This panel explores strategies, tools, and newsroom practices that enable local television stations to deliver effective hyperlocal news coverage. It is connected to the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont, that promotes and supports campus media as a means of serving underserved audiences, but also recognizes challenges for local market commercial TV stations in maintaining local audience engagement, recognizing that audiences seek information that directly impacts their neighborhoods, communities, and daily lives. Panelists will provide specific scenarios demonstrating that TV stations have a unique opportunity to strengthen engagement through localized and specialized storytelling. The session will examine how local broadcast-based news can identify community-driven topics, leverage digital and social platforms, use data and audience insights, and create content that reflects the concerns and interests of specific demographic categories. Attendees will learn practical approaches for building audience engagement, increasing audience loyalty, and positioning their stations as essential sources of timely, relevant, and community-focused journalism. The panel will also help student media managers learn more about how they can benefit from engagement with the Center for Community News. Moderator: Tony DeMars, Texas Wesleyan University Panelists: Mike Arnold, Indiana University Kevin Swift, University of North Carolina-Pembroke Tony DeMars, Texas Wesleyan University Clejetter Cousins, University of North Carolina-Pembroke
