In the past few months, KQED has hired eight news staffers and added 10 newscasts to its FM schedule. Katie Donnelly, writing for PBS MediaShift, says the expansion will continue over the next several months. Among the additions will be a new news blog, she says.

The expansion is not without its challenges, however. KQED’s clear strength is in radio news, but, as [KQED vp of digital media and education Tim] Olson noted, “text and images are required for a robust online news presence.” 

Improving the text on the site is a major priority, and as the site continues to expand, this emphasis will grow as well. 

Olson noted that NPR has gone through a similar transition over the past few years, which was addressed by gradually training reporting staff, and adding photo editors and copy editors.