Funferal

Online local news the hot new outlet

OJR’s Mark Glaser has a new column about how online local news sites are enjoying growing success. I was reminded in reading the piece of Columbia Journalism Review pieces from the late 60s and early 70s about the new wave of local papers. However, where the papers then were often motivated first by political concerns, the interviewees in Glaser’s piece seem to approach the issue first as business people, and second as local activists (though they do have examples of influence on local issues). This may, of course, be due to the approach of Glaser in structuring his piece.
It should also be remembered, of course, that poor financing and structure were among the main shortcomings identified in the Underground/Alternative press of the 60s. Consider, then, this quote from the Glaser piece:

Steve Yelvington, vice president of strategy and content for Morris Digital Works, sees an opportunity for local news sites. “I think there’s a real potential for well-funded online-only community sites,” he said via e-mail, “particularly if they can identify an underserved market and focus on proven Internet revenue drivers, such as classified advertising. But I have to emphasize well-funded. The Internet radically reduces capital requirements for getting into the media business, but nobody should underestimate the difficulty of building a brand without an existing media partner to provide free help, or the difficulty of covering a community effectively.”