Latest E&P Exclusive Reporting

Forget big tech — why small tools may save local media

Big tech has overpromised and underdelivered for local media. Now, E&P’s tech expert Guy Tasaka argues the real future lies in micro-SaaS, no-code tools, and affordable “good enough” solutions. After decades of enterprise complexity, small, scrappy platforms are finally solving the problems big vendors ignored — and doing it faster and cheaper. If you’re still waiting for the perfect system, you may already be falling behind.

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Losing public funding won't kill public media: Ignoring the audience problem will

The biggest threat to public media isn’t the looming cut to federal funding — it’s that we’re losing our audience. While headlines scream about Congress gutting $535 million in support, the real crisis is quieter and far more dangerous: disconnection. Viewers are drifting, engagement is flatlining, and too many of us still act like it’s 1978. If we don’t start earning our place in people’s lives, no funding fight will save us.

Public Pulse

Tell me about your strat plan

Strat planning is time-consuming, and the process is daunting. But done right, it helps your entire team (and even the community) understand where you want to be in a year, five years and a decade. Here's a checklist of sorts to help.

Should you fire your CEO? (Or yourself?)

It’s time for every public media board, executive team and CEO to ask a hard question: Do we have the right leadership and skills to lead a radical digital transformation? If not, E&P columnist Tom Davidson says it’s time to fix that — even if it means firing people.

Forget predictions. Here’s what should happen in 2025.

Public media’s audience is aging, broadcast is fading, and digital-first competitors are winning. Yet, many still cling to outdated models. Tom Davidson lays out a bold challenge: stop fixating on broadcast and start acting like modern media organizations. From rethinking audience engagement to embracing data, he outlines what must change—before it’s too late.

NPR capitalizes on talent, expertise and shared mission

As NPR grapples with funding threats and industry upheaval, its sprawling network of journalists is proving that collaboration isn’t just a strategy—it’s a lifeline. With more than 200 affiliate stations and nearly 3,000 reporters, NPR’s regional and topical partnerships have become essential for covering breaking news, crises, and underreported stories. But with political and financial pressures mounting, can this model sustain itself in an era of uncertainty?

Lunch or be lunch: The urgent need for bold leadership in public media

Every station CEO I talk to — and most of their senior leaders — know the issues facing us: Aging over-the-air audiences, fragmented by near-endless choice via digital media, leading to sharp declines in membership, and increased competition for advertising (sorry! “underwriting!”) dollars. But are your boards conversant on those topics? Do their meetings regularly devote time to discussing them?

Sun-Times expands readership by centering community needs

In recent years, the Chicago Sun-Times has fully embraced community-focused journalism under the leadership of Jennifer Kho, who was appointed executive editor in 2022. The first woman and person of color to lead the newsroom, Kho has driven a transformation rooted in listening and collaboration.

The best conference of the year that you didn’t attend

LION Publishers' annual Independent News Sustainability Summit was brimming with sessions and hallway discussions about the same challenges we face in public media. How do we grow our audiences? What forms and formats of information best serve our communities? And, above all: How in the heck are we going to pay for all of this?

Latest Industry Headlines

CPB announces five new grants totaling up to $9.6 million to rural public broadcasters to upgrade emergency alerting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has announced that it has awarded five grants totaling $9.65 million to statewide public broadcasting networks in Louisiana, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as KUTE (KSUT Tribal Radio) in Colorado.

Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks NPR and PBS as ‘communist,’ calls for funding to ‘end’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday used a DOGE subcommittee hearing to call for the defunding and dismantling of the company that provides NPR and PBS with federal funds.

Opinion: Public media is a pillar of our communities. Don’t defund it.

“Nearly twice as many Americans support continued federal funding for NPR and PBS as oppose it, according to a study conducted by Pew Research Center just last month.” — Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, president and CEO, Knight Foundation

A look at the Trump administration’s efforts to slash public media funding

Read the full transcript, listen to the audio or view this PBS News Hour report.

PBS and NPR are in a once-in-a-generation funding fight. They might well lose

America’s two biggest public broadcasters, PBS and NPR, are facing an up-or-down vote over their federal funding for the first time in decades.

With NPR under threat, a colorful new history shows why it matters

Steve Oney’s engaging and deeply reported “On Air” follows NPR from its beginnings in the early 1970s to tens of millions of listeners per week.

Chicago Public Media announces new leadership appointments

Chicago Public Media has announced a series of leadership changes designed to strengthen strategic direction, foster collaboration and support the organization’s focus on digital growth.

Louisville Public Media offers buyouts as budget shortfall looms

Louisville Public Media has offered buyouts to some employees across the organization amid a budget shortfall.

Maryland Public Television names Meghan Guerrero Honesto as managing director, Partnership Development

Maryland Public Television (MPT) has announced the appointment of Meghan Guerrero Honesto as managing director, Partnership Development, at the statewide public TV network.

Steven J. Schupak named Maryland Public Television’s next president and chief executive officer

Maryland Public Television has announced that Steven J. Schupak, MPT’s current executive vice president and station manager, will become the sixth president and chief executive officer of the 55-year-old statewide TV network on July 1, succeeding retiring CEO Larry D. Unger.

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Latest #NewsMedia Stocks of Interest

Latest Vodcasts on Public Media

Engaging the next generation: Mike Beaudet’s vision for Gen Z news consumption

As a follow-up to this month's E&P cover story, Mike Beaudet, an investigative reporter for WCVB-TV in Boston and a journalism professor at Northeastern University, shares his vision for adapting local news to resonate with Gen Z through his pioneering Reinventing Local News Project, designed to help repackage traditional broadcast content to meet the digital consumption habits of younger audiences.

Checking in with the Chicago Sun-Times/ Public Media merger.

In this episode of E&P Reports, we check in with Chicago Public Media, owners of PBS affiliate WBEZ, to find out how their 2022 acquisition of the 149-year-old Chicago Sun-Times is going. Appearing on the program are Jennifer Kho, executive editor for the newspaper and Tracy Brown, chief content officer for the parent company, who discuss their new initiatives, collaborative efforts and how the blending of these two major market brands is working to expand their audience.

Unpacking the Dallas Morning News’ decision to reinstate the public editor position

E&P explores Dallas Morning News Publisher Grant Moise's decision to hire news media veteran Stephen Buckley as their new public editor despite industry trends of cost-cutting that have eliminated that news media position throughout the US.

Detroit PBS CEO Rich Homberg's mission to redefine local media

Detroit Public Television, now rebranded as Detroit PBS, is poised for a transformative journey as it makes a resounding return to the vibrant heart of the city. With a renewed commitment to serving its community with integrity and innovation, the organization, under the leadership of President & CEO Rich Homberg, is embarking on an ambitious mission to redefine local media.

Local Media Association and Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association partner to create fundraising lab

In a groundbreaking move to bolster local journalism across Pennsylvania, the Local Media Association (LMA) and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) have joined forces to launch the Pennsylvania Fundraising Lab. This innovative partnership aims to equip publishers with the essential skills and strategies needed to secure philanthropic funding for reporting projects. E&P speaks with Frank Mungeam, LMA chief innovation officer, and Bill Cotter, PNA president about the initiative and how news media outlets can learn how to tap into these funds.

Latest #NewsPeople on the move

Rebuild Local News adds an industry leader and a labor leader to senior team

iHeartMedia names David Hillman EVP, chief legal officer and secretary