The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded the latest in a series of grants to prioritize local reporting, with a big grant being given to the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom (AMSN).
The journalism collaboration of public radio and television stations, led by Louisville Public Media, was launched last fall to provide relevant, fact-based information to local communities across Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. And, it is getting a $649,703 grant.
In addition to Louisville Public Media, the other stations in the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom are WKU Public Radio (Bowling Green, Ky.), WEKU (Richmond, Ky.), WKMS (Murray, Ky.), WPLN Nashville Public Radio, WUOT (Knoxville) and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
The collaborations, which involve public media stations working together to serve residents in rural areas of the country, cover topics of regional concern, such as agriculture, veterans and active military issues, and rural life.
“Local journalism is essential to the civic health of America’s communities,” said CPB President/CEO Patricia Harrison. “In addition to providing fact-based reporting and emergency information, public media stations respond to the information needs of the communities they serve, reflecting and respecting local voices and perspectives, including stories of civic pride and engagement. These stations are committed to working together with the communities they serve, and they have already started.”
When deadly floods swept through the region in the wake of Hurricane Helene last fall, AMSN and nine partner stations moved quickly, deploying a veteran journalist to cover storm damage in Eastern Tennessee, while statehouse reporters in Nashville provided useful information and context from the capital.
The 2024 Medill State of Local News Report found that 13 counties in these three states have no local news sources, and 187 counties have only one local news source. Rural communities are at especially high risk of losing local news and this region is no exception. The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom provides access to local and regional news to all these counties, connecting rural communities to one another and to nearby population centers.
“West Virginia Public Broadcasting can only strengthen our storytelling by working with other stations in greater Appalachia,” said Eddie Isom, Executive Director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “We see this collaboration as a positive step in working together to tell the important stories that are happening in an often overlooked region.”
