Artificial intelligence is creating new possibilities for local newsrooms — including finding stories that they might not otherwise know about.

In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton sits down with Jim Haddadin, investigative editor at Connecticut Public, and Susan Bell, senior director of data and digital services, to discuss the organization's award-winning Public Meeting Monitor.

The AI-powered system analyzes government meetings, identifies potentially newsworthy developments, and helps reporters uncover stories happening across communities throughout Connecticut.

The conversation also explores Curio, Connecticut Public's audience-support chatbot, along with broader lessons about newsroom adoption, transparency, audience trust, and the future of AI in local journalism.

Topics discussed:

• Why Connecticut Public built the Public Meeting Monitor
• How AI reviews and summarizes public meetings
• The role of human journalists in the reporting process
• Stories that originated from AI-generated news tips
• Building audience-service tools with AI
• Lessons for local news organizations exploring AI
• Where newsroom innovation is headed next

Guests:

Jim Haddadin, Investigative Editor, Connecticut Public

Susan Bell, Senior Director of Data and Digital Services, Connecticut Public

Hosted by Ryan Welton for Local Media Association's Keep It Local podcast.

The journalism profession is undergoing significant change, leaving many media professionals wondering what comes next.

In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton talks with Bridget Thoreson, founder of MyCareerRiver, about the realities of navigating journalism careers in an era of layoffs, disruption, entrepreneurship, and rapid technological change.

Drawing from interviews with more than 160 professionals, Bridget shares practical insights on career reinvention, adapting to uncertainty, and recognizing the value of journalism skills beyond traditional newsroom roles.

Among the topics discussed:

• Why the traditional journalism career ladder no longer works for many professionals
• The three principles that emerged from Bridget's career research
• How journalists can reframe uncertainty as an opportunity for discovery
• The surprising job-search breakthrough that helped one journalist land a job after more than a year of unemployment
• Why skills matter more than titles
• How newsletters, podcasts, consulting, and entrepreneurship are creating new opportunities for journalists
• What media professionals can do today to prepare for the future

Learn more about Bridget's work at MyCareerRiver.com.

Would you like to sponsor a future episode of Keep It Local? Our membership comprises more than 3,000 local media companies of all sizes and media. We have a variety of ways to get you in front of key decision-makers within the industry.

Podcasting can feel intimidating for local media organizations. Questions about equipment, studios, editing, distribution and monetization often stop projects before they begin.

In this special episode of "Keep It Local," host Ryan Welton turns the microphone on himself to discuss his new LMII Innovation Insights report on podcasting and explain why he believes podcasts have become one of the most powerful content engines available to local media organizations today.

Ryan shares practical lessons from his work in local journalism, digital audience strategy and podcast production, offering a step-by-step look at how newsrooms can launch sustainable podcast programs without massive budgets or complicated studio setups.

The conversation covers everything from microphones and audio quality to Riverside workflows, video production, content repurposing and revenue opportunities through branded content.

• Why podcasting should be viewed as a content pillar
• The biggest mistakes newsrooms make before launching a podcast
• Why audio quality matters more than video quality
• Recommended microphones, headphones and recording setups
• Riverside vs. other remote recording platforms
• Simple lighting techniques for better video podcasts
• Editing workflows using Adobe Premiere Pro, Audition and HandBrake
• Getting podcasts onto Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
• Turning one podcast into articles, newsletters and social media content
• Using podcasts to support branded content and sponsorship sales
• Why long-form conversations are thriving in 2026

• LMII Innovation Insights Report: Podcasting
• Riverside
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe Audition
• HandBrake
• Captivate
• Beehiiv
• Opus Clip
• Canva

Have questions about podcasting, newsroom workflows or content strategy?

Contact Ryan Welton at Local Media Association to continue the conversation.