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.
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
Drawing on the latest Colorado newsroom needs survey, Laura Frank connects the challenges facing local newsrooms to their larger civic role and considers how collaboration and support can help Colorado journalism fulfill that public promise.
5:00–5:30 PM
Combined Ballroom
Joint Budget Committee members Emily Sirota and Rick Taggart discuss what Colorado can do to strengthen local news while protecting editorial independence.
5:30–5:45 PM
Combined Ballroom
CPA recognizes 14 Colorado lawmakers for constructive work on specific 2026 measures affecting local journalism, public access and the news and information ecosystem.
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.
A discussion among print and digital news leaders about how Colorado can prepare for changes in public notice while protecting community newspapers.
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 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 Votebeat roundtable on getting authoritative election answers quickly and using the free Election Expert Desk.
A practical conversation about events, sponsorships and sustaining supporters that can build revenue and deepen community relationships.
A practical roundtable on evaluating threats, harassment and intimidating situations without overreacting or ignoring real danger.
As wildfire risk grows, local journalism has an important role in helping communities understand risk, prepare for disruptions and recover after events. The conversation would focus on how information contributes to resilience and public safety. Facilitated by convention sponsor Xcel Energy.
A case study in documentary podcasting, justice-system storytelling and civic impact.
A practical conversation about recruiting, onboarding, training and retaining sales staff in small and midsize news organizations.
A student-newsroom case study on election reporting, institutional pressure and editorial independence.
A roundtable on preparing student journalists to understand audience, revenue and sustainability alongside the work of reporting.
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.
A Friday lunch conversation about the pressures facing student journalists and practical ways to strengthen student newsrooms.
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 conversation about how newsrooms can connect with RMPM’s ambassadors, Above the Noise initiatives and other community programs.
Help shape practical training and support for covering contentious issues.
A practical roundtable on protecting journalists and their families from online exposure, harassment and doxxing risks.
A practical roundtable on QuizTheVote, voter guides and election-information tools that help voters make sense of their choices.
Follow recyclables from curbside collection to end markets and explore Colorado’s new producer-funded recycling system.
A conversation about covering Jewish communities, Israel and Gaza, antisemitism and related tensions with greater accuracy, context and awareness of lived experience.
A practical idea-sharing roundtable on the public records, filings, logs and documents that can lead reporters to stronger local stories.
A practical conversation about childcare as workforce infrastructure and the role employers can play in supporting working families.
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
Join colleagues for ice cream from the Sweet Cow Ice Cream truck, a convention favorite.
3:45–5:00 PM
Choose one session.
Greenhouse Room
Team presentations, feedback and practical takeaways from the AI Sales Games.
Kimberly Spencer moderates a conversation on how newsrooms can build real relationships with local philanthropy, nonprofits and civic partners beyond one-off fundraising asks.
A workshop on applying the User Needs Framework to make local news more relevant, useful and sustainable.
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.
Move from diagnosis to action with practical content and presentation choices that can help more people find, read and return to your news.
Journalism can become a song, a spoken-word performance or a shared community experience—not as decoration, but as another way to report, understand and reach people. Explore what that could look like for a local story.
Help shape the next generation of MATCH Lab projects and newsroom partnerships.
5:00–5:30 PM
Come back together for reflection and synthesis, connecting the day’s ideas before the evening begins.
5:30–7:00 PM
Atrium
Join your peers for drinks, snacks and conversation as we celebrate the young professionals so vital to our work. All convention attendees are welcome.
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
Amanda Mountain reflects on what communities need from local news now and how journalism, arts, civic programming and community engagement can help news organizations remain relevant, resilient and connected.
An interactive session on turning a local media organization’s story of community service into a strategic asset for trust, relevance and growth.
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.
10:00–11:00 AM
Combined Ballroom
Guided conversations about the challenges newsrooms face and how Colorado’s journalism support network can respond.
11:00 AM–Noon
Colorado newsrooms have knowledge, reach and relationships they can share. The hour begins with a brief conversation about how statewide and local outlets can build useful partnerships. Attendees then choose among peer exchanges and focused working sessions to compare challenges, share practical ideas and connect with colleagues who can help.
A rapid conversation about building useful partnerships between statewide and local newsrooms, followed by peer exchanges and working sessions.
Meet with audience peers to exchange practical ideas, useful tips and lessons for building stronger community relationships.
A working session to shape an ongoing Colorado revenue group spanning advertising, sponsorships, reader revenue, underwriting and philanthropy.
A peer exchange with Latino publishers on covering immigration, community trust and what mainstream and community outlets can learn from one another.
A practical workshop on philanthropy fundamentals and building stronger individual-giving programs for local news.
Continue the statewide-local collaboration conversation, or connect with editorial peers around common beats, projects and newsroom challenges.
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.
Exchange practical ideas across advertising, sponsorships, reader revenue, underwriting and philanthropy, and help shape an ongoing Colorado revenue working group.
A practical peer exchange for ethnic, immigrant-serving and community-centered media leaders and allies.
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.
A brief, evidence-informed introduction to mindfulness, followed by short practices for pausing, regaining perspective and supporting well-being.
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.
Audience work matters even when a newsroom does not have a dedicated audience team.
Build stronger advertiser conversations around both business goals and the public value of local journalism.
A practical conversation about internships, student preparation and shared approaches to developing the next generation of local news talent.
A working conversation about training creators in news gathering and media bias.
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 public-media roundtable on creator training, community storytelling and new talent pipelines.
A revenue roundtable on selling from mission and community value without losing clarity or discipline.
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.
A practical workshop on the sales systems small and community-centered newsrooms need to stop leaving revenue on the table.
Greenhouse Room
A restorative, hands-on session about making space for joy, curiosity and creative renewal in journalism.
A working session on using philanthropy as runway to stabilize, prove audience and impact, and build a stronger business case before the next ask.
A practical workshop on building, pricing and selling sponsored content without eroding trust.
A candid conversation about the personal story behind Lee Ann Colacioppo’s leadership and how it connects to The Denver Post’s history, mission and future.
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.
