PIX11’s Jay Dow kicked off Black History Month with a new episode of his latest show, “Community CloseUp,” highlighting the city’s first Black History Month celebration since NYC public schools established a PK-12 Black studies curriculum.
“I think it’s going to resonate with a lot of people because Black History Month is not just about Black people — it’s about this country. It’s important that everyone understands that Black history is American history — it is U.S. history, and this curriculum brings everyone into the mix, involving parents and teachers,” said Dow. “It’s a wonderful thing that’s taking place citywide.”
This is the fourth episode in the series hosted by Dow. It is dedicated to giving viewers a deeper look at individuals in their community by highlighting both daily triumphs and struggles in ways that audiences can relate to.
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Dow said the longer segments of the series lets him provide important context to viewers that he cannot always explore during a general assignment story due to time constraints.
“If I’m given two minutes to tell a story, what often gets lost in the shuffle is much-needed context,” he said. “I try to add that as much as I can and as often as I can every time I file a report, so I think context is the big benefit of focusing a show on community-related issues.”
Since launching the series in November 2024, Dow’s team has covered topics from life-altering immigration policies to concerns about toddler screen time, shedding light on issues that can affect the everyday New Yorker. Although the response to the show has been positive, he said it comes with greater responsibility as he now takes on the role of co-producer.
“There’s a bit of added pressure when it’s all resting on one show, as opposed to, ‘I’m just a reporter with a single news report in the five o’clock newscast,’” he said. “It’s a greater team effort with the entire news team. Now, being on the other side of it and working with a producer to produce an entire show, every show has been a learning experience for me and leveraging my own experience on the other side of it.”
Dow praised the team of reporters and producers who helped bring the show to fruition. With their collective effort, he said, they continue to embody the mission of WPIX: to produce quality local journalism.
“The vision for the show — and we’re all on board — is compelling storytelling, great research, and character-driven reporting,” he said. “That is what you’re going to see on a highly consistent basis that sets us apart from a lot of the reporting you’re going to see anywhere else in this market.”
The news correspondent and host said he had been pitching a community-based show for years, having recognized a need to connect with viewers beyond the standard newscast at PIX11.
“We are a local politics destination,” Dow said. “We have established that brand for ourselves, but as a station, I always thought that this was an opportunity, given how loyal Pix 11’s viewership is, to come up with a program that brings them in and tells stories that they care about. It’s not just all bad news. We make it a point to end every show on a high or emotional note — something that’s heartfelt. This is not a newscast where it’s all crime. We’re talking about issues and community-related stories.”
Looking ahead, Dow hopes the show continues to grow and evolve meaningfully.
“We’ve gotten great feedback, and the ratings have been great, so, the momentum is there, and we’re very excited. We are grateful for all of the viewers who tune in, and we hope that more people will continue to do so as we roll out these shows.”
“Community CloseUp” airs on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on PIX11. For more information, go to https://pix11.com/news/local-news/community-closeup/.