Sduros Blog | Knight Digital Media Center

Lessons in entrepreneurship: Small ad platform starts to make big money

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, November 8, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PST

Talking to Emily Lowrey, founder of ShopBirmingham, was like getting kicked in the
pants. While major news sites struggle to generate online revenue streams, Lowrey has it figured out.

The business of going digital first at Morris Communications

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, November 1, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Amy Gahran

Although the Journal Register Company has claimed the name “Digital First” for their new spinoff, JRC is not the only news organization making big—and long—bets on the ascendancy of digital media.

In late September Morris Communications (which publishes 13 daily and over two dozen non-daily newspapers, plus other media) announced a significant reorganization to refocus its priorities on being “digital first.”

Executive VP Derek May explained how this shift is about more than journalism and media. It’s also about how Morris makes money and does business…

Four questions foundations might ask journalism start ups when they ask for grants

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, October 25, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Michele McLellan

Foundations are playing a significant and helpful role in fostering new models for local news. But in addition to money, a little tough love may be in order when looking at prospective journalism grantees. If the grant money doesn’t flow forever, how can a foundation tell if a news organization has legs - or how can foundation help nudge the organization onto a more sustainable path? Here are four key issues to consider:

Getting Local II: Terms of engagement

Community News Leadership 3.0

Fri, October 21, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Michele McLellan

The newspaper on the Web is not a sustainable model, and nonprofit news start ups are placing more and more emphasis on engaging their users with content and conversation, and perhaps, as members or donors. A new report from the Knight Foundation details emerging engagement practices at several of the larger nonprofit news sites.

Local news lessons from former Bay Area News Group revenue chief Jeff DeBalko

Community News Leadership 3.0

Thu, October 20, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Amy Gahran

Just four months after he got there, Jeff DeBalko is departing the Bay Area News Group, where he has been chief revenue officer. In a post to his personal blog he offers practical and pointed strategic advice for running a local news business…

Getting Local: How nonprofit news sites are growing revenue

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, October 18, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Michele McLellan

Larger local news websites seek to move beyond heavy reliance on foundation grants with new sources of revenue. A new report from the Knight Foundation details the paths of seven sites, including The Texas Tribune, Voice of San Diego and MinnPost.

Use cases for digital media: comScore report shows why they matter

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, October 11, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Amy Gahran

Audiences aren’t what they used to be, especially for the news business. Once upon a time, publishers and advertisers mostly cared about were audience demographics. That’s because most people—regardless of age, income, etc.—know how to find and use a newspaper, magazine, tv, or radio.

But technology (especially mobile) is radically changing how people engage with and are influenced by media. So media outlets can no longer take their “use case” for granted…

Ethan Zuckerman: News organizations, activism, and the media ecosystem

Community News Leadership 3.0

Tue, October 4, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. PDT

by Amy Gahran

This month, noted media and technology scholar Ethan Zuckerman takes over as the director the MIT Center for Civic Media. “I have no idea what civic media is, and that’s a weird place to be as director of the Center,” he said. “This is a new field.”

In a KDMC@USC interview, Zuckerman outlined how the Center is defining and exploring the possibilities for civic media around the world—something that should interest news organizations, activists, and all other significant players in the ever-shifting digital media ecosystem.