New Mexico Local News Accelerator to Help 17 Publishers Focus on Business Goals
The fourth year of the grant program gives newsrooms the chance to improve revenues, technology
Local news publishers in New Mexico have been through it all in the past few years. They had to cope with a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and now they are dealing with the start of what feels like a recession or slow-down in business. Plus, print publications have seen printing costs skyrocket, tripling over just the past year, according to one publisher.
But we’ve also seen publishers getting creative and being resilient in the face of these challenges. Our last cohort of the New Mexico Local News Accelerator, which was our largest with 21 newsrooms, found success with a return to in-person events, building fundraising infrastructure and upgrading technology infrastructure.
So we at the New Mexico Local News Fund are excited to find out where this year’s class of Accelerator newsrooms will take their businesses. We have scaled back the program with 17 newsrooms participating this year, eliminating the breakout groups we ran last year, and focusing more strongly on one revenue idea each publisher has. They each receive a $6,000 grant, but must use those funds directly on the business idea.
We are still running monthly cohort meetings on relevant topics such as email newsletters, attracting and retaining talent, and audience development. Plus, I will be having monthly check-ins with each publisher to make sure they are on track for goals and milestones during the six-month program.
Also, we had our second annual Demo Day for publishers, with presentations on low- and no-cost news technology including News Revenue Engine, Indiegraf, Broadstreet Ads, Ghost and WordPress. And technology consultant Stephen Jefferson will again be offering one-on-one Office Hours for publishers’ technology needs.
Goals for the Cohort
Here’s a look at some of the initial goals for publishers in our cohort this year. It’s a wonderfully diverse group of publishers, including print, radio and online, and located across the state from Gallup to Questa, Las Cruces to Carlsbad.
Abiquiu News (website and email newsletter for Abiquiu) will increase subscriptions, and expand coverage to neighboring towns.
Ctrl-P Publishing (owner of the Sandoval Signpost and Corrales Comment newspapers, which are participating in this Accelerator) aims to increase print subscriptions and donations to the papers through a digital ad campaign.
Gallup Sun (weekly newspaper) will upgrade its website content management system, choose an email newsletter provider and launch a new email newsletter with the potential for advertising.
Green Fire Times (monthly print magazine on sustainability) will hire someone to help sell print and online advertising, as well as someone to help secure grants.
KCCC Radio (country radio station in Carlsbad) will launch a new live morning show, upgrade its technology and website, and increase advertising.
KSFR Radio (public radio in Santa Fe) will increase the size of its email list, produce remote broadcasts from events while securing more sponsorships.
KTAL Radio (community radio in Las Cruces) will upgrade its audio, website and newsletter to drive more traffic and potential sponsorships.
Las Cruces Bulletin (weekly newspaper serving Mesilla Valley) will launch a new magazine called Locals that will feature local businesses, helping to boost advertising revenues.
New Mexico in Depth (online nonprofit) will hire someone to help raise money from major donors.
New Mexico Political Report (online nonprofit) will revamp its website with new technology and design to help capture more donors and email subscribers.
Questa Del Rio News (monthly newspaper in Questa) will boost its advertising revenues by offering to double the print size or length of campaigns using the grant money from the Local News Fund.
Santa Fe New Mexican (daily newspaper) will launch a new podcast related to its opinion page, expand sponsored content to video, and launch a new volunteer portal for Santa Feans.
Santa Fe Reporter (alt-weekly newspaper) will launch a new podcast on the environment and sell it to a sponsor
Searchlight New Mexico (online nonprofit) will sell new business sponsorship packages including newsletter ad slots.
Source NM (online nonprofit) will hire a grants writer to increase support from foundations, while launching a new editorial cartoon.
Southwest Contemporary (biannual magazine and website on arts) will hire a sales assistant to help with ad trafficking and launch a new membership tier for artists.
Taos News (weekly newspaper in Taos) will hire someone to help launch a branded content service for local businesses.
It’s an impressive list of goals and milestones, and we look forward to supporting them in reaching those goals this year. We know it’s been a challenging time for local news publishers, but we hope they continue to stabilize revenues and grow to become sustainable for years to come, serving their communities with vital news and information.
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.
