Partnership will Study and Report on the Region’s Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis
90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station, and Campos are partnering to launch a collaborative research and reporting project focused on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the greater Pittsburgh region. The project will help citizens and alike understand how well the needs of Western Pennsylvania residents are being met during the pandemic and the subsequent recovery.
Through multiple surveys over the course of a year, the 90.5 WESA/Campos COVID Insights Study will track opinions from across the 10-county Western Pennsylvania region, documenting how citizens have been affected by the pandemic, how confident they are in governmental and institutional responses to the crisis, and how well they perceive the economy to be recovering. This research will form the basis for reporting by WESA and will be shared widely with media outlets throughout Western Pennsylvania, in a collaborative effort to give the greatest possible exposure and impact to its findings.
Complete survey data will also be provided to the public with insights from Campos researchers and strategists at campos.com/covidinsights.
“The data gathered by Campos will further strengthen our reporting on the regional impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the path to recovery,” Terry O’Reilly, CEO of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation said. “We also hope that by making our work broadly available, we can inspire other journalistic outlets to collaborate with us in reporting on this unprecedented moment in history.”
“Solid data and sound reporting are critical to helping both policymakers and residents of our region understand and navigate this moment,” said Campos President Kate Murphy. “We are proud to be partnering with 90.5 WESA to shine a light on how the people in our region feel about the pandemic, response, and recovery.”
Funding for the WESA/Campos COVID Insights study is provided through a generous grant from The Richard King Mellon Foundation. Sam Reiman, Director of the Foundation, noted, “Our COVID-19 Economic Impact and Recovery project seeks to bring focus to community needs during the current pandemic and as we recover from it. We are proud to have served as a reservoir of stability in the face of economic, environmental, and now health crises for more than seventy years, and are excited by the potential for this creative and collaborative effort by 90.5 WESA and Campos.”
This project brings together two organizations with unique and complementary strengths. Campos is a Pittsburgh-based research and strategy firm, bringing 35 years of market research and consumer insight experience to this work. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting’s 90.5 WESA produces award-winning, independent, fact-based journalism with a focus on the communities of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
For more information contact Erin Keane Scott at ekscott@wesa.fm or 412.697.2939.
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About 90.5 WESA
90.5 WESA is Pittsburgh's NPR News Station. As southwestern Pennsylvania’s only independent public radio news and information station, they give voice to provocative ideas that foster a vibrant, informed, diverse and caring community. 90.5 WESA can be heard on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh, PA; 92.3 FM in New Baltimore; 100.5 FM in Johnstown, and 104.1 FM in Ligonier and Somerset. 90.5 WESA is a service of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that also operates independent public radio station 91.3 WYEP.
About Campos
Campos is a customer experience and brand planning firm that puts research at the forefront of strategy to help organizations thrive. Using data and research insights, Campos partners with organizations to create and refine authentic brands and exceptional customer experiences.
About The Richard King Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation’s 2019 endowment was $2.7 billion and its Trustees in 2019 awarded 172 grants totaling $129 million, focused on the Foundation’s strategic priorities: economic development, education, environmental conservation and human services.
