In this episode of "E&P Reports," we explore the Tri-City Record, a new, five-day-a-week free publication serving San Juan County, New Mexico, being launched by Ballentine Communications, the owners of the Durango (CO) Herald. We learn from board chairman/ owner Richard G. Ballentine and new Record Publisher David Cook why they believe there is a real opportunity for expansion into this area already served by an existing Gannett title since that paper has drastically cut back on staff and content over the past few years.
Collaboration among news media outlets is not new, but The Exchange is a new collaborative effort that aims to create business and financial content for underserved communities. It’s a collaboration of local, diverse news media with decades of service to their communities, the Local Media Association (LMA), the Local Media Consortium (LMC) and Deloitte.
The new owners of The Weekly Recorder — three lifelong residents who are active in their communities — acknowledge the challenge of entering the newspaper business when other newspapers, both locally and nationwide, are struggling. But, they believe there's an opportunity and much to highlight within Washington County.
The “gender beat” concept developed less than a decade ago, but it has already evolved significantly since then. While many of the journalists interviewed by Meg Heckman, a journalist, author and educator with Northeastern University, thought the concept of a gender beat should not be necessary, she believes it is a necessary stepping stone in the short term.
Across the country, more and more "ghost papers" are appearing, where you may find no publisher or editor; and a newsroom with just one reporter left. In some cases, entire “beats” have disappeared — where cities and large regions have no one covering the news. What happens to these journalists and to the communities they serve? In some cases a news desert remains. In others, we find competing media companies stepping in to fill the void.
In the digital age, an increasing number of publications choose to eliminate their print issues and move entirely online. However, those publications with a loyal print subscriber base are left to choose between a myriad of local carriers or the United States Postal Service (USPS). There is no correct answer. Publications must do the research and evaluate the market.
Journalists from all over the world traveled to Ohio in early spring for the Kiplinger Fellowship. There were 19 fellows this year, representing 12 nations. They had the added distinction of being the program’s 50th-anniversary class. Kevin Z. Smith, the Kiplinger Program’s executive director, spoke with E&P about the evolution of the fellowship program.
When Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Sack decided to retire last year after four decades at The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Opinion Editor Scott Gillespie decided to buck industry trends and announced he had an opinion position to fill: editorial cartoonist. The Star Tribune may be an outlier in an industry that no longer appears to value the work of editorial cartoonists.
Dave Stevens is the only legless player in sports history to have played NCAA football and minor league baseball. The seven-time Emmy-winning sports journalist is now a motivational speaker and television host as he nears 40 years in broadcasting. While he says the media industry has come a long way in terms of inclusivity, he adds: "we still have a long way to go in this and other aspects of society."
As philanthropic support of news organizations has increased substantially, Journalism Funding Partners was founded to bring more funding sources and news organizations together to support and report on the issues impacting local communities. JFP disbursed $2.2 million in funds in 2022 and has provided more than $1 million during the first quarter of 2023 to news organizations.
