Talking TV

In just over two years, Hearst Television’s Very Local streaming service has built a library of dozens of titles and more than 500 original episodes. VP Laura Ling explains how the streamer makes cable-quality shows at scale and on a lean budget.

Annika Pergament’s new weekday newscast on NY1, The Rush Hour , wants to offer an epilogue to newsworthy stories viewers have invested in “to see how they pan out.”

Angela Grande, director of streaming news channels at NBCUniversal Local, says FAST channels represent a unique and powerful opportunity for local news, but choreographing the relationships between stations, platforms and tech partners is a fast-evolving dance.

Next week is National News Literacy Week, and the News Literacy Project’s Peter Adams and Hannah Covington share tips on what TV newsrooms can do every day to help better equip their viewers with critical skills while building trust.

RTDNA President-CEO Dan Shelley says TV news’ credibility is on the line in this election year as never before, and he has some advice on how stations can recapture viewers’ trust.

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt says he’s “tremendously frustrated” with the FCC’s late December decision to reaffirm and tighten its regulations on broadcast ownership. So, what’s the organization’s next move?

TVNewsCheck Editor at Large Harry Jessell and Editor Michael Depp look back over an eventful year in broadcast business news and ahead to the steepest challenges it will confront in 2024.

Britta Merwin, a Fox Weather meteorologist and co-host of its morning block, says the network’s success so far stems from its unique distribution strategy.

Johnny Green, president and GM of CBS-owned WCBS New York, and Sarah Burke, the station’s VP and news director, say its community-focused reporters are gaining traction — and trust — in the neighborhoods where they’ve been embedded, a strength to draw on in a fractious news year ahead.

Portia Bruner, a former anchor at Fox-owned WAGA Atlanta, is in the second season of an eponymous talk show also getting national carriage on Fox Soul. National syndication is next in her sights.

The Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism just marked its 25th year of training newsroom leaders to be more ethical, empathetic and inclusive in their management. Joan Barrett, president and GM of WCNC, and Anzio Williams, SVP of diversity, equity and inclusion at NBCUniversal Local, both Kneeland board members, explain its unique value.

Daily Blast Live , a Tegna-produced topical talker shot in Denver, may be heralding a new wave of cheaper, functional syndicated daytime shows. Its producer, Burt Dubrow and Tegna’s Brian Weiss, VP of entertainment programming and multicast networks, make the case.

CBC journalist Dave Seglins has become a leading voice for addressing the profound stressors impacting journalists’ mental health. He explains why the whole industry needs to lean into the problem.

Peachtree Sports launched out of Gray Television’s WANF and WPCH Atlanta in early October with a programming slate of eclectic Georgia sports and a trajectory aimed at statewide distribution. Erik Schrader, the stations’ VP and GM, explains why he sees a viable market there.

Julie Baker, a reporter at KXRM Colorado Springs, has landed strongly with users on TikTok and Instagram for her weird, funny, antic-y videos. Social platforms reward such a niche, she says, with the side benefit of letting her real self break through the TV reporter artifice.

Chris Nagus, senior director of storytelling and content strategy at E.W. Scripps, explains how he works closely with reporters across the group’s stations to hone their journalistic chops and storytelling skills to make for stronger newscasts.

Laura Ellis, head of technology forecasting at the BBC, say the time is nigh for news organizations to confront the manifold opportunities — and dangers — that generative AI has ushered in.

David Hudson, head of original programming for Scripps Networks, explains the originality and authenticity powering Bounce’s breakout hit series Johnson and what he’s looking for in a potential hit against the intense competition coming from streamers.

Pia Blumenthal, design manager for the AContent Authenticity Initiative at Adobe and co-chair of the UX Task Force at the Coalition for Content, Provenance and Authenticity, is on the front lines against news disinformation. She explains how the proliferation of generative AI is making that job a lot harder.

Ahron Young, CEO of Ticker News and its primary anchor, explains why he turned solely to FAST channel terrain for what he’s positioning as a global news service.

Bryce Harlow, a lobbyist and spokesperson for the brand-new Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition, explains why the broadcast networks and vMVPDs he’s representing want to leave retransmission negotiation rules just as they are.

Tanya Vea, president-COO of Bonneville International and a spokesperson for the new Coalition for Local News, explains why the group is drawing a direct line between the need for new FCC rules on dealing with vMVPDs and maintaining healthy local TV newsrooms.

Mark Critch, creator and star of the autobiographical coming-of-age comedy series Son of a Critch, is bringing his Newfoundland, Canada, export to U.S. TV screens via The CW this month. He’s hoping its nostalgic charms strike the same chord as The Wonder Years did in his own childhood.

Keren Henderson and Bob Papper, journalism professors at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, discuss the big takeaway from their recent study on TV newsroom employment: Staff are burning out hard, and the problem is hitting redline levels. So, how to bring things back from the brink?

Avid’s Craig Wilson, host of the Making the Media podcast, shares insights he’s gleaned over the past 50 episodes on AI, FAST channels, a skills shortage and leaps forward in video news storytelling in a particularly meta edition of Talking TV.