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

» Nonprofits shouldn’t fear selling ads

» Stagnant growth cities outperforming growing cities in local news

» $30 million to bring the AP to more local newsrooms

» More Americans prefer watching news vs reading or listening

» Vertical video here to stay

📰 Nonprofits shouldn’t fear selling ads

According to this piece, nonprofit news outlets often fear that selling ads could jeopardize their tax exempt status, but real data shows that’s rarely happened. According to the author’s research, most nonprofit news publishers can navigate the rules safely, using deductions and careful structuring to keep their status intact while earning ad revenue.

📈 Stagnant growth cities outperforming growing cities in local news

Nieman Lab’s monthly ranking of the top 25 local newspaper websites in the US shows that Rust Belt papers are pulling far more online traffic than many in faster growing Sun Belt regions even though those Rust Belt cities have shrinking populations. The story suggests that deep local roots, older populations, and stronger community ties may drive more engagement with local news in these cities.

💰 $30 million to bring the AP to more local newsrooms

The AP Fund for Journalism (APFJ) just secured more than $30 million from a coalition of funders led by Knight Foundation to bring Associated Press content into local and state level newsrooms across the US. The expanded effort aims to support 100 additional local newsrooms by 2026 and 300 by 2028, giving community outlets access to AP produced stories that they couldn’t previously afford.

📺 More Americans prefer watching news vs reading or listening

New research shows that more Americans say they prefer getting their news by watching it rather than reading or listening. Specifically, 44 % of U.S. adults say watching news is their top preference, compared with 37 % for reading and 19 % for listening. Of those who prefer watching news, a majority (62 %) say they get it from TV, while 34 % turn to digital devices.

📲 Vertical video here to stay

News publishers are increasingly building vertical video “watch” tabs into their own apps, not to mimic social media, but to meet readers where they are. Some publishers argue that this isn’t a repeat of the “pivot to video” mistakes of the 2010s, instead it’s a more carefully curated, branded way to deliver news to smartphone first audiences.

Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

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Inside the hyperlocal revolution at TAPinto

This week on the podcast I was joined once again by my friend Mike Shapiro, founder and CEO of TAPinto and Hyperlocal News Network.

Mike and his team have been really busy. Since the last time we spoke, they have rolled out a number of new features for both companies including real estate open house posts, a local deals and offers platform, a paid op-ed platform for local politics & advocacy, legal notices, and more.

Have a listen to our talk to hear about the projects that TAPinto & Hyperlocal have rolled out, the new ones in the works, how Mike prioritizes development as a non-technical founder, and some insights into TAPinto and the cool company culture that they’ve cultivated over the past 17 years.

If you’d like to hear the full story of TAPinto, you can listen to episode one of the podcast.

Listen today on your podcast app of choice!

More Stories

⏩ Small town forms ‘journalism trust’ to solicit donations, keep its local newspaper going

⏩ From the Glory Days of Local Journalism to a ‘News Desert’

⏩ Studies on AI transcription and translation in journalism reveal “low-resource” language gap, new report finds

⏩ Local journalists look for a way forward as newsrooms shrink or disappear

⏩ What newsroom organizers learned from the years-long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

⏩ At five, City Cast makes some changes — and reconsiders its markets

⏩ What Nexstar’s attempt to change FCC rules could mean for your local news

⏩ Playing to win: Finding growth in all the right places

⏩ When the Pink-Slime Researchers Become the Pink Slime

⏩ Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association celebrates 100 years of supporting Pennsylvania journalism