Many people now realize that the closure of small-town newspapers has created a vast news desert covering virtually all of rural America. And that this has had dire consequences, in the form of conspiracy theories, lies and misinformation.
While it may be a stretch to claim this has led directly to the rise of MAGA, the lack of vibrant small-town journalism certainly has been a contributing factor.
Among the various efforts to do something about this problem, many take a national, non-profit, top-down approach, whereas the Local NEWS Network, based in Durango, CO, takes a local, for-profit, bottom-up approach. Through its digital network, LNN delivers local news and local advertising to communities that otherwise would be part of the news desert.
This week, LNN’s Laurie Sigillito published an article on LinkedIn titled “Advertising in Small Towns: It’s About Trust, Not Clicks.”
In it, she says: “Attempts to introduce advertising-supported digital media in small towns and rural areas hit up against the reality that the metrics used to measure effectiveness nationally—impressions, CTRs and programmatic segmentation—are all optimized for dense urban markets.”
Meanwhile, she continues, “What actually works in small towns is visibility. You need to be seen by everyone, not just target segments. Neighbors talk to neighbors and word gets around town organically.”
Her article pinpoints the main business reason national efforts to succeed in small towns fail more often than succeed. “Our conclusion is that national ad tools don’t work in small towns. The goal here is not more data, it’s more connection. Rural advertising should feel more like a handshake than a sales funnel—personal, human, and built to last.”
I’ve thought about the news desert problem a lot and have concluded that to re-establish media in localized settings, we need to address the business plan first, then get to the question of content,
LNN does that.
Read the entire article here.
HEADLINES:
A ‘terrible spiral of escalation’: World braces for intensifying Iran-Israel conflict (CNBC)
The Trojan Horse Will Come for Us Too — The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East offer Americans a glimpse into the battles of the future—and a warning. (Atlantic)
Trump to decide on US action in Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks (BBC)
Iranian missile with cluster warhead scatters bombs in central Israel, IDF says (Times of Israel)
White House says Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in 'a couple of weeks' (ABC)
The MAGA base is in uproar as Trump mulls Iran action (Reuters)
U.S. bases around Iran could facilitate an attack — and become targets (WP)
Were the No Kings protests the largest single-day demonstration in American history? (Guardian)
Social Security’s Finances Erode Further, Risking Benefit Cuts (NYT)
US resumes visas for foreign students but demands social media access (AP)
Judge Rules NIH Grant Terminations Illegal, Orders Immediate Reinstatement (Harvard Crimson)
Senator Padilla: This Is How an Administration Acts When It’s Afraid (NYT)
Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says (Guardian)
The Entire Internet Is Reverting to Beta (Atlantic)
Google’s Gemini panicked when playing Pokémon (TechCrunch)
The Little-Known Startup That Has Surged Past Scale AI—Without Any Investors (The Information)
Popular services keep adding AI. Some customers want them to stop. (WP)
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