Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell is Leading the Nation’s Most Watched Local News Experiment – Local News Initiative

Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell is Leading the Nation’s Most Watched Local News Experiment  Local News Initiative

In the ninth episode of the State of Local News Podcast, host Tim Franklin—Professor, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News and founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative—speaks with Melissa Bell, CEO of Chicago Public Media, home to one of the nation's most unique models for local news: the combination of a public radio outlet and a legacy newspaper. Two years ago this month, Bell took over as head of Chicago Public Media, the nonprofit parent organization of NPR member station WBEZ and the iconic Chicago Sun-Times. She joins Tim Franklin to discuss how Chicago Public Media is bringing together NPR member station WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times under a nonprofit model.

Bell co-founded Vox.com and later served as publisher of Vox Media, overseeing Vox, The Verge, Eater, and SB Nation. She helped guide Vox’s acquisition of New York Magazine. Earlier in her career, she worked on digital strategy at The Washington Post and helped launch Mint, a business newspaper in India. She has also served as a visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. In 2025, Bell was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement, the school’s highest honor for graduates. In this episode, she reflects on the challenges of integrating two different news cultures and the financial decisions required