By gutting local advertising overnight, COVID-19 has accelerated strategies — like cutting print days, corporate consolidation, or even closing down offices — that publishers had hoped could wait a while longer.
Plus: Kids podcasts come to the rescue for harried parents, how football podcasts deal with no football, and a new weekly news podcast from Radio Ambulante.
The coronavirus pandemic is proving the value of local news to millions of readers, driving up subscriptions. But the advertising collapse is knee-buckling. “If it’s a couple of months, we’ll make it through. If it’s six months, all bets are off.”
The multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act should extend a lifeline to many small local publishers. But for bigger companies and chains, the help they’ll receive is still up in the air — “It’s very unformed.”
“Up till now, Slate has provided almost all of its written work for free. But going forward, we think the way we will truly thrive is by continuing to diversify our revenue — by asking readers like you to support us more directly.”
“We’re calling it the Splice Low-Res Festival, because it’s a quick and dirty idea and we all know video conferences can be pretty fuzzy…We’re doing this because it’s cheaper than therapy.”
Benton, Joshua. "After alt-weeklies, city magazines are next in line for coronavirus pain." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 26 Mar. 2020. Web. 16 Apr. 2024.
APA
Benton, J. (2020, Mar. 26). After alt-weeklies, city magazines are next in line for coronavirus pain. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/03/after-alt-weeklies-city-magazines-are-next-in-line-for-coronavirus-pain/
Chicago
Benton, Joshua. "After alt-weeklies, city magazines are next in line for coronavirus pain." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified March 26, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2024. https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/03/after-alt-weeklies-city-magazines-are-next-in-line-for-coronavirus-pain/.
Wikipedia
{{cite web
| url = https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/03/after-alt-weeklies-city-magazines-are-next-in-line-for-coronavirus-pain/
| title = After alt-weeklies, city magazines are next in line for coronavirus pain
| last = Benton
| first = Joshua
| work = [[Nieman Journalism Lab]]
| date = 26 March 2020
| accessdate = 16 April 2024
| ref = {{harvid|Benton|2020}}
}}
