Media Philanthropy in Western Pennsylvania Access the Data mediaimpactfunders.org #MediaPioneers National phenomenon Tipping point: 2007-2009 • 100+ newspapers closed • Revenues down 1/3 to $37B • 12k journalists leave – or 17.5% (Ali & Radcliffe, 2017) Continued declines • 10% circulation decine 2016 • 35M subscribers vs 63M in ’73 • Ad revenue $18B vs $49B in ‘06 (Pew Research Center, 2017) • Founded 2011 Circulation: 181,058 11% Decline – 161,385 Print only – 42% decline, 104,274 Circulation: 179,695 45% Decline – 98,227 Print only – 60% decline, 72,674 Closed: McKeesport Daily News Mon Valley Independent Sold: Kittanning Leader Times, Connellsville Daily Courier, six weeklies Sources: Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette News Ecosystem Whirl WESA-FM WTAE Trib Total Media Pittsburgh City Paper WPXI-TV Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Quarterly KDKA-AM WQED Pittsburgh Catholic Pittsburgh Magazine South Pittsburgh Reporter The Jewish Chronicle KDKA-TV News Ecosystem Pittsburgh Podcast Network East End Print Grant’s Hill Whirl WESA-FM Patch WTAE Trib Total Media Pittsburgh City Paper The Incline NextPittsburgh WPXI-TV Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Quarterly KDKA-AM WQED Pittsburgh Catholic Pittsburgh Magazine PublicSource South Pittsburgh Reporter StoryBurgh Eat That, Read This The Jewish Chronicle KDKA-TV Very Smart Brothas Sorgatron Media What is a media desert? • Places where residents lack easy access to “fresh, local news and information to inform and educate the public” - (Ferrier, 2014, Introduction, para. 2) Michelle Ferrier Ohio University News Deserts – Two kinds 1. No traditional news outlets 2. Traditional news doesn’t care Bucay, Y., Elliott, V., Kamin, J., & Park, A. 2017, Spring. America’s growing news deserts. Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved from https://www.cjr.org/local_news/american-news-deserts-donuts-local.php. McKeesport Daily News Last edition: December 31, 2016 Who cares? When newspapers close… … civic engagement declines Cincinnati Post Rocky Mountain News & Seattle Post-Intelligencer RIP 2008 (Shaker, 2014) News oasis? McKeesport Media Oasis • Point Park Micro Grant • Pittsburgh Foundation Pilot Grant • Youth CAST McKeesport • Empowering residents to tell their own stories • Seniors, community leaders, citizens • Model that can be replicated Rose. Thorn. Bud. State Rep. Austin Davis References Ali, C., & Radcliffe, D. (2017). New research: Small-market newspapers in the digital age. New York: Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Retrieved from https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/local-small-market-newspapers- study.php Bucay, Y., Elliott, V., Kamin, J., & Park, A. 2017, Spring. America’s growing news deserts. Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved from https://www.cjr.org/local_news/american-news-deserts-donuts-local.php. Ferrier, M. (2014). The media deserts project: Monitoring community news and information needs using geographic information system technologies. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11469030/ The_Media_Deserts_Project_Monitoring_Community_News_and_Information_Needs_Using_Geographic_Informat ion_System_Technologies Pew Research Center. (2017). State of the news media. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/state- of-the-news-media/. Shaker, L. (2014). Dead newspapers and citizens’ civic engagement. Political Communication, 31(1), 131-148. doi:10.1080/10584609.2012.762817 .