Recognizing success in pioneering newsrooms, advertising growth and community engagement By Nu Yang and Jesus A. Ruiz
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his year’s list of 10 Newspapers That Do It Right once again recognizes some of the biggest and brightest ideas taking place in our industry right now. These ideas range from successful digital innovations, strategies that helped cut costs, and revenue ideas that increased the bottom line. Despite any setbacks and challenges that come at them, these 10 newspapers and the ones listed in our honorable mentions are hopeful for a brighter and stronger future. We hope these ideas will also push your newsroom to growth and prosperity.
} Alexander City Outlook editor Mitch Sheed (left) talks with digital account representative Scott Hardy during an edition of TPI Talks. The sponsored talk show appears on a regular basis and features conversations with local newsmakers.
Alexander City Outlook Alexander City, Ala.
} Sneed (center) leads a daily budget meeting where web presence and traffic is part of the discussion. Sports editor Lizi Arbogast (left), reporter Donald Campbell and design editor Santana Wood all lay out plans for the day’s coverage. Last year owner Kenneth Boone installed flat screens to help track web traffic, what is posted on the paper’s websites and social media platforms.
Circulation: 3,000 daily (Tuesday-Saturday) Like the majority of small newspapers around the country, the Alexander City Outlook has struggled with digital, but the paper recently decided to move away from the “sky is falling” mentality and fully embrace the mission to become a total media company. Editor Mitch Sneed said although they were already experimenting with video and social media, it wasn’t until publisher Steve Baker joined in 2016 that their approach became more aggressive. Pages were added to the paper to utilize photos and visual content, and the five-person editorial team now produces about 12 stories per week. Digitally, live video on the paper’s website and social media pages brought breaking news to users immediately. City council meetings, parades and post-game interviews are broadcast live. editorandpublisher.com
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Sponsors are secured for many of the paper’s regular video features like the sports talk show “Inside the Lines” and newsmaker interview piece “TPI Talk.” Live weather reports and interviews from news feature stories are also captured in both video and still images. The videos often draw tens of thousands of viewers and serve as teasers to the next print publication, according to Sneed. A digital sales specialist was also hired. Web ads, commercials and sponsored content resulted in a jump in digital ad revenue. In the final six months of 2017, the Outlook went from taking in no money on video advertising to averaging nearly $3,000 per month. Overall, digital advertising revenue climbed from $56,000 to $104,000—an 83.9 percent increase from 2016 to 2017. On the paper’s website, the total number of sessions jumped to MARCH 2018 | E & P
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