🎮 Running a newspaper is hard - even in a video game

Plus: What it takes to run a major local newsroom in 2026, Reviving a beloved alt weekly, + Rebuilding hyperlocal news in the capital of the world

Author

Paul Gewuerz
February 19, 2026

Your weekly briefing of stories from around the local news space about business, policy, trends, and more

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

» Running a newspaper is hard - even in a video game

» Local media bets on cross-platform ads as subscriptions stall

» Senate hearing shows divide over broadcaster ownership rules

🎧 Small Press, Big Ideas Podcast:

🗞 What it takes to run a major local newsroom in 2026

🔥 Reviving a beloved alt weekly

🗽 Rebuilding hyperlocal news in the capital of the world

🎮 Running a newspaper is hard - even in a video game

Running a local newspaper, whether in reality or as the news tower in the video game News Tower, is portrayed as a gritty, complex challenge with razor thin margins, relentless demand and constant pressure to engage audiences and keep operations afloat. Nieman Lab uses the gaming metaphor to highlight how newsroom leaders juggle digital transformation, financial constraints and community expectations in an evolving media landscape.

📉 Local media bets on cross-platform ads as subscriptions stall

A new survey from the Local Media Consortium shows U.S. local media outlets are shifting focus in 2026 from subscription growth, which has stalled, to boosting cross platform advertising revenue and strengthening first-party data strategies. Publishers say they’re investing in digital ad products, collaboration with partners, and tech tools to better monetize audiences

📺 Senate hearing shows divide over broadcaster ownership rules

A recent Senate hearing spotlighted sharp disagreements over whether long-standing FCC broadcast ownership limits, like the rule capping a single broadcaster at 39% national reach, should be kept, updated, or scrapped amid concerns about competition and the future of local news. Broadcasters argued the old rules hobble them in a digital world dominated by tech giants and threaten local news viability, while critics warned that loosening caps could reduce independent voices and harm competition.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

🗞 What it takes to run a major local newsroom in 2026

First up on the podcast this week I spoke with Mark Russell, Executive Editor of the Commercial Appeal and South Regional Editor for the USA Today Network, to talk about the realities, and future, of local journalism in the American South.

With more than four decades in newsrooms across the country, Mark brings a grounded, practical perspective on how legacy publications are adapting to digital change while continuing to serve their communities.

🔥 Reviving a beloved alt weekly

Next I spoke with Jason Joyce, publisher of Isthmus, a nonprofit, independent news source based in Madison, Wisconsin. With a career deeply rooted in local media, Jason shares his unique perspective on the evolution of alt weeklies, the revival of Isthmus post-COVID, and how the paper is thriving through nonprofit reinvention.

🗽 Rebuilding hyperlocal news in the capital of the world

Finally I had on Vernon Jones, the founder and CEO of NYC Newswire, NYC News Network, and JIG Media, and he's exploring a bold new model for hyperlocal journalism in New York City.

Vernon shares how his journey from running a 35 employee commercial cleaning company led him into domain investing, and ultimately into building a scalable, tech enabled network of niche media properties focused entirely on New York City.

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