Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Times, Bay News 9 will pool resources

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published October 12, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - The St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9 are teaming up on news and weather reports.

Beginning Monday, Bay News 9 will provide the Times with a new weather report to appear on Page 2A each day.

The report will include a seven-day local forecast and an "ask the weather experts" section in which Bay News 9 meteorologists answer questions from readers.

In return, Bay News 9 has agreed to feature Times journalists and highlight stories from the newspaper in news broadcasts.

The two news organizations will collaborate on news and weather but remain independent and in control of their news reports. Bay News 9 will continue to work with other newspapers and the Times will place its journalists on other local and national television programs.

"We're delighted to provide our readers with a new and improved weather page that features the weather expertise and proven track record of Bay News 9," said Neil Brown, executive editor and vice president of the Times. "The Times and Bay News 9 share a commitment to strong local news reporting. That's what makes this so appealing."

This is the third recent partnership between the two news organizations. They collaborated on this year's hurricane guide and are partners on the Sunday talk show Political Connections.

Bay News 9, available on Bright House Networks, reaches more than 1-million households in the Tampa Bay area.

The Times, owned by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, is Florida's largest newspaper, with an estimated readership of 688,900 daily and 857,100 on Sundays, according to an independent audit in December.

"Bay News 9 is excited about partnering with the most-read newspaper in Florida," said Elliott Wiser, vice president and general manager of Bay News 9. "Our viewers and readers will greatly benefit from this collaboration."

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 05:41:43]