The KZUM newsroom is one of 205 local news outlets across the nation to receive a share of $20 million to close persistent coverage gaps thanks to funding from Press Forward and the Miami Foundation, the nationwide movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news.
Since its inception, KZUM News has utilized every tool available to build our newsroom resources. During our first year on-air, we have produced over 100 unique local news segments which aired every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to noon. KZUM partnered with Mundo Latino to provide local news in Spanish for Spanish-speaking listeners in 2023. More recently, we have been fortunate enough to receive funding for our newsroom internship program through a grant from the Lincoln Community Foundation. Receiving a share of this $20 million is the next step to ensuring sustainability for our local news reporting.
“In an era of growing distrust in national media, folks are looking to their communities for reliable and trustworthy local news,” said KZUM’s General Manager, Kerry Semrad. “KZUM News serves our community with long-form news programming that allows in-depth reporting, avoiding the reliance on sound bites that dominate most other news. Our priority is community outreach, and engaging everyone in the news. That’s how we uniquely serve the people in our hometown.”
According to Press Forward, those chosen to receive grant funding are newer nonprofits – some launched as information needs became evident during the pandemic – and enduring newsrooms that continue to adapt and innovate after a century in business. Some newsrooms are reporting on the vast American countryside – where they are often the only news source for hundreds of miles – while other outlets cover people of color and linguistically diverse communities that traditional news sources have overlooked. As the only news outlet in Nebraska to be awarded this honor, KZUM is proud to be a part of the bright mosaic of independent, non-partisan sources that are reimagining what local news looks like across America.
“It is an honor for KZUM to collaborate with so many other newsrooms across the country in addressing the challenges facing journalism this year, next year, and five years from now. Press Forward is giving us the tools to address subjects like news deserts and the complications AI poses now before they negatively impact our informational climate,” said Amantha Dickman, the KZUM news director.
KZUM is funded and supported by Press Forward, the nationwide movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at pressforward.news
