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Detroit, Mich. — Graham Media Group has been named one of Fast Company’s Top 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, securing the No. 50 spot on this prestigious list. This recognition highlights Graham Media Group’s dedication to advancing media innovation and redefining local news coverage through pioneering tools, strategic content hubs, and direct community engagement.
The 2024 Best Workplaces for Innovators list honors 100 winners from diverse industries. Graham Media Group’s inclusion reflects its success in reshaping local news with a story-first approach that ensures every piece of content is crafted with audience impact in mind. Moving away from a traditional assignment-first model, Graham Media Group has prioritized creating community-centered content that resonates across all platforms, including linear broadcast, streaming channels, social media, and websites.
“At Graham Media Group, we’re committed to making news more accessible, relevant, and impactful for our audiences. Our audience continues to seek local news and information, but it is more difficult to find in the current media landscape,” said Stephanie Slagle, VP and Chief Innovation Officer. “We must innovate to reach our audience and remain the passionate local voice. Fast Company recognizes this effort and how important innovation is to this company.”
Graham Media Group’s notable innovations include:
Innovative Livestreaming Tools: New platforms developed by Graham Media Group streamline and expand live streaming capabilities, making it easier to cover local events in real-time. This includes high school sports, a key focus for hyperlocal engagement that brings families and communities closer together.
Content Centers and Managers of Content and Coverage (MCCs): New content centers across all Graham Media Group stations have evolved from a traditional assignment desk to a strategic hub for planning and creating impactful stories. With MCCs guiding the editorial process, content is chosen and crafted holistically focused on audience relevance, ensuring stories engage viewers on digital, linear, and other platforms. By integrating process language, MCCs clear each story’s relevance, driving meaningful impact across the community.
Real-Time Community Impact: Graham Media Group’s team goes beyond simply reporting the news—they actively solve problems and support communities. For instance, at WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando.com, the “Getting Results” initiative led to a breakthrough moment when anchor Matt Austin mobilized the newsroom to help a mother and daughter displaced due to hurricane damage. Within hours, through real-time reporting and collaboration with local groups, the family received crucial assistance, from roof repairs to groceries. This effort demonstrated how rapid-response, community-driven reporting can make a tangible difference.
Community Help Desk: Graham Media Group recognizes the importance of community feedback and launched the Community Help Desk as part of its broader innovation strategy. This initiative actively engages community members, gathers insights, and ensures news coverage reflects local voices. It’s part of the first phase of a more significant effort to reinvent local news distribution in today’s disrupted media landscape.
Innovation is central to everything at Graham Media Group’s newsrooms. Graham Media Group continuously evolves its approach to better serve communities, from using AI to deliver weather coverage to more people in more places to creating interactive, live moments across broadcasts and digital platforms. Graham Media Group is dedicated to meeting audiences where they are, transforming news into a more engaging and accessible experience for all.
“Innovation is a global priority that cuts across all industries, and this year’s list reflects that diversity,” says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The top ten features companies headquartered around the world, representing technology, advertising, finance, biotech, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, and nonprofit sectors.”
To see the complete list, visit Fast Company’s website.
Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (Fall 2024) is available online now, with the print issue on newsstands starting September 17, 2024. Join the conversation using #FCBestWorkplaces.