TEGNA and Hubbard Collect Nearly Eight Million Meals

KRWM-FM Collects 6,500 Stuffed Animals for Kids

Hubbard Broadcasting’s KRWM-FM Seattle collected more than 6,500 teddy bears for  local children during the annual “Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss” on January 11. The toss occurred at the Seattle Thunderbirds' hockey game, immediately following the first goal of the night. The toys will be distributed by the Salvation Army.

WITI Collects 10,000 Coats for Milwaukee Kids

Nexstar Media Group’s Fox affiliate WITI-TV Milwaukee collected more than 10,000 coats during the 35th annual “Coats for Kids” fundraiser, held November 13–December 9. For the second consecutive year, WITI also partnered with Operation Warm to collect money to purchase new coats and raised nearly $35,000.

WTTS-FM Raises $22,000 for Local Library

Sarkes Tarzian’s WTTS-FM Indianapolis raised $22,000 in its annual “Rock to Read” benefit concert series, held in September and October to support children’s reading programs and the Indianapolis Public Library. Since 2007, the WTTS “Rock to Read” concert series has raised more than $200,000 for critical reading programs.

KNBR Raises $125,000 for Youth Sports

Cumulus-owned KNBR-AM/FM San Francisco raised more than $125,000 with the San Francisco 49ers during the third annual "49ers Foundation Holiday Sports Auction" on December 3 and 4. The two-day charity auction was broadcast live and featured 49ers memorabilia and on-air appearances by current 49ers players.

TEGNA Helps Journalists Identify and Combat Disinformation

TEGNA began training its journalists in mid-January to combat disinformation in partnership with First Draft, a nonprofit that supports journalists, academics and technologists in the digital age. First Draft will train TEGNA’s journalists across the company’s 49 newsrooms to identify false information online.

TEGNA is also expanding its fact-checking initiative "Verify" by adding additional regional fact-checkers to provide transparency in the reporting process and authenticate information submitted by viewers.

Scripps Hosts First National News Literacy Week

The E.W. Scripps Company hosted the first National News Literacy Week on January 27–31 with the nonprofit News Literacy Project, which is dedicated to raising awareness of news literacy as a fundamental life skill.

Scripps’ 60 television stations and national media brands, including Newsy and Stitcher, published stories and ran a national advertising campaign focused on the critical need for news literacy and the role of a free press in a healthy democracy.

WWWQ-FM Prompts New State Legislation for Working Moms

Cumulus Media-owned WWWQ-FM Atlanta investigated workplace protections for new mothers, prompting the introduction of a new workplace protections bill in the Georgia State Senate on January 28. After reporting a story about the lack of workplace protections for new mothers who wish to pump breast milk during the workday, the station launched an online campaign and contacted local attorneys to discuss changing the law.

WUSA Investigates Amazon CEO's $17,000 Parking Violations

TEGNA's CBS affiliate WUSA-TV Washington, D.C. aired an investigation on January 30 into nearly $17,000 worth of unpaid parking violations allegedly related to the renovation of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Washington mansion. Investigative reporter Eric Flack learned 564 citations were issued on the mansion's block between October 2016 and October 2019 and witnessed workers departing the construction site in ticketed vehicles day after day.

WUSA found vehicles were cited for ignoring no parking zones, as well as blocking crosswalks and obstructing pedestrian traffic. Almost $6,000 worth of tickets were unpaid at the time of investigation.

WFAA Covers Climate Change With an 'Everyman'

TEGNA’s WFAA-TV Dallas aired on November 3 and 17 a two-part investigative report on climate change. "Verify: Climate Truth" followed WFAA reporter David Schechter and local roofer and self-proclaimed climate change skeptic Justin Fain as they investigated whether the environment has changed due to human activity. The two spoke with climatologists, geologists and other scientists throughout Texas to understand the impact of climate change before traveling to Alaska to report on environmental changes in one of the fastest warming regions of the country.

Local Stations Win duPont-Columbia Awards

Columbia Journalism School honored four television stations on January 21 with Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University awards. Stations raised awareness for important issues such as immigration, political corruption, abuse of power and sexual assault.

Winning stations included TEGNA's NBC affiliate KARE-TV Minneapolis; Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association's PBS affiliate WETA-TV Washington, D.C.; Scripps' ABC affiliate WKWB-TV Buffalo; and Cox Media Group's ABC affiliate WSOC-TV Charlotte, N.C.

WRMJ-FM's App Offers Local News

Western Illinois Broadcasting’s WRMJ-FM Aledo, Ill., demonstrated its commitment to delivering local news and programming content by launching a station app in mid-January. The small-market station has broadcast local news, high school sports and weather to the community for 40 years. The WRMJ app will provide listeners with a unique way to hear familiar voices, access local news and listen to music wherever they are.

Nexstar Adds Local News

Nexstar Media Group's CBS affiliate KOIN-TV Portland, Ore., began airing a new local morning show on February 3. The show, “KOIN News AM Extra,” will cover local and breaking news, sports, weather, traffic and life in the Portland area. In addition, Nexstar’s CW affiliate KRCW-TV Portland, Ore., expanded its evening news program in October from 30 minutes to an hour.

WADL Detroit Launches 10 P.M. News Program

WADL-TV Detroit premiered on January 21 a new evening newscast with a focus on local investigative reporting. The weeknight program, “News Now With Kevin Dietz,” features two long investigative reports per night.

Scripps Focuses on Local News With High School Journalists

Scripps TV stations worked with local high schools through National News Literacy Week, held January 27–31, to produce original pieces of student journalism. The stories highlighted the importance of local news and were available on the stations and through Scripps’ multiplatform news brand, Newsy.

Participating Scripps stations included ABC affiliate KMGH-TV Denver; CBS affiliate WTVF-TV Nashville; CBS affiliate WTVR-TV Richmond, Va.; ABC affiliate KGTV San Diego; ABC affiliate WKBW-TV Buffalo; CBS affiliate KMTV Omaha, Neb.; and CBS affiliate WTKR-TV Norfolk, Va.