The "NewsMedia Revenue Summit" is programmed to be an information packed, fast-paced event designed to deliver actionable, take-to-market ideas and strategies that will grow "top line" revenue, now! Plus attendees will be able to submit their biggest revenue challenges in advance, so E&P can assess the latest research and industry knowledge available to present customized solutions, during a special session hosted by Mike Blinder.

As a manager, you must balance the things that need to get done and the time available. Are you spending your time wisely? Or are you wasting this resource on things that other people could be doing? That kind of examination is absolutely crucial to getting the most value out of your time.

Too often, the media focuses on the demise of newspapers and the expanding news deserts nationwide. It is certainly a transition of note, but another transition that deserves more coverage is the effort to recruit and train the next generation of journalists. How news is delivered is changing, but the journalist's role will remain critical to gathering, writing and providing editorial commentary about the news.

One of the dilemmas newsrooms face in the age of AI is whether and how to use generative AI technologies, and then how to create some structure and define ethics and policy around their use. The other dilemma is how to protect news publishers' interests through regulatory and fair-compensation advocacy.

In the wake of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the United States, founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison agreed that securing and growing a free press was essential to the country’s future. So in 1792, then-President George Washington signed into law a sweeping act that created the postal service and subsidized the delivery of newspapers. This lesson of government support of the news industry is extremely relevant today, as communities across the country continue to lose local news sources at an alarming rate.

September 15 is International Democracy Day, but in the month leading up to the holiday, democracy itself seemed under attack — acutely in the small town of Marion, Kansas. On Friday, Aug. 11, the full arm of the law came down on the local newspaper, The Marion County Record, and its family owners. Publisher Eric Meyer had the support, ears and eyes of news outlets worldwide.

In the ever-evolving media landscape, driven by technology and shifts in consumer behavior, the concept of sustainability within news media has gained profound significance. In pursuing sustainability, news leaders must embrace the complexity of their roles, engaging in a constant assessment of finances, an unwavering commitment to the community and the capability to reinvent — guided by consistent principles and practices.

Patrick Merlihan, who runs digital strategy for the Woolwich Observer in Elmira, Ontario, thought he was about to tackle a monumental task in a quest to make the website fully accessible for the 15,000-circulation newspaper in September 2021. “I thought I was going to have a lot of challenges to make our site accessible, and then it was, like, 10 minutes,” he said.

The people and communities of southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico embrace the spirit and history of the Old West while proactively developing the social, cultural and economic diversity of their part of the New West. Having recently celebrated its 70th year, Ballantine Communications has been a leading partner in that development as a primary news and information outlet and a multimedia resource to support local business growth.

A year into his role as NPR's audience editor, Latino audiences, Pablo Valdivia reflects about his job and what he’s discovered about NPR’s Latino listeners. He notes that he consults with the newsroom, introducing them to stories of interest to Latino listeners and steering them away from stories that speak about Latinos without hearing from Latinos.

The buzz was electric as over 200 media executives packed into the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago on Aug. 2, eager to hear insights on the future of local news from industry leaders at the opening keynote of LMA Fest. Moderator Tracy Brown of WBEZ/Chicago Public Media welcomed a star-studded panel featuring Catherine Badalamente, CEO of Graham Media Group, Mike Reed, CEO of Gannett, and Evan Smith, senior advisor at Emerson Collective and former CEO of The Texas Tribune.

E&P spoke with engagement editors this summer to hear firsthand about their career paths, how closely they work with newsrooms today and their thoughts on how the quality of the content is vital to engagement. Learn from the engagement editors at The Star Tribune in Minneapolis, The Marshall Project and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

The International Center for Journalists empowers journalists to follow the money behind disinformation in the Americas. ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi says it is critical to expose the sources of disinformation and find who is funding the intentional dissemination of false information.

Despite widespread attacks on those principles and fundamental changes to the news industry, 77% of U.S. journalists responding to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey said they “would pursue a career in journalism again,” 75% “are extremely or very proud of their work” and 70% ”are very or somewhat satisfied with their job.” Conversely, the surveyed journalists were not blind to the turmoil in their industry.

The people of Aberdeen, South Dakota, were not about to allow their town to become a news desert. The local newspaper of many years, The American News, was withering on the vine. Contractions, layoffs and buyouts had reduced the staff to one reporter. Troy McQuillen, publisher of the Aberdeen Magazine, launched The Aberdeen Insider and feedback from the community has been very positive.

Four of the 16 Pulitzer Prizes in journalism were awarded to local news outlets this year. Marjorie Miller, administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, says local media outlets seem to be focusing their resources on stories their audiences cannot get elsewhere instead of attempting to replicate stories from national news outlets and wire services. Among the winners was Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today.

Browse news media job boards, and you’ll find opportunities for data specialists and other newsroom roles now requiring experience working with data. In mid-June, E&P spoke with Samantha Sunne about data journalism and the book “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting.” Sunne co-authored the book with Mike Reilley, who teaches data and digital journalism at the University of Illinois in Chicago and founded JournalistsToolbox.org.

Every year, the small town of Keene, New Hampshire, transforms its downtown into an event space for the Radically Rural Summit, an annual event for community-minded people to share how they solve problems in their towns. This year’s theme is Reimagining Rural and will include events focused on communication, connection and philanthropy.

Merchandising has become a valued revenue stream for many newspapers and news outlets to generate new subscriptions, increase awareness of their quality journalism, promote community identity and boost the bottom line to expand newsrooms and coverage. Although the purpose of merchandising promotions is extra revenue, they are also often fun — for the community and newsrooms.

The United States Postal Service versus local carriers — publishers around the U.S. have asked this question for decades. It is not a new question, and the answer is ever-evolving. Editor & Publisher is following up on “Handling carrier challenges” from our May issue to dive deeper into the question facing publications as they navigate carrier challenges.

One of local news’ powers is to remind us of what we have in common, or “building community.” Though not a new concept, E&P found that creating community means different things to newsrooms around the country. Regardless of its definition, putting strategies in place to better connect and engage the public — with the newsroom and one another — is meaningful and worthwhile.

This week, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) introduced the Community News and Small Business Support Act (H.R.4756) to the U.S. House of Representatives with co-sponsor Suzan DelBene (D-WA). At its core, the bill lays out a five-year plan to provide payroll tax credits to local/community news outlets, expressly to hire and retain local news reporters across the country. Small businesses (with fewer than 50 employees) that advertise in local newspapers, digital news sites, on local radio or with local TV stations are also eligible for tax credits.

The Trace, a nonprofit news organization covering gun violence, has bolstered local reporting with a community engagement focus. For the first six months when The Trace opened bureaus in Chicago and Philadelphia, the community engagement reporter's only assignment was to listen to local members of the community.

Experience, skills and a track record for excellence are essential characteristics of successful people in any profession, including journalism. Newspapers of all sizes have contracted, and thousands of journalism jobs have disappeared. While many veteran journalists are accepting buyouts or retiring, an even newer trend is more of them still want to contribute to the profession in some capacity.

By now, you’ve likely heard incessantly about ChatGPT. With OpenAI’s revolutionary tool nearing its eight-month mark, there’s no doubt that generative AI is here to stay. But why should you, as a media executive, also invest time to comprehend JAMstack and No-Code/Low-Code (NC/LC) technologies? These essential components, for building a solid infrastructure, may just be what you need to propel your business forward.

Google announced via its blog on Thursday that it will be “removing links to Canadian news from Search, News, and Discover products and will no longer be able to operate Google News Showcase in Canada.” Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs, Google & Alphabet, made this announcement.

O’Rourke Media Group CEO Jim O’Rourke found an opportunity within a challenge when he launched his business in 2018. Today, O’Rourke Media Group, which places a strong emphasis on both the sales team and the content, has 31 publications in eight states.