A first-of-its-kind partnership aims to revitalize investigative and public-service journalism in local television newscasts.
Christopher Baxter of Spotlight PA
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Spotlight PA has signed an agreement with a group of five television stations across Pennsylvania to turn its most important investigations and other reporting into broadcast-ready news packages to air during their regular local newscasts.
This collaboration greatly expands access to state capitol and statewide news coverage across the Commonwealth, providing millions of Pennsylvanians with Spotlight PA’s unique, trusted brand of journalism that holds the powerful to account, uncovers stories no one else is telling, and gets real results.
As part of the partnership, Spotlight PA will produce broadcast-ready versions of its high-quality journalism for Nexstar’s broadcast stations in Pennsylvania: WTAJ (Johnstown-Altoona-State College), WHTM (Harrisburg-Lebanon-Lancaster-York), WJET/WFXP (Erie), WBRE/WYOU (Scranton-Wilkes-Barre), and WPHL (Philadelphia).
The stations collectively reach 5.1 million homes and 10 million adults.
Coverage began this month with pieces focused on the election. Future coverage will include in-depth accountability and public-service reporting on the state Capitol and urgent statewide issues such as local government accountability, caregiving, and rural issues. Nexstar’s stations will distribute Spotlight PA’s reporting via their newscasts, websites, and social media, while also airing regular promo spots raising awareness of Spotlight PA’s nonprofit mission.
Spotlight PA has contracted with a veteran television journalist and producer to work with its staff to create the news segments, which will also eventually appear on Spotlight PA’s website, a new YouTube channel, and potentially other independent or community broadcast partners. This is the first significant investment in translating Spotlight PA’s journalism to video, and the news organization plans to use it to spur greater engagement across social media.
This groundbreaking partnership creatively bridges the gap between the growing nonprofit sector of journalism in the United States and commercial television, which remains a trusted source for news for many people in local communities. This collaboration will help Spotlight PA reach a far larger audience in Pennsylvania than it could alone, add value to local newscasts, and generate new support for Spotlight PA.
Once again, Spotlight PA — in just its fifth year of operation — is blazing a bold new path for trusted, nonpartisan investigative and public-service journalism in Pennsylvania. Its nonprofit model prioritizes quality reporting in service to you — not profit motives, advertisers, or billionaire owners. Help ensure this work can continue by supporting Spotlight PA now.
BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.