America's community newspapers have entered an age of disruption.
Towns and cities continue to need the journalism and advertising so
essential to nurturing local identity and connection among
citizens. But as the business of newspaper publishing collides with
the digital revolution, and as technology redefines consumer habits
and the very notion of community, how can newspapers survive and
thrive? In
Saving Community Journalism, veteran media
executive Penelope Muse Abernathy draws on cutting-edge research
and analysis to reveal pathways to transformation and long-term
profitability. Offering practical guidance for editors and
publishers, Abernathy shows how newspapers can build community
online and identify new opportunities to generate revenue.
Examining experiences at a wide variety of community papers--from a
7,000-circulation weekly in West Virginia to a 50,000-circulation
daily in California and a 150,000-circulation Spanish-language
weekly in the heart of Chicago--
Saving Community Journalism
is designed to help journalists and media-industry managers create
and implement new strategies that will allow them to prosper in the
twenty-first century. Abernathy's findings will interest everyone
with a stake in the health and survival of local media.