CPB’s Bruce Theriault Unpacks Local News Collaborations

At our June 2014 Media Impact Forum we learned about innovative public media efforts surrounding local journalism (among many other topics). In follow-up to that conversation we chatted with Bruce Theriault, Senior Vice President, Journalism and Radio at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to get his take on local journalism efforts, and CPB’s work to support and advance local journalistic excellence. The data map on the Media Impact Funders’ website details grants of $10,000 and over made by more than 1,000 of the largest US foundations between 2009-2011. That covers a lot and highlights the growth in media-related funding (four times domestic giving in other areas) but it leaves out organizations like CPB, which aren’t foundations. Since CPB is a major funder in the public media space, can you tell me about some of the funding trends you’re seeing? CPB is funding numerous journalism initiatives at the local, regional, and national level, with special emphasis on collaborative models in TV and radio. Increasingly we are seeing public media stations collaborate with digital-first news organizations. The Rocky Mountain PBS and I-News merger is a good example. That combination allowed them to pull together a… Read More