Four Pennsylvania Public Media Organizations Awarded $652,902 CPB Grant to Form News Collaboration
By WITF Staff
WITF to Lead Effort
Harrisburg, PA (September 13, 2017) — Four public media organizations in Pennsylvania, led by WITF, will receive a $652,902 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to expand a regional news collaboration. Lead station WITF (Harrisburg) will work with WHYY (Philadelphia), WESA (Pittsburgh) and The Allegheny Front (Pittsburgh).
The partnership, titled StateImpact Pennsylvania, will produce multimedia reports on the energy industry, the economic and environmental impact of energy choices, and how energy production affects the health of citizens and communities. The CPB grant will support the hiring of three journalists at the partner media outlets for two years, with station support continuing in outlying years.
“Collaboration is a force multiplier; together stations can do more and innovate faster to provide the local journalism that is part of the bedrock of public media’s valued service to our country,” said Kathy Merritt, CPB senior vice president, journalism and radio. “We’ve seen the importance of our investments in collaboration when, for example, stations in the Texas Station Collaborative were better prepared to serve their communities throughout the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.”
StateImpact Pennsylvania has spent much of the past six years covering how natural gas drilling has changed the commonwealth. By adding more resources to the effort, the project plans to expand its scope by focusing on the entire energy economy — from coal to nuclear to alternative energy sources. The goal will be to help Pennsylvanians have a better understanding of the environmental, financial and health impacts the energy industry has on communities across the state.
WITF President and CEO Kathleen Pavelko, stated “WITF has long embraced collaboration with media partners within Pennsylvania to expand our capacity to provide high quality, contextual news, and to connect local and regional issues with statewide policies. This latest collaboration and generous grant will expand StateImpact Pennsylvania’s geographic reach and strengthen its editorial focus.”
StateImpact Pennsylvania will report for partner stations and contribute to national programs, including PBS NewsHour, Marketplace, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered, and other public media programs. The collaboration will provide audio, video, and web reporting.
For information about the partner stations, visit their websites:
www.witf.org
www.stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/
www.WHYY.org
www.wesa.fm
www.alleghenyfront.org
About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of nearly 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.
About WITF
WITF, Inc. is a trusted, valued supplier of programs and services that both satisfy and stimulate curiosity for residents in every community in our region. WITF’s programs and services are regionally focused to serve the approximately 2.3 million citizens in the nineteen counties of south central Pennsylvania and to reach beyond the region to “bring Pennsylvania to Pennsylvanians” through coverage of the legislature and state government.
WITF’s media services include public television (WITF-TV), two public radio services (WITF 89.5 and WYPM 93.3 Chambersburg), a regional magazine (Central PA) in partnership with the Patriot-News, websites (including WITF.org and ExplorePAhistory.com), statewide radio networks for public and commercial stations (Pennsylvania Public Radio and Radio PA), and a production services division (Media Solutions).
About WHYY
WHYY advances civic life through storytelling, arts, education and civic dialogue. As the region’s leading public media provider and PBS/NPR member station, WHYY’s multimedia outreach includes WHYY-TV, WHYY-FM, WHYY’s award-winning online home for news and civic dialogue, NewsWorks.org and “off-air” community forums, artistic performances, lectures and media education programs through the Dorrance Hamilton Public Media Commons.
About 90.5 WESA
90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station, is a local, wholly-owned subsidiary of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. 90.5 WESA can be heard on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh; 92.3 FM in New Baltimore; 100.5 FM in Johnstown, 104.1 FM in Ligonier and Somerset, and online at wesa.fm.
About The Allegheny Front
The Allegheny Front is a public media outlet covering the environment in Pennsylvania since 1991. Based in Pittsburgh, The Allegheny Front produces an award-winning weekly public radio program that examines how environmental issues intersect with the economy, health, technology, culture and quality of life. The Allegheny Front also produces the Trump on Earth podcast, discussing the environment in the age of Donald Trump.
