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A look at the state of local independent online news
Michele McLellan is out with her annual survey on the health of the local independent online news publishing business, and reports progress on several fronts.
"The survey of 93 publishers representing 103 publications ... showed most increased their revenue in 2015 while some experimented with new sources of revenue in addition to traditional display ads, including native advertising, events and business services."
Eight more sites than last year reported annual revenue of more than $1 million, and the survey also showed that more smaller sites had gotten to the point where their founders were able to pay themselves a salary.
Related:
- LION member Jim Brady: "Local news isn’t dead. We just need to stop killing it." Brady nails the errors and the potential in local news.
- Local Media Consortium chief Rusty Coates: Local news pessimists are missing the big innovations.
- Forget about the big numbers; go for loyalty, trust.
- How to assess the vibrancy of a community’s news ecosystem.
- The Associated Press on indie publishers: Online startups tackle local news.
Join LION in Chicago this fall for advice, ideas, training, support
Have you registered for LION Publishers' annual conference in Chicago yet?
If you're a local independent online news publisher, it's an invaluable opportunity to meet, learn from and commiserate with people who are facing the same exact challenges and opportunities.
If you're thinking about launching a local news startup, it's your chance to be mentored by people who've gone through what you're about to face.
Past conferences have been full of practical advice, tips and ideas on revenue, technology, audience engagement, business and journalism that you can take home and put to use immediately.
Reserve your spot today, and take advantage of early bird registration rates!
Guidebooks tackle mobile, social, drones, design
Some notable journalism and media business studies and guidebooks have been released over the past month, including:
- Making the Most of Mobile: A Knight Foundation study.
- A Guide to Journalism and Design: From Tow-Knight.
- Diversity Style Guide: Help with more than 700 terms on a variety of topics.
- The Future of Online News Video: From the Reuters Institute.
- The Modern News Consumer: From Pew Research.
- Drone Journalism: A roundup of the new FAA done rules and how they affect journalists.
- Social Journalism: From Tow-Knight.
Facebook's latest algorithm tweak worries publishers, again
Another Facebook News Feed algorithm change, and another prediction that it will reduce the visibility of news publisher's posts. This time, Facebook is saying that the news feed will show stories based more on what a user's friends are sharing than anything else. Lots of people are weighing in on the potential impact to journalism organizations:
- How Facebook is changing News Feed, and potential winners and losers.
- Ken Doctor: Facing the new Facebook reality: The numbers behind the fright.
- Jeff Jarvis: Facebookmageddon? Not so soon.
- Facebook’s ‘friends-first’ algorithm tweak may not have hit yet.
- And some advice on coping: Three tips for publishers in wake of the cange; how curated content can increase Facebook reach; and a look at NPR's use of preferred audience tags on Facebook.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
ALASKA: How online Alaska news site's deal with a billionaire went wrong.
BILLY PENN: Billy Penn names first manager of audience development.
MEDIUM: A Boston journalism nonprofit is among the first publishers to sell subscriptions on Medium.
MISSISSIPPI: Mississippi Today, backed by an NBC exec, aims to be the Texas Tribune of its under-covered state.
NATIVE ADVERTISING: A look at how LION member Scott Brodbeck at ARLNow.com is having success with native advertising.
NETWORKING: Are community networks the final frontier for local publishers?
NORTH CAROLINA: A millennial’s plan to build a news startup, piece by piece.
ONA: From triage to trust: Jane McDonnell on what’s changed in journalism during her eight-year run at ONA.
PATCH: Life after Patch: Finding success in community publishing as a one-person operation.
PRO PUBLICA: ProPublica is helping other news orgs do formal reporting (FOIA requests and all) on the Red Cross.
SOUTH CAROLINA: A well-traveled reporter decides to set up a one-man investigative journalism enterprise.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
ADVERTISING: Does advertising even work any more? Are ads on top news sites worth more? A new study says yes.
ARCHIVES: How publishers wring new value from old content.
FACEBOOK INSTANT ARTICLES: The mixed, early impact publishers are seeing from Facebook Instant Articles.
NATIVE ADVERTISING: Native ads expected to account for 74% of ad revenue by 2021. Why page views matter in measuring native ads.
NEWSLETTERS: The problem with email newsletters. Ten great email newsletters and what they teach about how to harness the email renaissance. For some publishers, email is a way to wring value out of ad blocking readers. With California Today, The New York Times is testing expanding its newsletter strategy cross-country.
NONPROFITS: Media central to philanthropic strategies, report says. Five metrics takeaways for nonprofit news from INN Day 2016. Serving mission, seeking profits through public benefit corporations. Funding nonprofit journalism? Be transparent and do no harm.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Customers, not advertising, might pay for the future of the internet. Can rising reader revenue outrun the collapse in print advertising?
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ANONYMOUS SOURCES: When it's OK to use unnamed sources.
BUSINESS REPORTING: Finding financial statements and related information. Deciphering business jargon. New ways for reporters to cover the gig economy.
CITIZEN JOURNALISM: ‘Citizen journalists’ have become powerful allies in the fight to afflict the comfortable.
CROWDSOURCING: Here's how to get your audience involved in crowdsourcing projects.
ENGAGEMENT: How journalists build and break trust with their audience online. Hearken’s new tool gives audiences access to the reporting process. Why journalists need to report on how they work. Learning to Listen: The key skill needed to save the news.
FACT CHECKING: Fact-checking: A free course in how to improve your skills in accountability journalism. How fake news sites frequently trick big-time journalists.
FOIA: How shrinking newsrooms can fulfill mission to inform with a shift to FOIA advocacy. Appeals court rules feds can withhold criminal mug shots. Five simple tips to make you a better FOIA requester. Obama signs a FOIA reform bill into law, paving the way for more (and hopefully fulfilled) records requests. Seven lessons from BuzzFeed’s ‘FOIA-friendly newsroom.’ How the Flint water crisis and a statehouse scandal gave a boost to FOIA reform in Michigan.
HEAT: Hot zone: Covering the rise in heat waves.
PODCASTING: A DIY method for recording a live podcast or radio show.
POKEMON: What journalists can learn from Pokémon Go.
SMALL NEWSROOMS: Tackling your big idea in a small(ish) newsroom.
SNAPCHAT: Four tips for journalists to master Snapchat stories.
STORY COMMENTS: How readers can contribute via the comments.
TRAUMA: Ten tips for media practitioners covering tragedies and restorative narratives.
VIDEO: Facebook is predicting the end of the written word. As Facebook focuses on video, engagement for top publishers declines. Facebook going video mad, but people still prefer text for news. Sure, people like online video, but that doesn’t mean they want to watch your hard news videos. Tips for journalists using Facebook Live. Why the success of online news video relies on social platforms. Essential tools and tactics for video on social. As online video surges, publishers turn to automation.
Industry News
BOSTON: Buyouts hit Boston.com.
CANADA: This map shows where and why local newspapers in Canada are shutting down.
DALLAS: Is the Dallas Morning News for sale?
DENVER: Fearing job cuts, Denver Post journalists rally against their hedge fund owner.
EXAMINER: Filed under: "Local doesn't scale." Phil Anschutz's Examiner.com to shut down, ending new media run.
FCC RULES: FCC chair proposes retaining most U.S. media ownership rules.
GANNETT: Gobble, gobble: Gannett’s grand ambitions. Gannett buys The Bergen Record. Gannett to buy digital services company ReachLocal for $156 million.
GOOGLE: What brands and normals should know about Google's new 'My Activity' pages.
NEWSDAY: The Dolan family buys back Newsday.
NEWSPAPERS: The state of newspapers 2016: a lot of grim headlines.
Confessions of a newspaper publishing exec: 'We've screwed up by pursuing scale.'
TRAINING: Knight Foundation gives Poynter $758,000 to remake online journalism education.
PRESS FREEDOM: A reporter’s arrest is just the latest reason to worry about press freedom in Missouri.
TV: Is TV news headed for the digital cliff?
TRONC: A look at Michael Ferro's journalism track record. What is 'tronc'? Behind the buzzwords, a fairly standard menu of tech upgrades for Tribune papers.
VERMONT: Vermont's Rutland Herald, Times Argus to cut back print editions to four days a week.
Is Your LION Publishers Membership Up for Renewal?
For many of our LION Publishers members, it's time to renew! Your membership includes participation in the LION Publishers Den on Facebook, networking and support from fellow LION publishers, our new newsletter, discounted rates on media liability and directors and officers insurance and more.
Plus, being a member gives you access to a members-only rate to the LION Summit – a savings of up to $175 compared to the non-member rate. If your membership is due for renewal, please go to http://www.lionpublishers.com/members/dues/renew to submit your payment. Those who opt for multi-year membership save, and easy, secure payment options are available via credit card or through Paypal. (Not sure when your membership expires? You can look it up easily on LIONPublishers.com.)
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