Hyperlocal News: Back to the Future

HYPERLOCAL NEWS: BACK TO THE FUTURE

HOLLY EDGELL

COMMUNITY EDITOR, WCPO DIGITAL - CINCINNATI

APRIL 27, 2013

SPJ REGIONS 5 & 7 SPRING CONFERENCE, ST. LOUIS

BEAR WITH ME…

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY HYPERLOCAL?

• News & information about your town, neighborhood, community

• schools, municipal government, events, real estate, sports, hobbies, jobs, people, development, sports, police, fire

• “Bread and butter” news

WHAT ELSE DO WE MEAN?

• Your town, neighborhood, community

• Voices (blogs, OpEd, comments)

• Social media

WHO’S DOING IT?

WHO’S NO LONGER DOING IT?

2007-2013

2010-2012

2009-2012

MORE HERE

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

For communities• As a source for news and information “where you

live”

• As a watchdog on institutions out of the eye of larger news organizations

• As a “place” where people can connect; share info; find support

• Breaking & continuing news from the “front lines” where the story lives

• Newtown, CT Patch “Sandy Hook” coverage

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

For local government, organizations & institutions

• As a platform for disseminating emergency information; alerts, announcements

• To publicize resources and support

• A means of getting news coverage that may not be “big enough” for other media outlets

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

For locally owned businesses

• Cost-effective advertising options

• Targeted advertising

• Connecting with customers as neighbors who share a community

• A means of getting news coverage that may not be “big enough” for other media outlets

THE VIEW FROM 2009

From FastCompany.com (9/09)

PAYING FOR IT

• Advertising

• Paywall

• Premium content for members

• Crowd funding

• Grants

• Investors

LOCAL ONLINE ADVERTISING (2012)• Legacy local media companies still control 92% of all

advertising, including half of all locally spent online advertising.

• Borrell forecasts 18% overall growth as local online advertising goes from $15.7 billion this year to $18.5 billion.  

• That share is starting to grow, at the expense of local pureplay Internet companies. 

• Mobile advertising (smartphones and tablets), will push the total expenditure to more than $26 billion by 2016.

Source:  Borrell Associates (2012)

THE VIEW IN 2013

Chris Tolles, quoted in StreetfightMag.com (4/22/13)

WCPO DIGITAL AND 9 ON YOUR SIDE

• Channel 9 Broadcast coverage area:

• Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Southeastern Indiana

• ABC Affiliate• Owned by Scripps Media

HOW WE DO LOCAL & HYPERLOCAL

“Newsroom within a newsroom”

LEGACY (TV) + DIGITAL (3 screens) + SOCIAL

1. Original “digital-first” beat reporting

2. Broadcast & web staff collaboration

3. Freelancers

4. Journatic

5. Social

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Mike Fancher, former editor of The Seattle Times in StreetFightMag.com (4/19/13)

RESOURCES

StreetFightMag.com covers hyperlocal news

Columbia Journalism Review has a hyperlocal news directory at CJR.og

HollyWorld (my blog): Hyperlocal journalism: Too important to fail (2/11/13)

Find this slideshow

Let’s connect on Twitter! @hollyedgell