Year-round Broadcasters Provide Trusted News and Meaningful Connections

February 23, 2023

This Black History Month, and year-round, television and radio broadcasters provide Americans' most trusted news and a meaningful, personal connection to local events and businesses.

Burlington, Vt., station WCAX 3, owned by Gray Media, went to a local museum established at the home of President Lincoln’s son to explore their community's unique connection to national history. "It’s very central to our mission to educate and inspire others to encourage civil civic discourse, but also the preservation of this nation’s history in a context that’s not just limited to Vermont or Hildene as a place, but to Hildene as a wider idea as part of the Lincoln legacy," the museum’s Exhibits Manager Jesse Keel told the station.

Hearst Television's KCRA3 in Sacramento, Calif., visited an event to promote Black-owned businesses and gave vendors the opportunity to share their stories with the station's audience. "It's great to see Black businesses getting support in the community, and this is a great venue to do that," said business owner Tessa Scott.

iHeartMedia's KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, Calif., highlighted a local Black-owned bookstore's efforts to celebrate diverse authors and connect the community to these stories. "A month where we celebrate Black authors and activists and politicians, and to think that in some small way I am contributing to that celebration by being the first Black woman to open a bookstore in Pasadena – it means so much to me," owner Nikki High told the station.

Stations also explore their community's history and share stories of local legends and future leaders. Radio station group Audacy launched a podcast on the birth of hip hop this month, which New York City news station 1010 WINS highlighted as part of their ongoing Black History Month coverage.

Graham Media Group’s News4Jax in Jacksonville, Fl., provides extensive Black History Month coverage, including stories ranging from the local connection of legendary journalist Ida B. Wells to a profile an orthodontist who hopes to inspire young people to the medical profession. "Many times, I come to the office and during my consultation, they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the doctor?'" Dr. Kahlil Orsborn told the station. "I want young people to know that, 'Hey, you can wear the white coat. You can be a doctor.'"

Gray Television station WTOC 11 in Savannah, Ga., looked at the history and future of a predominantly Black neighborhood along the city’s MLK Jr. Blvd, connecting their local community’s story to national trends.

Cox Media Group’s WHIO-TV 7 in Dayton, Ohio, profiled legendary Black figures who have influenced their community from the national to the local level. It’s this local, personal connection to national news that makes broadcasters’ work so special to their communities.