By: Danya Henninger
From critical updates to stories of solidarity, local reporting is being more widely read than ever. Yet funding for that work has been mowed down by the ensuing economic fallout. Forced penny-pinching by companies large and small means advertising has all but dried up. And event sponsorships? Yeah, not happening anytime soon.
As budgets sink into a quicksand of pandemic red, news organizations across the U.S. have been laying off staff, or even shutting down entirely. So the financial lifeline Facebook just threw the industry is extra welcome. Even better: it’s not meant to be a bailout. It’s a bet on local readers — aka, you.
As part of an emergency grant funding program, administered nationwide by the Philly-based nonprofit Lenfest Institute, the social media giant last week awarded $16 million to more than 200 North American media companies.
Of that, nearly $465,000 went to seven outlets right here in Philadelphia. The local grantees include:
All but one of local grantees are members of Broke in Philly, the reporting collaborative on economic mobility run by Resolve Philly. “The Notebook is one of the many newsrooms that belong to the reporting collaborative organized by Resolve, and we develop projects together,” said Notebook Executive Director Lauren Wiley. “This type of teamwork leads to excellent journalism and stronger newsrooms. This grant, and other community support we have received recently, will fund our reporting.”
The cash infusion is useful not just to strengthen current work, publishers say, but to get information to new audiences. “Billy Penn’s and WHYY’s record-breaking traffic shows the public wants and needs vital information more than ever,” said Sandra Clark, WHYY vice president for news and civic dialogue. “This support allows us to better reach those in underserved communities not necessarily represented in those numbers.”
Beyond a sorely needed band-aid, the Facebook grants are designed to help Philly news outlets become self-sustaining into the future. With the cushion they provide, the thinking goes, organizations can worry less about running out of cash as the viral economic crisis deepens. Instead, they can concentrate on building out models that tap into direct audience support.
Can local publications make it work? This funding helps advance plans to try.
“As a participant in Facebook’s Local News Accelerator,” said Lisa Hughes, publisher and CEO of the Inquirer, “we will use the money to support and speed up our transition to a digital-first news organization, including helping to grow our digital subscriptions.”
The Inquirer recently gave itself five years to transition away from ads and rebuild its bottom line atop a base of reader support. Others are following suit.
A paywall is now up at the Philadelphia Tribune, the nation’s longest-running Black newspaper, which also participated in the Facebook Accelerator program (as did Billy Penn). As of September 2019, you need to hand over a few bucks to read more than 10 online articles.
Even Philadelphia magazine is exploring the paywall route.
While implementation may be accelerated by COVID, which is bringing Philly Mag its first-ever outside CEO, second-generation owner David Lipson told Billy Penn it’s been in the works for about a year.
“We will use these funds to help us to continue to build our membership program,” said WURD President and CEO Sara Lomax-Reese, “so we can better serve our listeners while finding new ways to create pathways to greater business sustainability.”
As regular readers know, Billy Penn is also working to strengthen our membership program, which we view a way to connect with our audience — one of journalism’s central roles.
Efforts spurred by BP’s grant will include growing our 18,000-person daily email, launching a members-only newsletter, and maintaining the bump in donations that generous readers have provided in response to coronavirus coverage.
For all the lamentation over online advertising, of which a reported 65% or more goes to Facebook and Google, lots of publishers agree it’s not what the news industry should focus on right now.
Friedlich, of the Lenfest Institute, said these relief grants fall in line with the kind of thing one Philadelphia visionary had in mind. “Several years ago, I spoke with the late Gerry Lenfest about what was then the predominant news industry view that Facebook and Google were the enemy,” Friedlich recalled.
He well remembers the philanthropist’s response. “You want my advice?” Lenfest told Friedlich about the looming digital behemoths. “Go and make friends with them.”
Past journalism gigs include being a restaurant critic for the Courier-Post of Cherry Hilland NJ Monthly, a food columnist for Philly.com, a beer columnist for Philly Beer Scene, local editor of Zagat Philly and editor of Drink Philly and The Drink Nation.
Her work has been published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Vice Munchies, All About Beer, Craft Beer + Brewing and Edible Philly. She grew up in New York City, then wholeheartedly adopted Philly as her new hometown. In 1997, she founded a photo-video firm called Imagic Digital with her husband, Mark Henninger.
Satay Bistro, salah satu kuliner Indonesia yang berlokasi di 1240 Spring Garden, Philadelphia, Amerika, menyajikan…
Pada tanggal 10 April 2024, masyarakat muslim Indonesia yang tinggal di Philadelphia dan sekitarnya melaksanakan…
KOWANI adalah salah satu lembaga wanita terbesar di Indonesia. Dalam wawancara yang dilakukan di…
During this event, religious and city leaders gathered at Philadelphia's City Hall to participate in…
Di sana tempat lahir beta …