📰 Should local news steer clear of the word “democracy”?

Plus: Reimagining Local Media at Scale

Author

Paul Gewuerz
October 09, 2025

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:

» Should local news steer clear of the word “democracy”?

» How low power radio is serving communities

» Real estate + grants to create a co-working local media hub

» AI for subscriber growth

» Rethinking delivery methods for local news viewers

🎧 Small Press, Big Ideas Podcast: Reimagining Local Media at Scale

📰 Should local news steer clear of the word “democracy”?

Research of over 3,000 U.S. adults finds that while many believe local news supports democracy, the word “democracy” triggers negative emotional reactions, so messaging should focus on practical community value instead. It also shows that terms like “local news and information” perform better than “journalism” or “media,” and that appeals shouldn’t start from scarcity or crisis but from the tangible benefits local reporting brings.

đź“» How low power radio is serving communities

CJR explores how low power community radio stations are stepping up as vital, hyperlocal platforms run by passionate volunteers. Often overlooked and underfunded, these grassroots broadcasters thrive on community support and creativity, offering an alternative to mainstream, syndicated public radio.

🏢 Real estate + grants to create a co-working local media hub

This article from Poynter describes how the Pittsburgh Downtown Media Hub, funded by the Benter Foundation, combines real estate support and grants (about $251,445 across three grants since 2022) to co‑locate several hyperlocal newsrooms under one roof, helping reduce overhead and foster collaboration.

🤖 AI for subscriber growth

There’s a lot of talk about how or even if publishers should be utilizing AI these days. Editor & Publisher argues that publishers should lean into AI not just as a novelty, but as a strategic tool to drive subscriber growth by improving personalization, engagement, and user experience. It suggests shifting from transactional paywalls toward deeper, AI‑enabled relationships with readers to sustain long term loyalty and revenue.

đź“ş Rethinking delivery methods for local news viewers

Younger viewers aren’t ignoring local news, they’re rejecting traditional delivery methods. This piece suggests that broadcasters should maintain their legacy pipeline and build parallel, platform-native content streams (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram, etc.) designed for digital first audiences.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

Reimagining Local Media at Scale

I’ve been a fan of this week’s guest on Small Press, Big Ideas for a while now. Ryan Heafy is the Co-Founder and COO of 6AM City, one of the fastest growing local media companies in the US.

Ryan is a mechanical engineer who brought his Six Sigma Black Belt skillset to local media to reimagine how local news and information is delivered in dozens (and now hundreds) of cities in the US.

In our conversation, Ryan talks about 6AM’s core newsletter product, how they’re implementing AI into workflows, their recent acquisition of an AI company who’s newsletters have grown the company’s footprint to more than 400 markets, the company’s unique editorial philosophy of no crime or politics, and a lot more.

Listen today in your podcast app of choice, or you can watch the full conversation on YouTube.

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