UMSL Chancellor Tom George speaks prior to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at UMSL at Grand Center, the home of St. Louis Public Radio. The station became neighbors with St. Louis Beacon when it moved to its new location last year, and the two media outlets could merge pending a UM System Board of Curators vote. (Photo by August Jennewein)
Two excellent St. Louis news organizations will become partners, under an agreement the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri System are expected to approve this week.
St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU and the St. Louis Beacon are neighbors at Grand Center in St. Louis and will soon become partners in their news-gathering efforts. The curators must approve the merger because the University of Missouri–St. Louis licenses St. Louis Public Radio, which is the local NPR affiliate.
The partnership is expected to produce stronger news coverage by pooling the resources of both staffs, provide opportunities to study the sustainability of such partnerships and train journalists. The collaboration is reminiscent of UMSL’s affiliation with Express Scripts, Inc., which is headquartered on the UMSL campus.
“In the Express Scripts deal,” Chancellor Tom George told the Beacon, “I could not have envisioned back then everything that has transpired now. The list goes on and on – internships, curriculum development. When you put something exciting together, you can never predict what you’re going to get.”
Visit the St. Louis Beacon website to read the full story.
