Mounting pressure on local news

On this special episode of Studio 2, we look at the mounting pressures faced by local news. 

After decades of cuts, staff reductions, and paper closures, what happens to communities when there are fewer news sources and less local reporting?

 These are questions affecting citizens across the country, from big cities to suburbs to small towns. Since 2005, as subscriptions have plummeted in the digital age, the number of newspapers published in the United States has dropped by roughly 3,000, leaving many communities with far less coverage of local issues.

WPSU-FM, which serves more than 450,000 listeners in 13 counties in central and northern Pennsylvania, is one of the latest news outlets facing an existential threat. After Congress rescinded federal funding for public media earlier this year, Penn State University announced that continued operations of the station were no longer feasible. A tentative deal was later approved to transfer WPSU’s assets to WHYY.

As that process unfolds, we explore what’s at stake as the media landscape continues to shift and local outlets constrict. Who holds elected officials accountable? How do citizens stay informed about their communities?

WHYY and WPSU will broadcast the program simultaneously, with co-host Cherri Gregg live from Philadelphia and co-host Avi Wolfman-Arent live from State College. We also plan to take live callers from both regions. 

Guests:

Maggie Messitt,  Professor of Practice in Journalism, Director of the News Lab at Penn State and founding National Director of Report for America.

Victor Pickard, professor of media policy at the University of Pennsylvania

Jai Smith, editor-in-chief at Lehigh Daily