(Liberty, NY) – Radio Catskill has been awarded a grant from Press Forward, a nationwide movement supporting local journalism, to help close persistent coverage gaps. Radio Catskill is one of 205 small, independent news outlets across the United States sharing a $20 million fund to support this vital work.
This grant will support Radio Catskill in its effort to provide the communities it serves with essential information for daily life. Radio Catskill will use the funding to hire an additional multimedia journalist to report on issues impacting listeners across The Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania, such as local government, elections, and environmental news.
“We are proud to join this network of independent, non-partisan newsrooms dedicated to sustaining local news across America,” said Radio Catskill General Manager Tim Bruno. “This funding will allow us to increase our original journalism and add content to our news shows, our website, and social media.”
“These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and longstanding are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward. “Each newsroom plays a vital public service role in its community – providing trustworthy local news and information in places where no other sources may exist. Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.”
A searchable database listing all recipients is on Press Forward’s website.
Press Forward is a growing coalition of donors committed to reimagining local news. The funding for this open call comes from donors who contributed to Press Forward’s Pooled Fund, housed at The Miami Foundation. In addition to raising money and awareness for local news, Press Forward has launched 31 local chapters around the country over the past year, where local leaders are raising funds and gathering support to strengthen their community through local news.
Press Forward’s coalition members are committed to the initiative’s four funding priorities: strengthening local newsrooms, advancing public policy that expands access to local news, scaling the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive, and the subject of this open call, closing local coverage gaps, so that all communities are part of the conversations about the issues that most affect their lives.
Press Forward engaged 113 advisors from a range of backgrounds in the application reviewer process. Each application was scored and evaluated using a rubric that favored newsrooms filling news gaps with strong, community-based leadership, a plan for sustainability and a track record of community listening and collaboration. The Press Forward staff, including veterans in philanthropy and journalism, narrowed the list further and, with input from the Management Committee, made the final decisions to ensure a balanced list for maximum impact across the country. You can learn more about the selection process on the Press Forward blog.
About Press Forward
Press Forward is a nationwide movement to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information. Press Forward’s growing coalition of 60+ funders has committed to invest more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news and scale infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. Press Forward is housed at The Miami Foundation. For more, visit pressforward.news.
For Press Forward media inquiries, please contact Marika Lynch, communications@pressforward.news.
About Radio Catskill
WJFF Radio Catskill is an independent community voice of the Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania. We connect listeners through locally focused and globally aware programming to inform, entertain, and inspire our communities, and promote understanding among people of diverse social, cultural, economic, and political backgrounds.
For Radio Catskill media inquiries, please contact Tim Bruno, manager@wjffradio.org.