From the E&P Newsroom
Audience Roundtable

News and the next generation. Engaging Gen Z

Every generation seems to have a way of seeing the one that follows as being different from their own. Now, as Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2015) comes on the scene, it will be fascinating to observe how they'll find and engage with news content, which platforms and types of content will resonate with them, whether they’re willing to fund quality newsgathering, and how Gen Z journalists will themselves influence the news profession.
News media

Trusting readers to be partners

For the better part of 10 years, journalists have been told that paywalls are the future to funding a sustainable newsroom. Free is out, the funnel is in and pageviews matter a lot less than subscription conversions. What if there is another way? Well, journalists in Chicago are putting that to the test.

The Charlotte Ledger

It’s one of the oldest stories of human endeavor: From the upheaval and uncertainty of established institutions — in this case, the newspaper industry — comes opportunity. Tony Mecia saw his chance after 11 years with The Charlotte Observer and another eight years as a freelancer writing for various publications. Today, that opportunity has become The Charlotte Ledger, a newsletter-based news product distributed by email.
More E&P "Exclusives" on Audience
Boston Globe Media has announced the launch of The B-Side, a new email and social-only product geared towards informing and entertaining new audiences. The B-Side's focus is hyperlocal and will provide curated, authentic and relatable content that reimagines how local news is conveyed to the next generation of Bostonians.
These days, there’s no shortage of options for news and information, but that also means getting noticed is tougher than ever before. That is why it helps (and is more important) to not only know your audience —who they are — but to know what motivates them and what can pique their interest.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Grow your audience and paid online subscription base by bridging significant gaps in reaching key segments, including Black readers.
Media companies must understand that growing audience is a job for the entire company. While we should expect our audience teams to sell, service, retain and grow the business, none of this works sustainably without a great product that goes far beyond the minimum expectations of our customers. 
Five hyper-local independent newspaper media groups combine to offer advertisers engaged print, online and social media audiences across 19 established brands.
There is a sudden swell of optimism about the state of journalism in Chicago, where local journalists are about to answer a question I posed on these pages several years ago: Why can’t newspapers create a business model similar to public radio stations?
ThinkNewsBrands, a cooperative of Australian publishers, has studied advertising effectiveness across media platforms — in its “Benchmark and Payback Series.” In August, the group released a new installment in the series, The Social Chapter, which looked at key indicators and ad metrics. In August, the group released a new installment in the series, The Social Chapter, which looked at key indicators and ad metrics, such as short-term and long-term memory recall, and “brand lift” —
Recently, America’s Newspapers encouraged a “Shop Local, Eat Local, Read Local” campaign. The topic of supporting local spending has never been timelier and more critical. Never has our locally-owned and operated business base been under more pressure. As this pressure continues to mount, so will the pressure on the local news media companies as well. 
In a digital age where news is preserved online, newsrooms are facing increasing pressure to “unpublish.” To help newsrooms address the matter, Deborah Dwyer, a Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) fellow and a doctoral candidate in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, created Unpublishing the News...
Audio is a platform unlike any other, in that it closes the distance—physically and cognitively—between the listener and host and guests. In conversations with people who podcast, you’ll hear the word “intimate” used a lot to describe the relationship between listener and the voices emanating from their earbuds.
The time has come to expand our footprint outside of traditional journalism and information realm and into a total market is our playground approach. Providing non-journalism and informational products is a must.
Lee Enterprises, Inc. has launched a new food-focused digital magazine called Feast and Field, which explores farming, food production, culinary history, and cooking. Found at feastandfield.net, the product is the latest expansion of Feast Magazine, which launched in 2010...
When asked what the most critical component of their business model is, I believe most news media executives will indicate that their audience is what sets them apart. That makes perfect sense as our audience is the foundation upon which all other aspects such as advertising (both traditional and digital), editorial, events and so forth rest upon...
Industry News on Audience
The evolution of the newspaper industry is occurring in real time. It’s been painful for some and a wake-up call for others to change their business model, explore new revenue streams and, in the process, discover how to be more visible and supportive in their communities. Many publishers, especially in local news operations, are realizing the value of evolving from a traditional subscription model to a membership model for their business, local citizens and the community.
Journalists who know their audience’s interests can serve them better. In determining who reads their education reporting, journalists interviewed for this article say they place more faith in their gut instincts — talking to people in the community — over digital tools. This mirrors an earlier study of education reporters in New York.
When Alexandra Bacaj heard that the American Press Institute was putting together a program to help newsrooms engage diverse audiences, she immediately encouraged her colleagues at KPBS to apply.
With start-up funding from a remarkably successful Kickstarter campaign, Block Club Chicago debuted in 2018 as an independent 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Today, Block Club Chicago has reporters covering a majority of the neighborhoods across the city, but there are still some “gaps” in community coverage that they hope to fill as the newsroom grows.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: As a digital news start-up, the Border Belt Independent partners with local newspapers to provide them with long-form stories at no cost. It helps grow our audience and provides them with in-depth reporting their readers expect.
Latest Openings from Media Job Board on Facebook