NPR and Member stations across Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia have teamed up to launch the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom. The initiative will establish four new reporting and editing positions and help fund existing roles at seven participating stations.
These expanded resources will enable in-depth reporting on critical topics such as economic opportunity, public health, and climate change while fostering deeper connections with local communities through digital content and social media. The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom is NPR’s sixth regional newsroom, joining similar efforts in Texas, California, the Gulf States, the Midwest, and New England.
Louisville Public Media will lead the newsroom. Additional stations may join the newsroom as it expands.
The collaboration is supported by funding from Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports Kentucky Public Radio alongside contributions from foundations, donors, and businesses.
The importance of the newsroom was demonstrated even before its official launch when Hurricane Helene struck. The regional team deployed a flood reporter from Kentucky to assist WUOT in Knoxville in covering storm damage.
WUOT General Manager Jody Evans Hamblett said, “The regional newsroom sent us a reporter, and they were a lifesaver. Our news department is in its infancy, and we honestly did not stand a chance of covering this well without the regional newsroom’s help.”
Louisville Public Media President and CEO Stephen George commented, “Working with our neighboring states as a regional newsroom enables us to bring more nuanced and in-depth reporting to residents across this region, and to share more stories of this often-misunderstood place with the nation.”
NPR Editor-in-Chief Edith Chapin added, “NPR is committed to collaboration with our Member network of local media organizations to meet the need for reliable reporting that helps people engage more fully with their community. We’re excited to help bring more stories to residents of Appalachia and the Mid-South, and to share their stories with people in other places.”
