CPB grants Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom nearly $650,000
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Louisville Public Media's headquarters.
CPB awarded a $649,703 grant Thursday to the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom.
The journalism collaboration, led by Louisville Public Media, was launched last fall and includes six other stations: WKU Public Radio in Bowling Green, Ky.; WEKU in Richmond, Ky.; WKMS in Murray, Ky.; WPLN Nashville Public Radio; WUOT in Knoxville, Tenn.; and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. CPB’s support over three years will fund a video journalist, a project manager and four shared positions, according to a news release.
Since starting its work, the newsroom has collaborated on covering the deadly floods caused by Hurricane Helene. It has also published a retrospective on a mining disaster in West Virginia, reported on soybean farmers and the trade war and covered the population decline among monarch butterflies.
“We’re thrilled to have CPB’s support to extend shared services and capabilities that will make our journalism more impactful and sustainable,” said Ellen Oost, co-interim CEO of Louisville Public Media, in the release. “This collaboration allows us to coordinate journalism resources to strengthen local news across our region, which covers a swath of rural America as well as population centers — each with a distinct culture and common concerns.”
CPB’s release cited research from the 2024 Medill State of Local News Report, which found that 13 counties in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have no local news sources. In addition, 187 counties have only one local news source.
“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.”
“Local journalism is essential to the civic health of America’s communities,” said CPB President Pat Harrison in the release. “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.”
The grant adds to the nearly $50 million CPB has invested in journalism collaborations across the country since 2010, according to a news release. Other regional journalism collaborations include the California Newsroom, the Gulf States Newsroom and the Midwest Newsroom.
