“As newsrooms shrink, media companies consolidate, and communities lose access to trusted local information.”
Leave it to a privately held operator of two Raleigh-Durham television stations to tackle the challenges of print and broadcast media in an era where a smartphone app and web browser can bring a world’s full of information to the palm of one’s hand — yet can’t seem to deliver full details of what’s happening within five miles of many individuals.
Capitol Broadcasting Company’s NBC affiliate, WRAL-5 in Raleigh, will air a documentary in early prime on Wednesday (6/10) that examines “the changing landscape of local journalism and the impact on communities across the state.”
Airing at 7:30pm Eastern, the program, “Left Uncovered: Inside North Carolina’s News Deserts,” will also be available on every WRAL streaming platform, including the station’s YouTube channel.
That’s the first of three showings of the documentary, which airs again for WRAL-TV viewers on Saturday, June 13 at 1:30pm and for for WRAZ “FOX 50″ viewers on Sunday, June 14 at 6:30pm.
Produced by WRAL Documentary Investigative Reporter Cristin Severance and photojournalist Dwayne Myers, the documentary looks at small-town newspapers as well as local television and public media, and delves into how the industry is evolving and what happens when fewer journalists are left to cover local issues.
“Of course, this is personal for us as journalists, but this documentary isn’t about journalists. It’s about communities,” Severance said. “We wanted viewers to understand what’s at stake when local news disappears: access to reliable information, accountability for those in power, and the role a free press plays in our democracy.”
The documentary also highlights the people working to save local journalism, including independent publishers, broadcasters, and community leaders searching for new ways to keep local news alive.
The Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, N.C., DMA, which includes Roanoke Rapids and Chapel Hill, among other communities, is unique in that the NBC and FOX stations are owned by a private company — one that has been at the forefront of ATSC 3.0 technology advances and the shift to digital television from analog. It is also home to an ABC Owned Stations property in WTVD-TV, and a CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group. The News & Observer, a McClatchy-owned daily, serves the Raleigh-Durham market and has the largest circulation of any newspaper in North Carolina. The Fayetteville Observer is a USA TODAY publication.
