Together, we'll explore why local news matters, how it must adapt and who our communities need us to become. Four integrated themes connect that three-day journey across sessions and formats, helping ideas build on one another and strengthen every part of your work.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Every session connects to the big picture, and to you.
Practical applications of AI, newsroom tools, workflow, ethics and smarter ways of working.
Revenue, audience, product, partnerships, philanthropy and organizational sustainability.
How we strengthen local news together, communicate our value and learn across roles.
Longer workshops, hands-on learning and immediately useful techniques you can take home.
A hands-on, team-based experience for sales and revenue professionals.
More long-form, practical sessions with immediate takeaways.
Four integrated themes woven across the entire convention.
Peer learning, solution roundtables and cross-newsroom connections.
Different formats. Shared purpose. Real impact.
Big ideas and bold perspectives to frame the conversation.
Brief insights that introduce issues, ideas and options.
Longer practical sessions led by practitioners.
Peer-led discussions to solve real newsroom challenges.
A hands-on team competition for sales and revenue professionals.
Connect, celebrate and build relationships that move news forward.
A collaborative, team-based experience designed for sales and revenue professionals. Compete, experiment and solve real challenges.
Learn more →
Program overview
Each day has a distinct purpose, and each builds toward the next. The schedule below shows how that progression takes shape.
Each major themed block begins with a short panel introducing the featured theme, followed by roundtables and workshops exploring a wide range of topics.
Thursday, August 27
Local news helps communities understand themselves, participate in civic life and make decisions about their future. Thursday explores that question through storytelling, public policy, the arts and documentary film.
3:00 PM
Check in, meet our sponsors and settle in before the opening program begins.
4:00–4:15 PM
A brief welcome to Local News Solutions 2026 and an introduction to an evening focused on local news, civic life and community.
4:15–4:40 PM
Before we spend two days exploring the future of local news, we’ll begin by remembering why it matters. Five newsroom leaders each share one story that stayed with them from the past year—not necessarily their biggest investigation or an award winner, but a story that reminded them why local journalism matters to the people they serve.
4:40–5:00 PM
Amanda Mountain, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Public Media, connects the evening’s civic conversations to the broader Local News Solutions program.
5:00–5:30 PM
Colorado legislative leaders discuss the challenges facing local news, the role journalism plays in informed communities and the value of constructive engagement between policymakers and the people working to keep Coloradans informed.
5:30–5:45 PM
CPA’s Legislative Collaboration Awards recognize Colorado lawmakers who worked with CPA, the Public Policy Coalition and our partners on specific bills and public-policy initiatives affecting the press and local news. The ceremony honors that collaboration and the importance of constructive engagement around policies that affect Colorado communities.
5:45–7:15 PM
Meet speakers, sponsors and fellow attendees from across Colorado’s local news community, or reconnect with colleagues before the evening program.
7:30–8:10 PM
Sundance Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez joins us for a conversation about the arts, journalism and community life. We’ll explore what cultural institutions contribute to strong communities, how local news can remain connected to that creative life and what becomes possible through coverage, partnerships, events and shared civic spaces.
8:15–9:50 PM
A screening of Seized, filmmaker Sharon Liese’s documentary about the 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record in Kansas and the urgent questions it raised about press freedom, local power and the public’s right to know. The film made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
9:50–10:30 PM
Filmmaker Sharon Liese joins Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming, and Tim Regan-Porter for a conversation about the film and its themes, followed by audience questions.
Times and program details subject to change.
Topics that will shape the conversations.
AI in the newsroom
Audience growth
Public trust
Revenue innovation
Local democracy
Community engagement
Leadership & culture
Product & technology
And more
Examples of the kinds of sessions you will find.
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AI Workflow Starter Kit for Small Newsrooms
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Trust in an AI-Flooded Information Environment
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How to Get More People to Read Your News
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Community Partnerships for Revenue and Audience
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Revenue Partnerships for Ethnic and Community Media
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Campaign Finance Data for Election Coverage
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Safety Tactics for Reporters in the Field
No matter your role, you will find ideas, people and solutions to take home.
Publishers, editors and managers guiding organizations forward.
Reporters, producers and editors telling their communities’ stories.
Sales, marketing and audience professionals growing reach.
Funders, nonprofits and civic partners strengthening local news.
The next generation of news leaders and changemakers.
