Los Angeles’s KPCC is shuffling news priorities. As LA Observed reports, the station is closing its bureau in the state capital and cutting two general assignment reporters. But it has also made eight new hires since October, mostly to expand healthcare and environment coverage as well as its digital presence.
Russ Stanton, KPCC v.p. of content, told LA Observed that the station may reinstate a Sacramento staffer in 2015. In the meantime it will rely on reports from Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio for state-government coverage.
The station also launched an iPad app Dec. 2, making it one of the few public stations to put out its own tablet app, according to Nieman Lab. The app presents both local and national programming and curates top news headlines for users twice daily. Two days after the app’s launch, its project manager, Senior Producer for Mobile Content P. Kim Bui, announced she would leave the station to join Digital First Media.
KPCC has spent $10 million over the last several years to expand its news operations and employs more than 90 news staff.