In Macon, Ga., WMAZ and Mercer University Partner on News

WMAZ, Tegna’s CBS affiliate in Macon, Ga., will be getting a new reporter—and a team of journalism students from the city’s Mercer University—to boost news content.

The new hire is being funded by a $2 million Knight Foundation grant that Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism received to grow local TV news and community engagement, Tegna said.

The reporter will be hired by Mercer and will work specifically with the students, who will produce stories for WMAZ and its website, as well as Mercer’s TV station, WMUB.

Mercer’s journalism program is focused on bringing students, faculty and journalism vets in a joint newsroom, Tegna said. Since 2012, students have produced stories for NPR, AP and ESPN among others.