New News in New Orleans

National Public Radio, the University of New Orleans, and a group of business and community leaders will announce the creation of a nonprofit newsroom to compete against the city's for-profit newspaper, the Times-Picayune.

The planned operation, funded annually by $1 million to $2 million in memberships, donations and sponsorships, will have a staff of 10 to 20 producing news for the Web, mobile devices and radio. NewOrleansReporter.org will be operated by WWNO, a local NPR affiliate owned by the University of New Orleans, a state university. NPR plans to provide technical and journalistic expertise for the new operation—part of a broader national effort by NPR to build up affiliate news operations. WWNO already switched to a heavier news format.