Channel 12 to open a Dover News Bureau

[MikefromDelaware]

On Delaware Tonight, channel 12 announced that they'd be opening a Dover News Bureau, in approx 1 month, to better serve the news needs of Delaware. This is possible due to a one million dollar grant from the Longwood Foundation. For more details watch on line the June 28th Delaware Tonight newscast at whyy.org. Type in the search area, Delaware Tonight. Looks like channel 12 is becoming the Delaware TV news source, not just for Wilmington, but Lower Delaware as well.

 

[fredflintstone]

Will ch 12 become a lap dog?

According to their website, the Longwood Foundation was built from DuPont money. For years, the DuPonts (through their Christiana Securities family trust)controlled Wilmington's two newspapers (the Morning News and Evening Journal, now sold and merged) and made them virtual house organs for the family's interests. Now the DuPonts are providing a big chunk of the funding for Delaware's only TV news broadcast. Wonder how aggressive or independent channel 12 will be in covering - say - environmental issues, such as the controversy over DuPont VX nerve gas storage? What's wrong with this picture?


> On Delaware Tonight, channel 12 announced that they'd be
> opening a Dover News Bureau, in approx 1 month, to better
> serve the news needs of Delaware. This is possible due to a
> one million dollar grant from the Longwood Foundation. For
> more details watch on line the June 28th Delaware Tonight
> newscast at whyy.org. Type in the search area, Delaware
> Tonight. Looks like channel 12 is becoming the Delaware TV
> news source, not just for Wilmington, but Lower Delaware as
> well.
>

 

[MikefromDelaware]

Re: Channel 12 news

The DuPont family doesn't run or control the DuPont Company any longer as it is a publicly traded company. The CEO hasn't been a DuPont since the 1940's. You mention that the Longwood Foundation was built from DuPont money, did it mention if the DuPont company is still at all connected to Longwood, either the gardens or the Foundation? They used to be years ago, but that all may have changed. I believe they are independent institutions now, but I'm not completely sure. I've seen some coverage by channel 12's Delaware Tonight about the VX nerve gas issues, so up to now it hasn't been an issue about their coverage. My guess is it won't be an issue down the road as channel 12 would lose all credibility, and unlike the Wilmington newspapers that didn't have any competition, channel 12 competes for the Delaware news viewer with Philly's 3,6,10, and 29 that all do offer some minor Delaware coverage for folks to compare how channel 12 is covering such a story, but I guess time will tell.

My understanding with PBS/NPR stations for when a corporation underwrites a program, etc, the corporation has no say at all in what is said or done on that program. Maybe someone with more knowledge that actually works at either channel 12 or any other PBS/NPR station could clarify this issue better for all of us.

> According to their website, the Longwood Foundation was
> built from DuPont money. For years, the DuPonts (through
> their Christiana Securities family trust)controlled
> Wilmington's two newspapers (the Morning News and Evening
> Journal, now sold and merged) and made them virtual house
> organs for the family's interests. Now the DuPonts are
> providing a big chunk of the funding for Delaware's only TV
> news broadcast. Wonder how aggressive or independent
> channel 12 will be in covering - say - environmental issues,
> such as the controversy over DuPont VX nerve gas storage?
> What's wrong with this picture?