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Axios
28-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Lawmakers sweeten the deal for Texas-based film and TV productions
Texas lawmakers have approved a major film incentive bill, signaling a long-term effort to make the state more competitive for projects. Why it matters: Senate Bill 22, filed by Houston Republican Sen. Joan Huffman, would inject $1.5 billion into a new Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund every two years through 2035 — the biggest support for film incentives in the state yet. Backed by celebs, the bill is a major win for production advocates who say Texas has lost out for too long. Eligible expenses would include wages for Texas workers, meals from local restaurants, and airfare on Texas-based airlines — all of which could be reimbursed through the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program. Driving the news: The Texas House approved the Senate-passed bill over the weekend and it will likely be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it, per the Fort Worth Report. State of play: The proposal originally sought $500 million every two years, but the figure dropped to $300 million following committee discussions. Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), who sponsored the bill in the House, said he'll keep pushing for the higher amount in future budget cycles, per the Fort Worth Report. Yes, but: Despite the drop, the bill would still mark the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program's biggest upgrade yet if signed by Abbott. The consistent funding would support long-term planning and extended productions, the nonprofit Media for Texas tells Axios. Flashback: Since launching in 2007, Texas' film incentive program has seen inconsistent funding. In 2023, lawmakers didn't overhaul the program but approved a then-record $200 million for the 2024–2025 budget — a major jump from the previous $45 million. Zoom in: Houston saw more than $81 million in film-related economic impact in 2024 — more than double the previous year — with projects like Netflix's "Mo" in Alief and Paramount's "1923" filming in the region, per Houston First. What they're saying: "This bill will enable Texans to take a leading place in this industry," Chase Musslewhite, co-founder of Media for Texas, tells Axios. "And instead of this fear of Hollywood coming to Texas, we should look at the opportunity for Texas to be a leader in this industry and spread light in places where industry may not be working. So I think it's just a huge, huge, huge opportunity for Texas."
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Five news organizations join Texas Tribune and ProPublica investigative initiative
The Texas Tribune and ProPublica have selected five partner organizations in Texas to participate in a new investigative initiative that will support accountability journalism in local newsrooms across the state. Over the next year, the five newsrooms — El Paso Matters, Fort Worth Report, Houston Chronicle, The Texas Newsroom and WFAA — will report on how power is wielded in Texas in collaboration with our investigative team. In 2020, the Tribune and ProPublica launched a first-of-its-kind collaboration to publish investigative reporting for and about Texas. Both organizations publish the team's stories, which are distributed for free to other news organizations in Texas and beyond. 'Local newsrooms are primed to deliver accountability reporting because they intimately know the communities they cover,' said Vianna Davila, deputy editor of the Tribune-ProPublica investigative unit. 'We hope to facilitate even more of that reporting at a critical time in Texas and are so excited to work with these five newsrooms from across the state.' El Paso Matters El Paso Matters has been El Paso's primary source of in-depth and investigative reporting since it began publishing in 2020. Founded and led by veteran El Paso journalist Robert Moore, El Paso Matters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on accountability reporting on government, education, health and the environment and also reports on the culture that makes El Paso a unique community. El Paso Matters has won national awards from the Online News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Institute for Nonprofit News, as well as numerous state awards from Texas Managing Editors. In 2022, the organization's investigation into the failures of District Attorney Yvonne Rosales led to a petition to remove her from office and eventually her resignation. In 2024, a collaborative project by El Paso Matters, La Verdad of Ciudad Juárez and Lighthouse Reports in Europe called into question the official explanation of a detention center fire in Juárez that killed 40 migrants. Fort Worth Report Fort Worth Report is a nonprofit, digital-only news platform launched in 2021 by a group of Fort Worth residents who were alarmed about the decline of meaningful local news coverage. The daily publication provides original reporting on city and county government, schools, business and development, health care, plus arts and cultural institutions — concentrating on Fort Worth and Tarrant County, one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S. The Report's investigative work has looked at high-speed police chases in Fort Worth, leading to the release of long-withheld pursuit policies. A series of investigations into Tarrant County-based Gateway Church revealed past abuse allegations, ethical concerns in leadership and financial fallout. Its live journalism Candid Conversations event series includes annual community listening sessions and local candidate forums, in addition to convening experts and community leaders to facilitate thoughtful dialogue about issues readers care about. In 2024, the newsroom expanded its reach by launching the Arlington Report. It was named the Small Business of the Year by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Houston Chronicle The Houston Chronicle boasts the state's largest newsroom covering Texas' most populous city and the fourth-largest in the U.S. With the biggest subscriber base in Texas, the Chronicle reaches over 1.8 million print and digital readers weekly and garners more than 30 million monthly visits to its digital sites. Chronicle journalists focus on local and statewide issues, exploring their far-reaching implications on national political and social landscapes. Its Austin-based bureau — the state's largest — delivers in-depth coverage attuned to Texas' legislative and cultural developments. As a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of numerous national and state-level journalism awards, the Houston Chronicle is a champion of investigative reporting and impactful journalism. Recently, its investigations have driven legislative actions, including reforming practices at the state's largest utility company and addressing environmental hazards such as 'zombie wells.' This spring, exclusive reporting on irregularities in a $95 million Texas Lottery win led to significant changes in gaming oversight and inspired proposed legislative amendments. The Texas Newsroom The Texas Newsroom is the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in Texas, including KUT in Austin, KERA in North Texas, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and Houston Public Media, leveraging the talents of more than 120 public radio journalists in Texas. Its statewide newscasters deliver news live six times each weekday and its show Texas Standard delivers timely, thoughtful coverage of politics, lifestyle, the environment, technology and business from a uniquely Texas perspective. Last year, Public Media Journalists Association named the Texas Newsroom's senior editor Rachel Osier Lindley its editor of the year. Its Sugar Land podcast won a national Gracie Award for investigative journalism. NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists named the Texas Newsroom's investigative editor and reporter Lauren McGaughy winner of the 2024 Randy Shilts Award for LGBTQ+ Coverage. She has done extensive reporting on extreme heat in Texas; recently, a federal judge ruled the heat in the state's prisons is unconstitutional. WFAA WFAA, headquartered in Dallas, is one of the largest and most respected local television news operations in the United States. From the groundbreaking continuous live broadcast following the John F. Kennedy assassination to being an emerging leader in 24-hour local news streaming, WFAA has throughout its history led the charge in innovation and leadership through all forms of media. WFAA has earned 11 silver duPont-Columbia University batons for excellence in journalism and is the only local television station in the nation to receive a duPont-Columbia Gold Baton, the highest recognition in broadcast journalism. Recently, WFAA's investigative team has focused on exposing lax regulation of caregivers of vulnerable and intellectually disabled people; highlighted abuses in the state's foster care system; chronicled 'forever chemical' contamination of agricultural lands; and in a yearslong effort, uncovered a ploy to hide foreign ownership of American aircraft that resulted in a federal criminal case ending in convictions and a lengthy prison sentence for the ringleader. Disclosure: Houston Public Media has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
