It doesn’t take long for community engagement journalists to realize that we can’t reach our entire community by only providing content in English.

Public radio stations produce a ton of local content on a wide range of platforms: news features, digital stories, videos, talk shows, newscasts, announcer breaks, promos. But it’s difficult to actually listen and read in real time to evaluate how well we are serving communities. News directors and other managers may carve out time to evaluate the work, but we really need more diverse observations to continually improve.

Ed Mahon, now with Spotlight PA, was a legislative reporter for WITF in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a partner station of America Amplified. His 2020 community engagement work centered around being embedded in Erie, a city in the northwest corner of the state.

Connecting with rural communities requires more than a digital tool. Here are 7 ways journalists can build meaningful relationships with rural audiences, from the America Amplified.

Live talk shows audiences can go beyond just who’s listening when it’s on air. Through Facebook Live, Twitter or other social media channels, you can broaden your audience before and after the show.

Broadcasting talk shows on Facebook Live will broaden audience and add another venue for engagement.