Partnering with Public Media: Tips for Hyperlocal Newsrooms

Hyperlocal newsrooms are used to stretching every dollar, every hour, and every reporter. Yet, through strategic partnerships—especially with public media—hyperlocal outlets are expanding reach, resources, and impact. These partnerships are becoming even more crucial as public media itself faces major funding challenges.

The recent elimination of $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has left more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations scrambling to fill gaps in their budgets. At least 115 stations are losing more than 30 percent of their budgets, with rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities being most vulnerable “to losing their local stations and with them, access to reliable local news and educational services,” according to a press release from the MacArthur Foundation.

Foundations have stepped in with emergency relief, including a $36.5 million commitment through the Public Media Bridge Fund and the MacArthur Foundation, but philanthropy alone cannot sustain the system.

So, what does this mean for hyperlocal publishers? As Pivot Fund CEO Tracie Powell notes in her Current op-ed, public media can be viewed not just as broadcasters, but as civic infrastructure. For small newsrooms, that perspective opens the door to partnerships that strengthen reporting, deepen community connections, and build sustainability.

Strong Partnership Models

285 South + WABE (Atlanta)

285 South, a newsroom covering immigrant and refugee communities in Metro Atlanta, and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR/PBS affiliate, show what’s possible. Their collaboration began informally when WABE interviewed 285 South founder Sophia Qureshi about her reporting. Over time, the relationship evolved into a formal content-sharing agreement: each newsroom can republish up to three digital stories per week from the other.

For WABE’s managing editor Alex Helmick, the partnership fills blind spots:

“Partnerships provide opportunities to tell stories that you simply can’t tell because you just don’t have the resources to do it, but you’re telling the stories that your audience deserves,” he said. “You can’t parachute in and tell community stories that resonate, so collaborating with smaller outlets also helps fill that gap.”

Helmick added that covering an area as large and diverse as metro Atlanta becomes far more manageable through these kinds of partnerships.

For Qureshi, it’s about reach and sustainability:

“There’s so much happening, especially in the immigrant community space, and there’s just not enough people covering it. The only way to manage this moment is to work together as much as possible. Rather than seeing each other as competitors, we see each other as collaborators.”

Sahan Journal + Minnesota Public Radio (Minnesota)

In Minnesota, Sahan Journal received early-stage support from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), including salary support for the founding editor, office space through the Glen Nelson Center, mentorship, and content-sharing opportunities.

The result was a win-win: Sahan built credibility and capacity, while MPR expanded its reach into communities it hadn’t been able to serve. That early investment has since helped Sahan grow into a $3 million newsroom with more than 20 staff, producing coverage that authentically represents immigrant and communities of color across the state.

Helmick noted that during his time working at larger public media outlets in Chicago and San Francisco, they partnered with smaller groups too:

“They’re very big, but they still work with some of the smaller groups, because they understand the importance of these collaborations.”

El Tímpano + KQED (Bay Area, CA)

El Tímpano, a bilingual newsroom serving Latino and immigrant communities in Oakland, has built a collaboration with KQED, the Bay Area’s NPR/PBS affiliate. Their partnership includes co-reporting projects and story sharing on issues such as housing, immigration, and local governance.

El Tímpano brings deep cultural knowledge and relationships in Oakland’s immigrant communities, while KQED provides reach across the broader Bay Area. Together, they amplify stories that might otherwise go unheard.

Documented + WNYC (New York City, NY)

In New York City, Documented, a newsroom dedicated to covering immigrant communities, collaborated with WNYC on stories amplifying immigrant issues soon after its launch. These collaborations elevated Documented’s reporting to WNYC’s broad citywide audience while ensuring immigrant voices were centered in coverage.

This kind of partnership gives hyperlocal outlets credibility and visibility, while public media organizations gain authentic reporting that reflects New York’s diverse communities.

Why Going Beyond Content Arrangements Matters

While content-sharing agreements are valuable, they are only the first step. To fully serve community information needs—and to ensure long-term sustainability for both public media and hyperlocal outlets—partnerships must extend deeper.

As Powell wrote in Current:

“Public media must evolve from broadcaster to backbone—becoming the infrastructure that supports, connects, and amplifies the work of hyperlocal outlets.”

That means co-investing in staff, training, technology, and distribution. It means jointly pursuing funding models that benefit both institutions. And it means embedding collaboration into newsroom strategy, not treating it as an add-on.

When public media brings infrastructure and reach, and hyperlocal outlets bring cultural knowledge and community trust, the result is stronger journalism, broader audiences, and healthier ecosystems.

Lessons for Hyperlocal Publishers

Hyperlocal newsrooms looking to build partnerships can follow several key principles:

1. Build relationships first. Partnerships often start informally. Casual conversations or attending events can evolve into structured agreements, just as 285 South and WABE grew their collaboration organically.
2. Align missions. Collaboration works best when both organizations share purpose. Qureshi says she approaches story collaboration decisions the same way she approaches her reporting—by carefully considering which stories truly serve the mission and audience. “We have our niche, and that’s what our readers expect from us, so we always think, ‘Is this story relevant to them, and is it in line with our mission?’”
3. Complement, don’t duplicate. Each partner brings unique strengths. Hyperlocals offer cultural knowledge and sourcing; public media brings reach and infrastructure. Together, they can tell fuller, richer stories. “With limited resources, it’s important we don’t repeat [stories], and partnerships can help with that communication,” Qureshi said.
   For example, 285 South and WABE collaborated on a story about how undocumented people in Georgia could not take state-funded ESL classes. 285 South reported the human-interest angle, while WABE focused on policy issues.
4. Keep your audience central. Only co-report or republish when it genuinely serves your readers. “We’re mindful not to just post content for content’s sake,” Qureshi said, underscoring that audience trust is a publisher’s strongest asset. Helmick added that even beyond joint projects, maintaining open dialogue with other outlets is valuable: sharing perspectives, expertise, and ideas can sharpen coverage and guide strategy.
5. Set clear expectations. Outline deadlines, editing, attribution, and story limits upfront. “Have your expectations lined up from the beginning,” Helmick said. “Think about deadlines, who’s publishing what, who’s editing what, and what the whole process will entail.”

Why This Matters Now

Hyperlocal outlets bring lived expertise, community trust, and reporting that larger stations often cannot reach. Strategic collaborations give small newsrooms distribution, editorial support, and new pathways to sustainability—while keeping public media relevant and connected.

As Helmick noted, these partnerships aren’t just beneficial—they’re the way forward as journalism faces financial pressures and experiments with new economic models. Collaboration allows public media outlets to be more efficient, maximize storytelling, and better serve their audiences.

For hyperlocal publishers, partnering with public media offers a powerful path: combining cultural knowledge with reach and infrastructure to tell richer stories, strengthen communities, and build long-term sustainability.