Sinclair, Inc. has launched a new online newsletter called The National Press, formed in partnership with digital media company New Media, which will offer original reporting from Sinclair’s local TV stations and national news bureau via a subscription.
The National Press will draw on reporting from about 1,200 Sinclair journalists working from more than 60 content centers across the United States. The service will launch on Substack with free and paid subscription tiers, with additional programming distributed through YouTube, podcast networks and social media platforms.
New Media was founded by former journalists and producers at “The Free Press,” a similar Substack newsletter that was acquired by Paramount last year.
Sinclair said The National Press will use reporting from its local newsrooms to cover stories with broader national significance while providing additional context from journalists based in the communities where those stories originate. The newsletter will eventually charge a fee; pricing wasn’t immediately available.
“Our journalists cover the communities where national stories begin,” Scott Livingston, the Senior Vice President of News at Sinclair, said in a statement on Tuesday. “The National Press will give that reporting national reach without losing the local knowledge that makes it valuable.”
Journalist and broadcaster Lyndsay Keith will lead the service, which will launch with three original programs.
“The National Press” will be a weekday morning program hosted by Keith that features Sinclair reporters covering major stories from their local markets.
“The National Story” will be a weekly program examining a single story in greater depth, using reporting from local journalists along with interviews with people involved in the story and other sources.
“The National Debate” will feature a weekly discussion between two participants with differing views on an issue raised by The National Press reporting.
The service will also distribute a daily email briefing featuring local stories selected for their broader national relevance.
Sinclair said the new service is intended to create another distribution outlet for reporting produced by its local newsrooms while developing a direct subscription relationship with readers and viewers.
“Sinclair’s newsrooms produce distinctive reporting every day,” Kevin Cotlove, the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Sinclair, said. “The National Press gives that work a new destination and creates a direct relationship with audiences.”
