announced a full-blown review of its long-troubled finances. The review could result in the sale of the landmark building on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to a statement from the Freedom Forum, the creator and primary benefactor of the Newseum.

Syd Silverman, the former publisher and owner of Variety, died of a sudden illness in Boca Raton, Fla., on Sunday. He was 85. Silverman inherited the role of publisher in 1950 and held that title until 1987, when he sold the paper. During his years at Variety, he made sure the coverage reflected the many changes in the entertainment industry, including the revolutions in cable and pay-TV, independent film pre-sales, financial interest and syndication rules for TV programs, satellite TV, home video and digital media.

The Minneapolis My Network TV affiliate will be known as Fox 9+. In addition to the new evening newscast, it will also rebroadcast co-owned KMSP’s 10 p.m. news at 11.

The networks’ morning news programs flooded the airwaves with dramatic and, at times, over the top coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Texas TV stations sitting under a stalled Tropical Storm Harvey are using Facebook, especially Facebook Live, to keep users/viewers informed during this cataclysmic flooding event. Many residents without power can’t watch TV so stations must turn to social media to put information in the palms of people’s hands. Above: KHOU, the Tegna-owned CBS affiliate in Houston, went off the air for a time on Sunday when its studios were flooded.

My in-depth and comprehensive content analysis of the mega-group’s news-producing stations suggest that it just might be. I wonder if David Smith knows about this.

Nexstar-owned NBC affiliate WDTN Dayton, Ohio (DMA 64) has added Ohio native Lauren Wood to its anchor desk. She comes from co-owned WKBN Youngstown, Ohio. Wood will join John Seibel […]

Broadcasters are making final preparation as Hurricane Harvey churns toward the Texas coastline. Government officials are urging the public to tune to local radio and TV stations for critical information. The FCC also has new EAS event codes that may get their first use in the potentially catastrophic storm.

With changing TV viewing habits, Tegna’s NBC-ABC combo in Jacksonville, Fla., is experimenting with augmented reality and 3D technologies to grab viewers’ attention and enhance the storytelling experience. During recent newscasts, anchors in the studio have dodged a school bus and shared the screen with a circling shark — both virtual, of course. News Director Meagan Harris talks about the experiments.

Legendary NBC broadcaster Tom Brokaw blasted President Trump’s criticism of the news media on Thursday, firing back after Trump questioned at a rally earlier this week whether members of the press liked the country.

The new CEO and publisher of the Los Angeles Times will have a starting salary of $1 million, and he’s positioned to make much more depending on the financial success of the Times and the company that owns it, Tronc. Ross Levinsohn, 54, the former interim CEO of Yahoo, took over as the head of the Times on Monday in a leadership shakeup at the newspaper.

Members of the media blasted back at President Trump on Wednesday after he railed against the press at a rally and called journalists “dishonest people” who “don’t like our country.” Acrimony between the Trump White House and the media has been escalating for months, but the latest round of attacks and counterattacks was notable for its bare-knuckle ferocity.

25.6 million viewers watched Monday afternoon TV coverage of the eclipse. 27.8 million viewers watched President Trump’s Afghanistan address that night.

Ross Levinsohn is used to tough jobs. But this week, the 54-year-old digital media executive took on what could be his most difficult assignment yet: figuring out how to generate more revenue from the journalism produced by the 135-year-old Los Angeles Times at a time when the news industry is grappling with sweeping shifts in consumer behavior and a proliferation of online outlets.

The news director of Gray’s NBC affiliate in Greenville, N.C., died unexpectedly at her home Tuesday morning. She was 46 and married to WITN’s Dave Jordan.

IP newsgathering specialist Dejero and global satellite service provider Intelsat have partnered to offer the TV industry a new service that blends Ku-band satellite and cellular network bandwidth into a one-button-push service for IP news contribution from the field. Dejero founder Bogdan Frusina explains why the service is necessary, how existing Ka-band users can get on board, what Intelsat brings to the party and how the new service will add another option to relieve network congestion at big events like political conventions.

David Smith, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s executive chairman and largest shareholder, is close to Steve Bannon and an admirer, according to people who know them both. He is keen to increase Sinclair’s heft in conservative commentary, a market currently dominated by Fox News Channel, and is eyeing a collaboration with Bannon, according to the Financial Times.