The Corporation for Public Broadcasting awarded a two-year $375,000 grant so that five noncommercial stations in upstate New York can combine their efforts and form a shared multimedia newsroom.
The news room, to be known as “Upstate Insight,” will allow the licensees to provide more comprehensive news coverage to northern New York, according to CPB.
The five stations are: WXXI Rochester, WSKG Binghamton, WRVO Oswego/Syracuse, and WMHT Schenectady/Albany and associate partner station WBFO Buffalo. The stations will develop news data capability and adopt content sharing and communications systems to support connectivity between organizations.
All are joint radio-television licensees, with the exception of WRVO, which is solely radio. WXXI also airs two HD Radio channels.
“Many news organizations are pursuing collaborative partnerships and strategies in response to the contraction of resources for journalism,” stated WXXI’s Matthew Leonard, who will be the project’s executive editor. “It’s evident that multireporter, multistation coverage of topics produces high-value content, and that’s what this collaboration will help us achieve.”
