New Mexico Local News Accelerator Focuses on Small, Startup Newsrooms
The fifth year of the grant program includes 17 news organizations, including many that have launched in the past couple years
For the first four years of the Local News Accelerator program, run by the New Mexico Local News Fund, we focused on helping many legacy news publishers: newspapers, community radio and public media. And our state also has the good fortune to have four established statewide nonprofit newsrooms that have participated in the program: New Mexico in Depth, Searchlight New Mexico, New Mexico Political Report and Source New Mexico.
What’s striking about our new cohort of newsrooms in the Accelerator is how many startup newsrooms are participating, with seven out of 17 having launched in the past couple years. Plus, Ctrl+P Publishing is planning to use the Accelerator program to test a new edition of The Independent newspaper for the East Mountains communities.
If we are going to solve the stubborn problem of “news deserts” — communities without trusted sources of news — we will need to help legacy news outlets thrive, while also considering what kinds of startups can fill the gaps. Last year, the Local News Fund launched its first Local News Incubator program with four startups, and three of those are now part of the Accelerator: UpLift Chronicles in Albuquerque’s International District, Get Involved Zuni and Uplands-Uplifting News in Mora.
You might detect a theme: uplifting news is needed more than ever in under-resourced areas where most mainstream news outlets will only cover crime or wildfires. Plus, outside of our Incubator, there have been some other important startups in the state: The Ratonian in Raton, Mountainair Dispatch, Boomtown Los Alamos and the New Mexico Jewish Journal. In each case, communities were missing vital news and information, the glue that helps keep them together.
What’s most exciting this year is that the newbies in the Accelerator will join a class with more seasoned publishers who can share their business tips and best practices during our monthly cohort meetings on Zoom. We’ve already covered Understanding Your Audience, Audience Development & Growth, with Reader Revenues coming next month.
Each publisher has to focus on one business goal during the Accelerator, and I have monthly check-ins with them to make sure they are on track for their goals and milestones during the six-month program. We also had our third annual Demo Day for publishers, with presentations on low- and no-cost news technology including News Revenue Engine, Indiegraf, Broadstreet Ads, Ghost, WordPress and AP StoryShare. And technology consultant Stephen Jefferson will again be offering one-on-one consulting for publishers’ technology needs, along with “Infrastructure Check-Ups.”
Goals for the Cohort
Here’s a look at some of the initial goals for the publishers in our cohort this year.
Abiquiu News (news website) will increase email subscriptions, social media reach and sponsorships, while expanding coverage of communities.
Boomtown Los Alamos (startup email newsletter) will grow its free subscriptions as well as paid subscriptions while exploring new revenue streams.
Cloudcroft Reader (startup email newsletter) will soft-launch a membership and fundraising campaign in anticipation of participating in the Local News Fund’s Matching Campaign in December.
Ctrl-P Publishing (owner of The Independent newspaper) aims to launch a new edition of The Independent focused on East Mountain communities by hiring a new ad salesperson and increasing sales in the region.
Deming Headlight / Silver City Daily Press (community newspapers) will focus on expanding advertising to add digital advertising on its websites, with the addition of political advertising in the fall.
Get Involved Zuni (startup news website) will join LION Publishers and apply for grants and develop a sponsorship program.
Gila / Mimbres Community Radio (station in Silver City) will increase paid memberships and donations through social media and fliers around town.
KCCC Radio (country radio station in Carlsbad) will relaunch the “Let’s Trade Even” show where community members swap items, while upgrading its technology to Ghost and launching a new email newsletter.
Mountainair Dispatch (startup news website) will work with Broadstreet Ads to launch digital ads, while working on a print guide for newcomers to the area.
New Mexico in Depth (online nonprofit) hired a new development person to raise more philanthropic funding, while planning to produce an in-person event ahead of the fall election.
New Mexico Jewish Journal (startup statewide news website) will increase readership, email subscribers, paid subscribers and sponsorships, while building a strong social media following.
New Mexico Political Report (online nonprofit) will produce a series of “News & Brews” events (see flier above) around the state to build its email and donor list.
Roswell Daily Record (community newspaper) will hire writers to boost their special tabloid editions including one on UFOs during the UFO Festival this July.
Southwest Contemporary (magazine and website on arts) will launch a new membership tier for arts and cultural workers and artists, including access to a directory of projects and artists.
The Ratonian (startup news website in Raton) will boost advertising and donations through online and postcard campaigns.
Uplands-Uplifting News (startup news website in Mora) will produce a special heritage event in the fall, with a youth writing contest.
UpLift Chronicles (startup newspaper and website for International District in Albuquerque) recently launched its website on Ghost, and will develop a new advertising and sponsored content program.
It’s an ambitious list of goals for these publishers, especially the smaller ones that are just getting off the ground. But it’s also a time of hope and dreams for local news in New Mexico, as many foundations and policy makers are realizing the depth of the crisis and joining in to find solutions.
Mark Glaser is the Director of Business and Program Development for the New Mexico Local News Fund. He also supports communications at Knight Foundation, evaluations at Dot Connector Studio, and was the founder and executive editor of MediaShift.org.
