Columbia Journalism School features CCLP case study

Describing it as “a powerful new case on the business of media,” the Columbia Journalism School announced that it will feature CCLP’s research work on the Long Beach Post as a new case study for use in its prestigious Knight Case Studies Initiative. The case study, The Jury is Out: The Long Beach Post and Online Local News, is authored by CCLP Executive-in-Residence Jeffrey S. Klein and Research Associate María J. Vázquez. The report is available for journalism educators and students throughout the country and will be used as a teaching resource on the future of online community news websites…….

15 Ways to Generate Revenue for a Community News Web Site

My co-author María J. Vázquez and I recently finished writing a case study on a hyperlocal community news site in Long Beach California, the Long Beach Post. As with so many of these entrepreneurial sites, the founders were doing a great job of journalism and technology. The challenge was on the business and sales side. How do you effectively generate revenues to sustain the enterprise? Here are 15 suggestions to consider if you are building a community news web business, or any web content business for that matter. 1. Webinar. Find a topic of interest to an audience and a……

CCLP researchers examine viability of online community news sites; Report profiles challenges facing Long Beach Post

As local print, radio and television news divisions struggle to stay afloat, online community news sites are increasingly filling the gaps left by traditional news outlets. But, do these hyper-local, online startups offer a sustainable business model different from their traditional counterparts? The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) seeks to answer that question with the publication of a new case study on the challenges facing the Long Beach Post, an online news website launched in 2006. The report, "Online Community News: A Case Study in Long Beach, California — What It Takes to Survive and Thrive"……

Journalism entrepreneurship on the hyperlocal level – a case study in community news

“There is a profound crisis taking place in American journalism.” That is the introductory line to the case study being published today by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. My coauthor, María Vázquez, and I hope that this case, which focuses on the real life trials and tribulations of a four year old community news web site in a suburb of Los Angeles, will add to the admittedly parse academic literature on what some people call “hyper-local news”. Existing news magazines and newspapers face serious threats to their continued profitability and viability. The future outlook for local……