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

» Steal this event idea

» How to adapt in an age of AI

» Alden ups bid for Dallas Morning News

» INN Days 2025 recap

» CherryRoad launching hyperlocal AI search

» Gen Z is tuning out local news

🧤 Steal this event idea

The Current (a local news nonprofit in Lafayette, Louisiana) has developed two yearly events: an awards show recognizing “ordinary folks” who make the community special, and a “Big Towns” summit for leaders in mid sized cities, that have boosted its brand, revenue, and partnerships. Now its founder is encouraging other local publishers to copy their ideas rather than reinvent the wheel.

📉 How to adapt in an age of AI

AI is shifting how people get news by enabling platforms to summarize and present information directly. According to E&P, publishers must double down on credibility, transparency, and consistency to stay trusted. To adapt, publishers should build direct relationships with audiences and lean into high quality content.

📰 Alden ups bid for Dallas Morning News

Alden Global upped its takeover offer for Dallas Morning News publisher DallasNews to $20 per share, beating Hearst’s $16.50 per share bid and valuing the company at about $95 million. Despite Alden’s controversial reputation, it promises to preserve the print edition and editorial independence, and the stronger offer may force DallasNews’s board to reengage. DallasNews’s controlling shareholders have previously committed to not sell to Alden.

💡 INN Days 2025 recap

Nearly 500 nonprofit journalists and news leaders gathered in Minneapolis this summer for INN Days 2025, facing a moment of tension as many organizations navigate financial uncertainty and the pressure to sustain quality and impact. The event highlighted themes of collaboration, innovation, and reimagining business and editorial models, plus a sense that nonprofit news must both double down on trust and explore new ways of funding in order to survive and thrive.

🤖 CherryRoad launching hyperlocal AI search

CherryRoad Media is launching hyper local AI search tools across its 90+ newspapers, helping readers quickly find community specific info like school board updates or local business news. The move boosts engagement and ad revenue while keeping editorial control. The tools are powered by AI platform Gist.

🙅‍♂️ Gen Z is tuning out local news

According to Medill, Gen Z (ages 18-29) is much less likely than older adults to follow local news daily (about 32% vs ~61% for those 60+), with younger people gravitating toward smartphones, content creators, and social media rather than traditional sources like print newspapers or local TV.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS

Pulitzers and playbooks for local news

This week on Small Press, Big Ideas I was joined by Ken Doctor, Founder and CEO of Pulitzer Prize winning news organization Lookout Local.

Ken’s roots in local journalism go back to his time at the University of Oregon and then 2+ decades with Knight Ridder Newspapers where he worked on early internet solutions.

Ken founded Lookout Local in 2019 out of a desire to combat the negative impact of hedge fund journalism on community dailies, particularly after observing the decline of local news in Santa Cruz.

In our conversation Ken tells that story, along with his thoughts on the three fundamental components to a local media startup (models, capital, and people), Lookout’s ambitious growth plans, collaborations, educational initiatives, and a whole lot more.

Listen today on your podcast app of choice!

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⏩ The Banner launches in Montgomery County

⏩ How Policy Change and Organizing Can Address the Local-News Crisis

⏩ A pivotal moment for free and independent journalism in Pa.

⏩ Why the staff at ‘The Paper’ needs some Poynter Magic

⏩ The case for local journalism

⏩ Alaska fund raises $3.5M for public media as federal cuts begin

⏩ Philanthropy, Journalism and a Rural Nonprofit Newsroom

⏩ Alexandria Times Converts to Nonprofit Amid Local Journalism Struggles

⏩ Signal Ohio’s Newsrooms Are Unionizing

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