Station Group of the Year: Hearst Television
Plenty of viewers flock to the news outlet that best aligns with their point of view, but the Hearst Television group is focused on breaking down the walls that divide us and pushing communities to focus more on their shared values than their differences. Motivated by Hearst TV local coverage of a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018 and at a nightclub in Orlando in 2016, the company launched Project CommUNITY this year, an initiative that dives deep into the issues that divide communities, and celebrates the residents who are hustling to unite people.
There have been town halls and specials, and Project CommUNITY has resulted in close to 100 hours of content across the group. Stations have focused on race relations, gun violence, bullying and other timely issues.
We asked each station to create a plan, Hearst Television senior VP of news Barbara Maushard said. They produce stories to highlight the differences, and bring people from different sides together.
More Local Heroes: GM of the Year, Markets 1-25 | GM of the Year, Markets 26-50 | GM of the Year, Markets 51 | News Director of the Year | Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year
KOAT Albuquerque did an immigration special. WTAE Pittsburgh brought survivors of shootings in Pittsburgh and Parkland, Florida, together to talk about recovery. WISN Milwaukee invited conservatives and liberals for dinner and an open discussion of the issues on which they clash. That allowed the participants to understand each others' perspectives a little better, Maushard said.
Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst TV president
Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst TV president, said the Project CommUNITY specials often win their time periods. There's an appetite for unique local content, he said.
The Hearst TV stations' weekly CommUNITY Champion features highlight just that the people who are working hard to bridge the gaps within their markets.
Total Commitment
Hearst Television owns 33 stations, including WBAL Baltimore, WCVB Boston, KCRA Sacramento, WESH Orlando and KMBC Kansas City. The stations reach 19% of the U.S. population.
The presidential election less than a year away will surely divide the country, but the Hearst group, long a leader in top-notch political coverage, is focused on clear, fact-based, impartial reporting on local politics with its Commitment 2020 venture. In the first 10 months of 2019, Hearst Television stations produced more than 100 hours of political coverage, including multiple debates. WLKY Louisville, for example, produced the gubernatorial debate in Kentucky, and WDSU New Orleans had tireless coverage of the Nov. 16 Louisiana gubernatorial runoff.
Partnering with FactCheck.org to distribute the most, and best, content possible, the stations play a vital role in covering the presidential footrace. KCCI Des Moines will detail all of the caucus action in Iowa, and WMUR Manchester has New Hampshire news blanketed.
We're digging deeper into understanding the different perspectives and different issues, Maushard said. We're helping our audience better understand the issues of importance.
WPBF West Palm Beach anchor Todd McDermott reports from Abaco Island after it was hammered by Hurricane Dorian.
Pitching in with the stations' coverage is Hearst Television's Washington, D.C., bureau, which has 15 staffers and connects elected officials in the Beltway with the viewers they represent.
Hearst stations breathe localism, investigative journalism and service to communities every day, National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Gordon Smith said. With Jordan Wertlieb serving as chairman of the NAB board, I've seen the Hearst commitment to viewers up close and personal. Bar none, there's no better TV station group in America.
Working out of the Washington bureau is the group's National Investigative Unit, which launched in 2018. Mark Albert, formerly a correspondent at CBS News, heads the unit, which focuses on providing national context to local stories.
Also playing a key role in tackling the vital issues is weekly program Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, produced by the Hearst group. The weekend show prides itself on offering conversations as diverse as America.
Sen. Bernie Sanders talks with WMUR Manchester, N.H., political director Adam Sexton.
O'Brien, former anchor on CNN and correspondent on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, is the host and the producer. Emerson Coleman, Hearst Television senior VP of programming, said the show began modestly late in 2015 but has grown and developed into a national show, reaching 93% of the country, and airing in 150 markets.
The Sunday-morning shows tend to be Washington insiders, Wertlieb said. Stories on Matter of Fact reflect the diversity of our country.
Hearst TV has also been connecting with viewers, and users, on digital platforms. The channels Stitch and Dispatches from the Middle launched late in 2018 and found their footing this year. Stitch offers uplifting stories from around the country, a welcome respite from the house fires, car accidents and crime that can dominate local news. Facebook Watch program Dispatch expands on compelling stories produced by the Hearst TV stations. Coleman has crafted Stitch stories into on-air specials; the next premieres in February.
Both Stitch and Dispatches From the Middle succeed in bringing Hearst TV stories to younger viewers who may not tune in to their local station at 6 p.m. or 11 p.m. They highlight great storytelling, Wertlieb said. They give stories more time to breathe than they might get in a newscast.
KCRA Sacramento reporter Brian Hickey on scene during October's Kincade fire in Sonoma County.
Market Mavens
Hearst TV stations are local powerhouses. Wertlieb proudly noted t
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
Station Group of the Year: Hearst Television
