The Southern Region Editing/Reporting Pilot Project has chosen five stations to work intensively with its editor-mentor Dale Willman over the next six months. The Southern Project is one of three Hub proposals awarded planning grants by National Public Radio's Local News Initiative (LNI). The stations were selected to include a range of location, market and newsroom size:
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, a statewide network with 7 full-time and 2-part-time newsroom staffers;
WUSF-FM, a Tampa, FL-based newsroom with four full-time and three part-time staffers;
WKMS-FM, a Murray, KY-based operation with two full-time and 4 part-time staffers;
WGPB-FM, a two-person newsroom in Rome, GA;
WNCU, a single-person newsroom in Durham, NC
In his work with the stations, Willman will serve as the primary editor for the one-person newsroom and provide editorial support for News Directors who work with a staff. A second group of stations will be selected to work with Willman during the last half of the one year pilot project.
A survey of newsrooms in the region found that 37% employ one full-time person. Seventy percent of respondents have three or fewer full-time news employees. One-fifth of respondents have an annual news budget, including salaries and benefits, of less than $50,000. When it comes to editing, a third of respondents indicated they "rarely" or "never" hold editorial meetings and "rarely" or "never" edit spot news. Seventeen percent said they "rarely" or "never" edit feature news.
In January the Southern Project kicked off its efforts with a "Train the Editor" Workshop in Atlanta. Three dozen reporters and editors were brought together for a day-long intensive led by NPR bureau chiefs Andrea de Leon and Russell Lewis, NPR trainer Sora Newman and WBHM News Director Tanya Ott, who also serves as the journalism consultant for the LNI's Morning Edition Grad School (MEGS).
The Southern Region Editing/Reporting Pilot Project was designed by The Southern Radio Network, a newly formed organization whose mission is to strengthen the quality of news produced across the Southeast, bring more stories to the national news magazines and create greater collaboration between stations in the region. WBHM Birmingham, WKNO Memphis and Georgia Public Broadcasting are the project's major station partners.
For more information contact:
Tanya Ott (205) 934-2264
News Director/Tapestry Executive Producer WBHM-FM Birmingham, AL
