WXXI partners with Oregon Public Broadcasting & ideastream in a CPB-funded journalism project

(Rochester, NY) November 15, 2016 – WXXI, Oregon Public Broadcasting (Portland), and ideastream (Cleveland) were awarded a combined $500,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to collaborate on identifying a cross-platform approach to local journalism. The three joint licensees, meaning all three organizations operate both a PBS station and an NPR station, will work together to develop creative production techniques and a set of guidelines to maximize the impact of enterprise journalism.

WXXI, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and ideastream were selected by CPB to lead this project because of the ways in which they integrate television and radio in their reporting and how they collaborate with community partners and other media.

Each of the stations will produce a total of four “Big Footprint” journalism projects, with at least one in common across all three markets. Under shared branding, each Big Footprint project will focus on a topic of community importance, produce multimedia content, and include engagement with community partners.  The “Big Footprint” projects will incorporate radio, television, digital, mobile, and live events in collaboration with community partners.

The station partners will use metrics of outcomes and impact to identify best methods and practices to share throughout the public media system. Oregon Public Broadcasting will serve as the lead station to manage the project.

WXXI’s first “Big Footprint” project will be a weeklong series that investigates the state of diversity among teaching staffs in the Rochester and Finger Lakes regions. Degrees of Diversity kicks off Monday, December 5 with stories airing throughout the week during Morning Edition (6-9am) and All Things Considered (4-6pm) on AM 1370, WRUR-FM 88.5, WEOS-FM 89.5 and online at WXXINews.org. WXXI's daily radio talk show, Connections with Evan Dawson and  WXXI-TV’s news and public affairs series Need to Know with Hélène Biandudi Hofer will also feature special segments.

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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. WXXI also has a long-term affiliation with Little Theatre, which helps enhance the cultural life of the community and strengthens two of Rochester's most vital arts institutions. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.