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

» NYT to partner with smaller publishers?

» Pilot program connects academia with local news publishers

» UC Berkeley backs out of Google/ California deal

» Poynter announces new hires focused on strengthening local news

» Gannett to shutter Detroit printing facility, layoff staff

🗽 NYT to partner with smaller publishers?

Axios has reported that The New York Times is exploring bundled subscription partnerships with smaller publishers to expand its US subscriber base. According to a digital news publisher who was pitched, the deal would have offered its subscribers access to NYT’s subscription game content. The Times has been employing this strategy internationally since last year.

🎓 Pilot program connects academia with local news publishers

Nonprofit newsroom The Conversation, which is known for bridging the gap between academia and the public, is now trying to help do the same thing at a local level. The Conversation Local, launched about a year ago, has been connecting professors and researchers at local universities to local issues and distributing their work for free to local news outlets.

Read more from Nieman Lab.

💸 UC Berkeley backs out of Google/ California deal

The University of California, Berkeley will not host the $125 million partnership between state officials and Google, citing concerns about how funding would be administered. The move to pull out has left California officials scrambling to find a new host for the deal.

🙌 Poynter announces new hires focused on strengthening local news

Poynter has hired two new faculty members who will focus on sustainability for local news publishers. Kate Cox will lead trainings for “management, craft and helping local news leaders transform their newsrooms”. Megan Griffith-Greene comes will come aboard to educate local news funders on journalism ethics.

🔒 Gannett to shutter Detroit printing facility, layoff staff

Gannett has announced that it will be closing its Sterling Heights, Michigan plant that prints The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, and 30 other newspapers in August. The closure will result in the loss of 115 jobs, with printing operations moving to other plants in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee or Illinois.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

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Why Colorado is a Hotbed for Local Journalism

This week on the podcast I interviewed Tim Regan-Porter, CEO of the Colorado Press Association and host of the Local News Matters podcast.

Tim and I discussed his career with stints in tech, publishing, and journalism education, eventually landing him at the helm of the CPA where he champions innovation and collaboration in Colorado’s local news ecosystem. This is of special interest to me as a Colorado native who has unexpectedly found himself at the center of the local media industry and is pleasantly surprised to see my home state emerge as a beacon of innovation.

Tim says that the roots of this ecosystem go back to the closure of The Rocky Mountain News in 2009, the “Denver Post Rebellion” against owner hedge fund owner Alden Global Capital, and the innovative formation of The Colorado Sun shortly after.

These events, along with a strong spirit of collaboration in the state cauterized by efforts such as COLab and the Colorado Media Project have made The Centennial State a unique hotspot for local news in the US.

In addition to Colorado-centric topics, Tim and I also discussed innovative revenue models for newsrooms, the role that press associations play in the industry, and even some more controversial topics like the potential of government support for local news outlets.

Have a listen to the full interview wherever podcasts are found (see links above), or have a listen and read my full summary of the episode on my website.

Local Stories

⏩ INN to provide grants to local newsrooms reporting on California wildfires

⏩ New Journalism Fellowship Investing in Local News Open for Submissions

⏩ Connecticut Public Gets Grant To Expand Reporting Between Connecticut, Puerto Rico

⏩ TAPinto South Plainfield Named Borough’s Official Online News Source for 9th Consecutive Year

⏩ Ford County Chronicle fights for tax credit meant to save local journalism