{"id":3569,"date":"2012-05-02T19:01:53","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T23:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bejone03.expressions.syr.edu\/trf235\/?p=3569"},"modified":"2012-05-23T12:37:56","modified_gmt":"2012-05-23T16:37:56","slug":"hearst-television-private","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bejone03.expressions.syr.edu\/trf235\/2012\/05\/02\/hearst-television-private\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearst Television"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About Hearst<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hearst Television is overseen by the recently private Hearst Corp, and operates 29 television stations and two radio stations across the United States. Their broadcast groups are largely tied to ABC and NBC, and have affiliates in markets from Portland, Maine to Hawaii. In a letter from Hearst Corp\u2019s CEO, Frank Bennack Jr., to the company regarding their 125th<\/sup> anniversary, he mentioned that Hearst\u2019s \u201c24\/7 reach extends to more than 100 countries and [their] voice speaks in over 35 languages.\u201d The television group has mostly medium market stations and a handful of stations in small markets. At any rate, there is a heavy news influence on stations, as most are intended to be number one or number two in news consistently, and the vast majority are. Hearst\u2019s biggest television station is WCVB in Boston, an ABC affiliate that is recognized consistently as one of the best in the country and is currently number one in all news categories for their market. The company is making a concerted effort to become the most digitally viable television group, and WCVB\u2019s new app is the new platform look for the company\u2019s future endeavors in applications.<\/p>\n

POLITICAL COVERAGE: COMMITMENT 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Their stations are very well known for their political coverage, and have been recognized for their excellence in political journalism consistently by winning all five Walter Cronkite Awards since the award was created ten years ago. Hearst has stations in twelve markets identified as closely divided swing states in this year\u2019s election, and is poised to continue to be very involved in the political discussion for years to come. Their new initiative will dedicate 150 hours total to political coverage in the month preceding the election, and they are innovating in how they accomplish this. This initiative is called Commitment 2012, and renews efforts that have been implemented since Commitment 2000. They have also partnered with Politifact, which is a project by the Tampa Bay Times to \u201chelp you find the truth in Washington and the Obama Presidency,\u201d exemplifying an effort to remain at the cutting edge of reliability and the commitment to the fact-based reporting that they have pledged for years. With stations like WMUR in Manchester, NH, which is the leading news station in the market with the first national Republican primary that took place recently, Hearst is primed to take advantage of their political prowess. They are seeking to build from their wildly successful efforts in the 2008 elections, when their group coverage of the elections won them their fifth Peabody Awards \u2013 which recognizes exceptional public service by radio and television stations \u2013 in seven years. As political races heat up, changes will continue to be implemented and stations will be primed to fire on all cylinders.<\/p>\n