CPB will devote $2.5 million to reporting projects spearheaded by stations and national producers, President Patricia Harrison announced Nov. 12 at the Public Radio Regional Organizations Super-Regional conference in Fort Washington, Md.
The funder will provide $1.5 million for the Diverse Perspectives project, an initiative to support reporting from groups of news stations for local, regional and national use. Like the CPB-backed Local Journalism Centers, the stations will focus on particular topics.
The number of stations to receive the two-year grants will depend on the range and size of proposals submitted, said Bruce Theriault, CPB senior v.p. of radio, but he estimated that about five groups will receive support. CPB expects to start accepting applications within a week or so.
Another $1 million pool of money will support reporting from national producers partnering with stations on creating high-quality multimedia content about issues in education. CPB will especially favor reporting that aligns with its American Graduate initiative. CPB expects to fund no more than three projects, Theriualt said, depending on the number of promising proposals and the funding requested.