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Memberships, subscriptions and more on growing reader revenue

If you were unable to join us for the Reader Revenue summit LION held with the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey last week, you can watch video and see speakers' presentations here.

Nieman Lab's recap of the event focused on how can local independent news organizations build successful membership programs.

One of the speakers was LION member Jay Senter, publisher of the Shawnee Mission Post in Kansas, who explains his progress after launching a subscription program at his site one year ago. An interview with Jay is also featured on one of the latest episodes of the LION podcast.

Related: Membership programs that support local journalism: The Membership Puzzle has some advice on where to start.


Berkeleyside raises $1 million from readers in direct public offering

Local independent online news site Berkeleyside has raised more than $1 million from its readers in a direct public offering, the first successful effort of its kind for a local news organization in the country.

“We are excited that news sites now have a new model to raise funds to give them a solid foundation to build a long-term future,” said Lance Knobel, Berkeleyside’s publisher. “In this time of diminishing local news — as well as regular attacks on the importance of news — a DPO can allow a small organization to set its own course.”

Lenfest Institute's "Solution Set" newsletter has a detailed look at how they did it.


LION webinar: YouTube for local news publishers

What role should YouTube play in local online news publishers' video and social media strategies? Are there opportunities to monetize local news content uploaded to YouTube, or is it mostly about exposure for your brand?

Join LION on April 24 for a webinar on "YouTube for Local News Publishers" with Lon Seidman, whose "Lon.TV" tech review channel on YouTube has more than 167,000 subscribers and who has helped organize local independent online media publishers in Connecticut, will walk participants through best practices. It's free for LION members, and only $15 for non-members.


The advantage small publishers have in local advertising

"Any small publisher who survives on direct advertising sales has to consider the weaknesses in the model of their Silicon Valley competitors if they intend to continue to rely on an ad sales model," writes Kenny Katzgrau of Broadstreet Ads. "We hear every day that the “duopoly” is dominating in digital advertising revenue. This is true, but Google and Facebook are definitely not invincible, and recently eMarketer predicted their market share would drop this year. Small, niche publishers, like hyper-local news, regional magazines, and trade journals, have powerful advantages which cannot be replicated at scale, and they should use them."

10 Advantages That Small Publishers Have Over Tech Giants in Selling Ads.

Related: LION Webinar: Setting Advertising Rates and Packages. Kenny Katzgrau of Broadstreet and Kim Clark of Noozhawk discuss how publishers might set their ad rates. Topics include whether to sell ads by the month, week or day; whether to charge a flat rate or by CPM; how many ad positions are too many; how to set rates for sponsored content; and more.


The Michael Ferro era at Tribune/Tronc ends abruptly

After several years of controversy and chaos, and a name change from Tribune to "Tronc," Michael Ferro is selling all of his shares in the newspaper chain that owns the Chicago Tribune and recently sold off the Los Angeles Times. It comes on the heels of sexual harassment allegations.
Tronc is also parting ways with controversial former LA Times Editor Lewis D'Vorkin.

Company executives have been getting big bonuses and pay raises as the company fought union organizing. The Chicago Tribune is the latest newsroom to launch a union organizing effort. From the Chicago Tribune to the LA Times, journalists organize and push back. Is this a countdown to a Chicago Tribune sale?

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the new Guild newsroom at the LA Times is learning the harsh reality of the pay gap. And here's a look at the LA Times' new owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong — immigrant, doctor, billionaire.


News About Local Independent Online News Organizations

BILINGUAL: Digital news organization reaches local community with bilingual reporting.

CALIFORNIA: How the two-person local independent online news site The Mendocino Voice overcame a burglary and is bringing journalism to a vast northern California news desert.

CHICAGO: The hyperlocal news site Block Club Chicago is one of the launch publications for blockchain news platform Civil.

GRANTS: Community Listening and Engagement Fund awards first round of grants to 34 news organizations, including a number of LION members, for the use of reader engagement tools.

PRO PUBLICA: Six things Pro Publica Illinois has learned in its first six months. A devastating story, the hope of new readers: Why ProPublica did two versions of ‘A Betrayal.’ Former ProPublica journalists are launching a newsroom to cover the impact of technology on society.

RJI FELLOWS: New Reynolds Journalism Institute fellows will tackle ways to reach underserved audiences, improve the quality and reach of video and data-driven stories, coordinate the coverage of breaking news and help high school students identify reliable sources of news.

VT DIGGER: Coming soon: VT Digger's new story commenting platform. They're also hiring reporters.


Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue

AD TECH: More than 80% of Digital Display Ads Will Be Bought Programmatically in 2018. How Much Ad Targeting Is Too Much Targeting? Google's Answer To Header Bidding Is Now Generally Available. As New Ad Marketplaces Form, Media Companies Must Find Their Place. Apple, Amazon and Google Also Are Bracing for Privacy Regulations. The Ad-Tech Industry’s Looming Shakeout Could Finally Happen: What GDPR and data debacles mean for digital vendors. Amid Fake News And Data Leaks, Ad Industry Makes Brand Safety Official. We will never be able to promise 100% brand safety, says Google.

NEWSLETTERS: This newsletter leveraged its superfans to get to 500,000 subscribers. The Dutch newsletter platform Revue, with around 30,000 users, is opening up subscription features. Six newsletters in six weeks: How The Telegraph is building a new strategy.

NONPROFITS: Turning newspapers into charities: A new model for the future?

POLITICAL ADS: Twitter endorses legislation promoting transparency in online political ads.

SPONSORED CONTENT: Why branded content is taking over our feeds.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Financial Times CEO John Ridding explains how to make people pay for media. News publishers see subscription dollars in local politics. The Washington Post offers exclusive benefits in push to retain subscribers. Publishers dangle access to editorial staffers in a bid for subscriptions. The New York Times is giving early access to podcasts as a subscriber perk. The Seattle Times is making it everyone’s job to grow digital subscribers. Half of Politico Europe’s revenues come from paid subscriptions.

VIDEO: What the ‘Pivot to Video’ Looks Like at Condé Nast. Vimeo launches macOS app for easy video sharing, Final Cut Pro integration.


Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology

ARCHIVES: Here’s how The New York Times is trying to preserve millions of old pages the way they were originally published.

CARTOONS: A local TV station hired a cartoonist to tell stories that are tough to photograph.

DESIGN THINKING: How Design Thinking transformed Globe and Mail’s newsroom, audience reach.

EDITING: 10 things you might not know about having a great editor.

ENGAGEMENT: Fake news wouldn’t be possible without cheap news. Five ways journalists can regain trust from readers. Why your news organization needs to start 'optimizing for trust.' -- some lessons from de Correspondent. Tools for Trust: A list of tons of tools journalists should know about. Swedish newspaper engages with Facebook group for commuters. Tronc research shows healthy engagement behavior mitigates churn. Reinventing the Rolodex: Why de Correspondent is asking its 60,000 members what they know.

EVENTS: Your Voice Ohio's take on collaborative journalism starts with community events.

INSTAGRAM: Curbed’s Instagram manager is aiming for “the perfect blend of all things Internet.” Instagram Looks Like Facebook’s Best Hope. Facebook Really Wants People to Use 'Stories.' It's Testing Three Tweaks.

METRICS: What Research on ‘Measurable Journalism’ Tells Us About Tech, Cultural Shifts in Digital Media.

MOBILE: People read news differently (i.e., worse) on phones than they do on desktop, new research suggests. The three pillars of mobile journalism: Q&A with Marc Settle, smartphone reporting trainer at the BBC.

REPORTING: How to turn your notebook into a camera.

SUICIDE: How One Reporter’s Mission Brought Attention to the Suicide Epidemic Among Farm Workers.

TABLE STAKES: Lessons from the 'Table Stakes' innovation initiative, which is working with legacy newsrooms on the basics needed for digital transformation.

TRAFFIC: Flipboard has reclaimed its crown as a top source of traffic for news websites. What we know about Google Chrome’s mobile article recommendations, the next major traffic driver for publishers.


Industry News

ALTERNET: AlterNet has been acquired by the owners of Raw Story.

DFM: 'We Have Nothing to Lose': A View From Inside the Denver Post's Newsroom Rebellion. Meet the Vulture Capitalists Who Savaged ‘The Denver Post.’ The Denver Post’s protest should launch a new era of “calling B.S.” ‘We’re not expecting a miracle’: Denver Post rebellion receives mixed response elsewhere in the company that owns it. Private equity owners endanger Boulder Daily Camera’s future. Colorado group wants to buy Denver Post from hedge fund that employees say is destroying it. The staggering body count as California newspapers founder, and democracy loses. Only You Have the Power to Save Your Local News from Corporate Vultures.

FACEBOOK: Nine takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony before Congress. Zuckerberg Refuses to Admit How Facebook Works. The law that made Facebook what it is today. Zuckerberg’s long game: the next billion. Zuckerberg is trying hard to get out in front of the regulatory wave. Why his 14-Year Apology Tour Hasn’t Fixed Facebook. Zuckerberg's real crime? Ruining the open web. The biggest Black Lives Matter page on Facebook is fake. Democracy Fund and Omidyar Network Support Independent Analysis of Facebook’s Role in Elections.

Data Lords: The Real Story of Big Data, Facebook and the Future of News. Here are 5 ways Facebook violates consumer expectations to maximize its profits. Facebook's Sandberg Reassures Advertisers After Pause by a ‘Few.’ How much would you pay for Facebook without ads? Even a low-key evening at home can mean handing over a trove of personal information to high-tech companies. Journalists Are Criticizing Facebook For Its Data Collection. At The Same Time, They Often Use It To Their Advantage. To serve a free society, social media must evolve beyond data mining. The age of the algorithm needs editors. What journalists can do to hold algorithms to account. A simple law—‘Users own their private data’—would make social media great. Why Facebook Will Never Fully Solve Its Problems With AI

FAKE NEWS: A guide to anti-misinformation actions around the world. Let’s face it, communicating facts can be difficult. Meet the students trying to solve the fake news problem. India issued fake news guidelines to the press. Then it reversed them.

FUSION: Fusion Media Group employees clash with new digital boss. Its parent company, Univision, has laid off 150 employees.

GATEHOUSE: Akron Beacon Journal sold to GateHouse Media.

GOOGLE: Google seeks to limit ‘right to be forgotten’ by claiming it’s journalistic. The company recently lost a significant court case related to the issue.

HARASSMENT: New report details online harassment women journalists face.

LOS ANGELES: The L.A. Weekly's Cheesy Astroturfing Campaign Against Its Former Writers Can't Stop The Boycott.

MONTANA: Missoula Independent staff vote to unionize.

NEW ORLEANS: 'A perfect fit': Advocate purchases Gambit weekly in New Orleans.

OWNERSHIP: The American media landscape, like the rest of the country, is being reshaped by the whims of the ultra-rich.

PHOTOGRAPHY: After Sinclair yanks donation, NPPA receives $11,000-plus in individual contributions.

PODCASTING: This is how Canada listens to podcasts.

PRESS FREEDOM: Politico on how Trump thrives in ‘news deserts.’ But Nieman Lab says the article on “news deserts” doesn’t really show what it claims to show. Baquet says Trump attacks are 'out of control.' Homeland Security To Compile A Database Of Journalists, Bloggers And Influencers. Even if it’s nothing, the new Homeland Security press tracker could turn into something. ‘Forbidden Stories’ aims to keep the investigations of threatened journalists alive.

PRINT: Tariffs and supply disruptions threaten US newspapers.

PUBLIC MEDIA: Could we build the Facebook-era equivalent of public broadcasting? Five reasons to build on public media’s journalism collaborations.

PULITZERS: Pulitzer Preview: Will this year’s Pulitzers join the #MeToo movement? This year's Pulitzer winners will be announced at 3 p.m. Monday.

REDDIT: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman clarifies that racism is not welcome on the platform.

SINCLAIR: A local anchor on how Sinclair is messing with a Rhode Island media landmark. Sinclair circles the wagons as former employees speak out. Why are Sinclair’s scripted news segments such a big deal? More universities join Sinclair protest letter. What it’s like to watch Sinclair—and why that’s the story. Yes, Sinclair Broadcast Group does cut local news, increase national news and tilt its stations rightward. Local media struggle to hold Sinclair accountable. Sinclair Faces Federal Resistance Over Proposed Purchase of Tribune Media. FCC chairman rejects senators' request to investigate Sinclair.

SNAPCHAT: ‘Traffic Has Plummeted Since the Update’: Publishers Worry About the Future of Snapchat Discover.

STUDENT MEDIA: SMU to take control of student newspaper, dissolve independent media company.

TRUMP: Editorial pages in ‘Trump Country’ respond to demand for new columnists.

TWITTER: Twitter postpones platform change that would cut off third-party apps. Think your articles are getting a lot of attention on Twitter? It could be a lot of posting by bots.

WEST VIRGINIA: How one decision doomed West Virginia's biggest daily newspaper.

WIKIPEDIA: Conspiracy videos? Fake news? Enter Wikipedia, the ‘good cop’ of the Internet.

YOUTUBE: YouTube may be illegally collecting kids’ data. YouTube Kids Is Going To Release A Whitelisted, Non-Algorithmic Version Of Its App. How YouTube’s Channel Recommendations Push Users To The Fringe.


Upcoming Events

YOUTUBE FOR PUBLISHERS WEBINAR: LION will host a webinar on YouTube for local news publishers at 1 p.m. April 24.

COLLABORATIVE JOURNALISM SUMMIT: May 10-11 at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

INN DAYS: The Institute for Nonprofit News will hold its annual INN Days summit June 13-14 at the Investigative Reporters & Editors' annual conference in Orlando.

LION AT IRE: LION will hold a day-long session on revenue, journalism, engagement and audience development issues relating to local independent online news sites June 15 during Investigative Reporters & Editors' annual conference in Orlando.

LION ANNUAL CONFERENCE: LION's annual conference, the country's largest gathering of local independent online news organizations, will be held Oct. 11-13 at Columbia College, Chicago.
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