ABSTRACT

Local news outlets perform their operations in a complex digital media ecosystem that pressures them to acclimatize to market demands and introduce strategies to attract readers and advertisers. With a limited amount of resources in a highly competitive market, they have been experimenting with diverse “game plans” to bring traffic to their websites. That includes an aspiration to stand out in an overcrowded market and deliver content that makes them noticeably distinctive. Acknowledging challenges that media organizations face in a contemporary news ecology, this study utilized in-depth interviews with representatives of 10 local digital media in the United States to understand practices in establishing a niche and selecting content to attract users and achieve sustainability. Data suggest that local news outlets that are striving to keep their news operations going have established a niche within the niche. They have done so by focusing on producing original content, which is among the main drivers of reader engagement, subscriptions, and donations to websites. Furthermore, local organizations are open to content produced by volunteers and journalism students due to the small staff they have at their disposal.

摘要

当地新闻媒体在复杂的数字媒体生态系统中开展业务，这迫使他们适应市场需求并引入吸引读者和广告商的策略。在竞争激烈的市场中资源有限，他们一直在尝试各种“游戏计划”来为他们的网站带来流量。这包括渴望在过度拥挤的市场中脱颖而出并提供使他们明显与众不同的内容。承认媒体组织在当代新闻生态中面临的挑战，本研究利用对美国 10 家当地数字媒体代表的深入访谈，了解在建立利基和选择内容以吸引用户和实现可持续性方面的实践。数据表明，努力保持新闻业务正常运行的地方新闻媒体已经在利基市场中建立了利基市场。他们通过专注于制作原创内容来做到这一点，这是读者参与、订阅和网站捐赠的主要驱动力之一。此外，当地组织对志愿者和新闻系学生制作的内容持开放态度，因为他们拥有的员工人数很少。