Delaware Public Media gains Report for America reporter
Delaware Public Media is one of 164 local news organizations across the United States – and the only outlet in the Delaware Valley to host a Report for America emerging journalist in the coming year.
Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, is a national service program that places journalists into local news organizations to report for one to two years on under-covered issues and communities.
Delaware Public Media will add another reporter to its five-member news team.
The NPR radio station plans to broaden its coverage of local politics. The Report for America journalist, who will join DPM in June, will cover politics, elections, and legislative activity at the local, county, and state level. Half of the cost will be funded by Report for America and Delaware Public Media will raise funds for the other half.
Albright leaves News Journal for post in Louisiana
Engagement Editor Matthew Albright has joined the parade of folks leaving the News Journal.
He was one of the more visible staffers on the print side, supervising the editorial page and writing regular columns, a rarity these days at the downsized newspaper.
Unlike many folks who have departed over the years, he is staying in the newspaper business as an assistant metro editor, with The Advocate, the newspaper that bought the legendary New Orleans Times Picayune this year.
The Advocate, now owned by Louisiana businessman John Georges, is the long-time newspaper in Baton Rouge and expanded to New Orleans as the Times-Picayune downsized and reduced the number of publishing days for its print edition.
The merger led to more layoffs, although the combination now prints seven days a week. On the plus side, The Advocate is one of a few newspapers that is actually gaining circulation.
The Times-Picayune had been owned by Newhouse, which still owns newspapers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as American City Business Journals, owner of the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Albright is one of a number of Louisianans to have worked at the News Journal over the years.
Legislative reporter Sarah Gamard came on board earlier this year. She joined another former Pelican State resident, Xerxes Wilson, who covers New Castle County government.
WILM to carry Delaware Blue Coats games
iHeartMedia Wilmington’1450 WILM-AM, Wilmington’s News, Traffic & Weather, announced a broadcast agreement with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.
WILM will carry all regular season and postseason games throughout the 2019-2020 NBA G League season.
Listeners can hear the live games broadcast on the air, online at wilm.com and on the free iHeartRadio app.
“We are thrilled to bring Delaware Blue Coats basketball to the Delaware airwaves,” Larry Meli, president for Blue Coats. “iHeartMedia Wilmington is a terrific partner for our program both in the broadcast sense and also from a community engagement perspective. We’re proud of the commitment both organizations have to bettering the city of Wilmington.”
Patch adds Wilmington to network
The hyperlocal news website Patch has set up shop in Wilmington (sort of).
Patch has an up and down history. It started out a decade ago under Mike Armstrong who later became CEO of AOL, which later acquired Patch.
The site featured home-based reporter-editors who wrote original stories.
The business model did not work and hundreds of Patchers were let go.
It was later acquired by Hale Global, which claims Patch is profitable.
Reporting resources are minimal. In the case of Wilmington, stories consist of press releases from the City of Wilmington, with a smattering of other items, such as foreclosures.
