Homegrown Headlines

In an industry dominated by big name publishers, much of today's media is focused around the happenings in big cities. Locations such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago receive much more national and regional coverage than smaller communities. And that is not necessarily a bad thing: it makes sense that metropolitan cities would be covered more as they have larger markets and populations. But what about the smaller communities? How do the smaller cities, towns, boroughs and neighborhoods receive media coverage, outside of local newspapers? That's where hyperlocal publications come in.Hyperlocal publications are online or print publications that are dedicated to the culture, news and events of a specific community. Dan Kennedy, assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University and media commentator for Huffington Post and Nieman Journalism Lab, describes The Batavian and the New Haven Independent, two sites that he has followed, as hyperlocal because they focus virtually all of their coverage and content on a carefully targeted area."The Independent covers a medium-size city of 120,000, which is pretty big for 'hyperlocal,'" Kennedy says. "But if news takes place over the border in, say, Hamden, the Independent isn't going to cover it unless there's some clear New Haven connection. So that's part of what goes into being hyperlocal."Likewise, The Batavian covers Genesee County in western New York, which has 60,000 residents," he continues. "Its competition, The Daily News of Batavia, covers three counties. But also, as in the case of New Haven, The Batavian won't cover anything outside of Genesee County whereas The Daily News includes non-local material from wire services." That consistent community devotion is something that wide-range publications cannot offer.Tracy Ryder is the president, CEO and co-founder of Edible Communities, the nation's largest periodical publisher dedicated to local food movements. With 81 titles across North America, Edible Communities prides itself on its ability to devote all of its editorial pages to local communities. "The reach each of them has into the food artisans, farmers, and all other linchpins of the local foods movement is pretty incredible," Ryder says. "That is the number one best aspect of hyperlocal publishing."The incentive to connect consumers with producers within their communities, as well as wielding a small army of publishers that all support one another and freely share information and experiences are some of the things that make Edible Communities so successful. Ryder has found that "the most successful Edible magazines are those [that have publishers who] really know their own community well or are eager to learn it, and they are comfortable being the face of the magazine at events and other public opportunities."Fig magazine operates through community devotion, in much the same manner as Edible Communities. Fig is a "hyperlocal and super social" publication that focuses its coverage on small businesses in small communities. By targeting a smart, urban demographic, Fig aims to create interest in small businesses in all of the communities it covers. "Our mission is 'We Are the Champions of Small Business,'" says Fig owner and creative designer Deborah Brandt. "Fig is an effort to really rev up small businesses and give them a powerful voice."Brandt was born and raised in Lancaster, PA, one of the communities that Fig covers, as well as the headquarters of her design firm Moxie House, which works in collaboration with Fig. Though she started her career in New York City in the luxury goods industry, she eventually made it back to her hometown with a desire to represent the community.Fig currently publishes in four locations in Pennsylvania - Doylestown, Lancaster, Media and Westchester - and is fully intent on expanding. "Really the most challenging and rewarding part [of hyperlocal publications] is capturing the local flavor," Brandt says. "Our publications speak to locals as well as tourists who are visiting, so it needs to speak the voice [of the community]. We have managing editors in each area that determine editorial content, and we have local writers and local bloggers and local photographers who are great at capturing that local flavor."Patch.com, an online hyperlocal information platform with over 1,000 journalists working from hundreds of locations across the country, takes a similar approach in its coverage of communities. The difference is that Patch.com does it on a much larger scale.With a "feet on the street" presence in each community, Patch.com offers unparalleled insight. Despite its wide presence throughout the country, Patch.com offers excellent coverage for each of its many locations. "Each of our local editors is a 'walking newsroom,'" says chief content officer Rachel Feddersen. "Local editors are responsible for creating and curating their sites, with guidance and support from their regional editors and editorial directors."Patch.com developed from the idea of having a digital town square that people could count on for information concerning their respective communities. With that model, it has been able to successfully deliver local news to communities across the country. "Traditional media has struggled with diminishing audience and revenue, causing many to neglect the neighborhood level and leaving an enormous void for residents in towns," says Feddersen. "Patch launched in 2009 to fill that void and help build strong, thriving communities."Unlike Patch.com, however, a number of hyperlocal websites and publications, such as OhSoWe.com and Everyblock.com, have not been successful. Kennedy attributes the lack of success, in part, to the difficulty in launching a successful hyperlocal publication in today's industry, particularly online. "With nonprofits, not every community has people and foundations willing to donate to a nonprofit news organization," Kennedy says. "With for-profit, the advertising model for news continues to deteriorate, and online advertising simply doesn't bring in as much money as print advertising."Despite the challenges, Kennedy believes that there is a reasonably bright future for hyperlocal publications as a result of an emergence in niche audiences. He sees the old model of large regional newspapers, however, as being very much in danger. "There is absolutely no demand in the digital space for one site that includes such disparate elements as international and local news, crossword puzzles and sports, comics and obituaries." It will be interesting to see how hyperlocal publications evolve to fill the gap.

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Homegrown Headlines

Geoffrey Knight

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Geoffrey Knight