Explore the latest program for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. More sessions, speakers and room assignments will be added as details are confirmed.
THURSDAY
Why does local news matter?
FRIDAY
How must local news adapt?
SATURDAY
Who do our communities need us to become?
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
Atrium
Check in, meet our sponsors and settle in before the opening program begins.
4:00–4:15 PM
Combined Ballroom
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
Combined Ballroom
Five newsroom leaders
Five newsroom leaders each share one story from the past year that reminded them why local news matters to the people they serve.
4:40–5:00 PM
Combined Ballroom
Amanda Mountain, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Public Media, reflects on what local news makes possible in civic and community life and why that value cannot be taken for granted.
5:00–5:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
Colorado legislative leaders discuss public-policy choices affecting local news, access to information and the communities journalists serve.
5:30–5:45 PM
Combined Ballroom
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. This brief ceremony honors that collaboration.
5:45–7:15 PM
Atrium
Connect with colleagues, speakers and partners over drinks and light bites.
7:30–8:10 PM
Combined Ballroom
Sundance Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez joins us for a conversation about the arts, journalism and community life, including how local news can remain connected to the creative and civic life of the places it serves.
8:15–9:50 PM
Combined Ballroom
Filmmaker Sharon Liese’s documentary follows a Kansas newspaper after police raided its newsroom. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
9:50–10:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
Sharon Liese and Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez reflect on the film and its themes, followed by audience questions.
Times, rooms and program details remain subject to change.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
Friday tackles some of the biggest changes facing local news, from AI and audience relevance to long-term sustainability. Shared conversations introduce the big ideas, then roundtables and workshops let you dig into the questions most useful to your work.
7:30–8:30 AM
Atrium
Start the day with breakfast, coffee and time to meet other attendees before the main program begins.
8:30–9:00 AM
Combined Ballroom
Kent Thiry opens Friday with a keynote on civic leadership and the future of local news.
FRIDAY MORNING THEME
AI is reshaping how newsrooms work, from reporting and investigations to revenue and audience. This morning explores how to respond thoughtfully, practically and ethically.
9:00–9:30 AM
Combined Ballroom
Kevin Slimp, Cheryl Phillips and Kevin Berrier look at where AI is genuinely useful, where it raises real concerns and how newsrooms can make better judgments about when and how to use it.
9:30–10:35 AM
Combined Ballroom
Roundtables run in two rotations. Choose a table for each round.
Use the 2026 Pulse Poll to identify local reporting opportunities and strengthen community conversations.
A starting point for small newsrooms deciding where AI tools belong in everyday workflows.
A case study in documentary podcasting, justice-system storytelling and civic impact.
A practical preview of Big Local News tools that can help small newsrooms surface and pursue accountability stories.
A roundtable on co-op and community ownership models as one possible path for local news sustainability.
A practical roundtable on evaluating threats, harassment and intimidating situations without overreacting or ignoring real danger.
A roundtable on preparing student journalists to understand audience, revenue and sustainability alongside the work of reporting.
A student-newsroom case study on election reporting, institutional pressure and editorial independence.
A practical conversation about recruiting, onboarding, training and retaining sales staff in small and midsize news organizations.
10:45 AM–Noon
Choose one session.
Greenhouse Room
Training, team organization and client assignments for the AI Sales Games.
A meetup exploring reporting approaches that build understanding, trust and belonging.
Ryan Warner shares practical tools for sharper, more memorable interviews, using audio examples from Colorado Public Radio.
A broader AI explainer for news leaders, journalists and educators who need a clearer framework for evaluating tools and risks.
How small and midsize newsrooms can use data, AI-assisted tools and outside support to pursue bigger accountability work.
A practical workshop on when legal action is the right tool for defending public access and government accountability.
A practical workshop on preparing journalists and newsroom leaders for high-risk assignments, field safety and threat response.
12:15–1:00 PM
Pause for lunch and conversation before the afternoon program begins.
1:00–1:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
Amalie Nash reframes sustainability around relevance, audience, product and community value.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON THEME
Sustainability depends on more than any single revenue tactic. This afternoon explores the relationships, products, stories and public value that help local news remain relevant and durable.
1:30–2:00 PM
Combined Ballroom
A conversation about why relevance and sustainability are not just business-side concerns, and how audience, journalism, revenue and community relationships connect.
2:00–3:15 PM
Combined Ballroom
Roundtables run in two rotations. Choose a table for each round.
Greenhouse Room
A hands-on work period for teams to build their AI-assisted client proposals.
How to use grants and major gifts to leave your news organization stronger after the funding ends.
A roundtable on turning community relationships into stronger audience, trust and revenue opportunities.
A practical roundtable on QuizTheVote, voter guides and election-information tools that help voters make sense of their choices.
A practical idea-sharing roundtable on the public records, filings, logs and documents that can lead reporters to stronger local stories.
A conversation about how journalists, artists, researchers and community storytellers can reinforce one another’s work.
A diagnostic conversation about why audience growth is hard and what questions local newsrooms should be asking first.
3:15–3:45 PM
Coffee, conversation and time to move into the final session block.
3:45–5:00 PM
Choose one session.
Greenhouse Room
Team presentations, feedback and practical takeaways from the AI Sales Games.
A workshop on applying the User Needs Framework to make local news more relevant, useful and sustainable.
Move from diagnosis to action with practical content and presentation choices that can help more people find, read and return to your news.
A journalist-led workshop on covering immigration in Colorado with accuracy, context and trusted sources.
Ted Scripps fellows from CU Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism examine how global forces are reshaping local environmental justice reporting.
A hands-on lab for imagining how a local story could be explored through journalism, art, research and community voice.
Help shape the next generation of MATCH Lab projects and newsroom partnerships.
5:00–5:30 PM
Come back together to connect the day’s ideas and carry the conversation into the evening.
5:30–7:00 PM
Atrium
All convention attendees are welcome for an informal evening reception.
Times, rooms and program details remain subject to change.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29
Saturday turns from understanding today’s challenges to shaping what comes next. We’ll look at how local news tells its story, how newsrooms and support organizations can work together, and what people and organizations need to develop for the work ahead.
8:00–9:00 AM
Atrium
Begin Saturday with breakfast and conversation. CPA past presidents will also gather for their annual breakfast.
9:00–9:20 AM
Combined Ballroom
Drawing on the latest Colorado newsroom needs survey, Laura Frank looks at where newsrooms stand, what they need and how collaboration can help limited resources go further.
9:20–10:00 AM
Combined Ballroom
A practical conversation about explaining the value of local news in ways communities can see, feel and act on.
SATURDAY MORNING
The morning turns toward the ways newsrooms, CPA and partner organizations can share capacity, solve common problems and strengthen local news across Colorado.
10:00–11:15 AM
Combined Ballroom
A conversation about sharing capacity, reducing duplicated effort and making better use of the organizations and resources already supporting Colorado newsrooms.
11:15 AM–Noon
Choose the conversation most useful to your work.
Meet with editorial peers to exchange practical ideas, useful tips and lessons from the work of serving local communities.
A peer exchange with Latino publishers on covering immigration, community trust and what mainstream and community outlets can learn from one another.
Meet with revenue peers to exchange practical ideas, useful tips and lessons for strengthening the business of local news.
Meet with audience peers to exchange practical ideas, useful tips and lessons for building stronger community relationships.
A hands-on introduction to Colorado Tradeoffs and its potential for engagement, audience insight and journalism.
A facilitated peer forum for publishers and local news leaders to compare challenges, questions and working ideas.
A working session on how local newsrooms can scope projects and collaborations with Big Local News.
Noon–1:00 PM
Pause for lunch and conversation before the afternoon program begins.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON THEME
The afternoon looks at how individuals, newsrooms and leaders need to grow as local news and community needs keep changing, then turns to practical roundtables and workshops.
1:00–1:20 PM
Combined Ballroom
A fast-paced conversation about how individuals and news organizations must grow to meet changing community needs.
1:20–2:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
Roundtables run in two rotations. Choose a table for each round.
Bring a real reporting problem or data question and leave with a practical next-step plan.
A practical roundtable on evaluating threats, harassment and intimidating situations without overreacting or ignoring real danger.
A quick interactive look at what makes local advertising work, from design and messaging to strategy.
A practical open-records roundtable on delays, denials, costs, incomplete responses and when to escalate.
A roundtable on incarcerated voices, prison journalism and ethical partnerships with inside writers.
2:45–3:45 PM
Choose one session.
A practical session on finding, interpreting and reporting with campaign finance data.
Explore how journalists and local creators can build partnerships that expand trust, reach and impact.
A practical career-strategy workshop for media workers navigating layoffs, shrinking newsrooms, leadership changes and what comes next.
Greenhouse Room
A restorative, hands-on session about making space for joy, curiosity and creative renewal in journalism.
A practical workshop on building, pricing and selling sponsored content without eroding trust.
4:30–7:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
The convention closes with the A-Mark Prize for Responsive Journalism, Better News Awards, Hall of Fame honors and a keynote from Garry Pierre-Pierre about local journalism’s public value and responsibility.
Times, rooms and program details remain subject to change.
