Browsing by Author "Abernathy, Penelope"

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    Filling the Gaps: Examining Reach, Engagement and Impact in North Carolina’s News Nonprofits
    (2015-05-01) Duncan, Charles
    In an attempt to fill gaps in coverage caused by shrinking newsrooms in the traditional news industry, numerous nonprofit digital news organizations have been established around the United States in recent years. These organizations are diverse in focus and scope. Three organizations in North Carolina, all less than five years old, are part of this new wave. Each has a different niche and geographic focus: North Carolina Health News covers state politics and public health issues; Carolina Public Press focuses on investigating regional issues in the western part of the state; and PlanCharlotte is devoted to urban planning and design in the Charlotte area and is part of the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte. All of these sites face significant hurdles as they attempt to figure out a sustainable business model. Instead of returns for shareholders, nonprofits must show impact on their communities to receive funding from foundations, donors and other sources. This paper uses readership data, content analysis and qualitative information gleaned from anecdotes, articles and interviews to gauge where the sites stand today. NC Health News and the Public Press have seen healthy readership growth and have well-documented local impacts. But the two nonprofits are far from stable financial ground. They need to focus on business development and the founding editors need to move into the roll of executive directors. PlanCharlotte’s readership has been relatively flat over the past two years. Because it is part of a university, it’s sustainability concerns are less about bringing in donations and grants and have more to do with being part of a public university budget.
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    The Outlook for Independent College Media
    (2014) Beck, Chrissy
    This project investigates the future of college media organizations that are financially independent from their universities. I started my research by crafting a blog (College Media Today+) to interact with other college media professionals and gather primary research data through interviews and surveys. The analytical portion of my project is represented in the following paper. My project makes a case in support of college media’s future by borrowing best practices from commercial media and adopting a strong commitment to innovate. Essentially, independent college news organizations can thrive in a digital age, even with dwindling revenue and increasing competition for attention in the news market, if they are willing to adapt and change to current business models.