Rhode Island’s Disappearing Media - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

Rhode Island’s Disappearing Media - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

This year, multiple Rhode Island media companies got gobbled up, merged, or closed down.

Rhode Island’s Public Radio was merged into RIPBS, the local television station.

The radio station struggled; it has been the third-ranked public radio station in the Providence market — behind the two Boston stations, WGBH and WBUR.

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Then, the Woonsocket Call and The Pawtucket Times were merged together. Another newspaper is now gone from the Rhode Island media landscape.

More recently, Providence Business News, which had already been cut back during COVID to printing just twice a month, was sold.

It was purchased by an Iowa company that also owns a forklift magazine in its portfolio.

2023 was also the year that WEEI Sports Radio closed its Rhode Island office.

And starting in 2022, Rhode Island saw a massive exodus of talent from the local TV stations.

Leaving the industry over the past 18 months were WPRI meteorologist Michelle Muscatello as well as the station veterans Danielle North and Michaela Johnson. WJAR saw resignations from sports editor Joe Kayata and investigative reporter Katie Davis.