Susan Leath is the director of the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Today the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media…
Author: Editor
An open letter from the Knight Chairs in Journalism
In recent weeks, the latest killings of African-Americans by law enforcement have not only anguished our country but locked its attention on police brutality directed at communities of color. As Americans have tried to come to terms with our history…
WATCH: Strategic Digital Media Entrepreneur
Revolutionary new technologies are compelling news organizations to recreate their business models or be left in history’s wake. New business models are beginning to emerge as leaders explore ways to tap into the potential unleashed by this interactive, always-on…
Digital technologies and the future of journalism
We are at the beginning of another revolutionary era in communication. Digital products like streaming videos and e-books seemed like remote possibilities in the 1990s, but consumer habits have shifted dramatically as technology advanced. While successful entrepreneurs can’t always predict…
Transforming a local news organization: Lessons in leadership
The United States has lost more than 2,100 newspapers over the past 15 years. The vast majority of those papers were weeklies serving small and mid-sized communities. In order to survive, publishers must lead the way in transforming both the…
A publisher’s story: We need to diversify
With newspaper print advertising at historic lows, publishers of local newspapers, regardless of size, have to move quickly and decisively to seek new sources of revenue and income to support their journalism. The Pilot, a twice-weekly paper in the Sandhills…
Case study: News Corp
News Corp is looking to its Australian markets and digital real estate to help drive growth. While the digital real estate division accounts for about 45% of News Corp’s total value, according to Forbes’ estimates, it only accounts for about 14%…
Case study: Sling TV
Sling TV has continued its momentum as a front-runner of the streaming TV pack. Even more customers are turning to online avenues to view programming. Of an estimated 5 million subscribers, nearly half chose the Dish Network service as their provider. But despite…
A review of Our Chatham
Our Chatham was born less than two years ago. UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Associate Professor Ryan Thornburg had an idea — and around June of 2018, he brought it to a Reese News Lab student, Alexis Allston,…
What history teaches us: How newspapers have evolved to meet market demands
Throughout history, newspapers have had to adapt to constantly changing business conditions. This excerpt is from an article published in the SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society, which will serve as a reference for undergraduate and graduate students.…