Paul Gillin writes the NewspaperDeathWatch blog and it’s safe to say, he’s never been busier.
As print advertising continues to plummet and online ads have yet to pick up the slack, papers are cutting frequency, shrinking geographic distribution, laying off workers – really doing anything and everything they can to cut costs – and anticipating more of the same next year. If some of them don’t fold first, which is a distinct possibility.
One bright spot in an otherwise bleak business is what’s happening at the community level, where news blogs or aggregators are popping up all over the country. Whatever you call them – online newspapers, community microblogs or something else – many are run by former staff reporters or editors, and in some cases long-time freelancers who see a gap in local news left by newspapers’ shrinking coverage.
I recently talked to Gillin, a long-time tech writer & editor turned blogger, author and social media pundit, about the news business and the role one- and two-person operations are playing in the industry. Here are some highlights of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
We hear a lot about the plight of the country’s major dailies, but what’s happening with smaller community newspapers?
It’s very tough for them right now, as publishers like Gannett are closing them outright in an effort to save money. The weeklies just aren’t seen as being worth the attention of these big companies. They’re trying to save the big titles that are seen as more profitable. It’s kind of a split personality because there are small newspapers starting up successfully with a low budget and bootstrapping and serving very specific geographic areas or demographics.
Where does online community news fit in?
You’re finding a lot of individuals who are becoming community publishers. They may not have a print edition but it’s not a stretch to see them going in that direction, as the major dailies provide less valuable content.
A lot of these are mini versions of Drudge Report, lots of linking to other stuff. There’s an opportunity for someone who can aggregate around their area and consolidate it in one source. If I’m a local high school theater group I probably have a website, and if someone can put that together with other local information they add some value.
What are some of these online community news sites?
Neighborsgo.com out of Dallas is a really interesting experiment in community journalism, with 18 local editions generated by readers. Newzjunky is a one-man publisher in Watertown, New York, who is driving the local community paper nuts. There’s a guy I’ve written about my own hometown, Hopkinton, Massachusetts, started a Website called Hop News. He’s one guy. He’s a photographer, he goes around the town and documents what’s happening. He’s been at it five years now being a one man band. Is he making a living? He complements it with his photography business, but it’s a profitable business.
There’s a lot of talk of news organizations trying new revenue models to supplement advertising and subscriptions. Are online community news sites doing that?
A lot of ideas are being tried at the local level that can’t be tried at the big papers because they’re not nimble enough to accomplish it. Small publications are able to innovate more. Their overhead is so low, they don’t need a lot to survive.
Here’s a couple other places to read up on what’s happening in the industry:
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A thoughtful take on what’s happening in the industry and how community based outlets might fare. Thank you for a great read.