Gannett experiments with reducing print options

Hello! Here’s what’s in this week’s issue:

📰 Gannett experiments with options for new print subscribers

📰 UVM’s Center for Community News announce plans to expand news-academic partnerships

📰 New partnership to bring AI audio to newsrooms

📰 Alaska Public Media receives $1 million grant to strengthen local news for rural communities

📰 Experimenting with subscriptions and revenue models

📰 Gannett experiments with options for new print subscribers

Gannett ran an experimental offer over the holiday week, removing the six or seven day trial subscription options and instead offering a Sunday-only or Sunday-plus-one-weekday option.

Chief communications officer Lark-Marie Antón said that it would be “wrong and misleading” to assume that this is a sign that Gannett is close to eliminating print most days of the week.

The experiment may be a sign of things to come for local news publishers, with other moves away from print becoming frequent and the trend towards digital only on the rise.

📰 UVM’s Center for Community News announce plans to expand news-academic partnerships

The University of Vermont’s new Center for Community Journalism announced that it’s partnering with the Knight Foundation and the Mac Arthur Foundation to grow partnerships between newsrooms and universities across the US.

News-academic partnerships are on the rise around the country. The model typically leverages student reporters to bolster reporting efforts for their local communities.

The partnership will allow the CCN to fund research, education, programming and advocacy for these partnerships in the areas that need it most.

📰 New partnership to bring AI audio to newsrooms

AI media company Everlit has announced a partnership with Newspack and Automattic to bring AI audio capabilities to news publishers around the world.

The stated goal is to “enhance the way news is produced and consumed, providing a gorgeous, high-quality audio experience for audiences”.

The partnership will offer:

• Audio generation

• Integration with Newspack

• Scalable solutions for publishers

• Opportunities for monetization

The partnership is another signal of the trend towards audio and video for newsrooms. AI podcast production is another option for publishers looking to monetize AI audio.

📰 Alaska Public Media receives $1 million grant to strengthen local news for rural communities

Nonprofit Cooperation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding to support local news in Alaska. The $936,000 grant funding will support Alaska Public Media, which is made up of radio an TV outlets in the state.

Most of Alaska’s communities are not connected by road system, and public radio is a lifeline for getting out critical news and information to citizens across the state.

📰 Experimenting with subscriptions and revenue models

Innovative experiments were revealed at The Audiencer’s Festival in the UK last month. Some of the more interesting concepts included reserving commenting at the end of articles for paid subscribers only, and how the best designed newspaper in the world has slowly transitioned to a modern publishing model.