Here are a few random notes from our Thursday sessions, just the things I (Bill Densmore) thought worthy of highlight in my own mind:

We talked a little bit about funding models. Bill Densmore threw out the idea of the “public-radio” model as a funding mechanism and asked Mike Van Buren of Kellogg if as a foundation what if anything they would expect if they funded a news organization. He said they would expect coverage of the topics which were within their funding mission. My observation was that this was in some ways as problematic as a large advertiser dictating coverage, that the value of having a broad-based advertising and subscription support was that it created a climate of relative editorial independence. How to maintain?

The answer, perhaps, is finding multiple revenue streams:

Sources: Foundations, advertisers, individuals

Types: Subscription, per item, voluntary contributions, sponsorships, standard advertising.

Chris Peck talked a little about the affinity group model. “If you love the environment, I have this bundle of resources.”

Bill Densmore observed that newspapers have traditionally had a franchise in local affinity groups. But not when it comes to topical affinity groups. What if newspapers could partner with an affinity group aggregator—like Grist.org, for example, in the environmental realm. The local paper would offer Grist as its “environmental service offering; Grist would link to the newspaper’s geographic-specific environmental coverage. Each wins; each might be able to build revenue—either from advertising or subscriptions off the other’s referrals. Is this “sharing network” sort of what the Village Commons might begin to enable?

MIKE SKOLAR’S WHITE BOARD:

Mike Skolar of Minnesota Public Radio did a little white-board work:

The assumption we are making is that mainstream journalism is worth savings
The assumption we are making is that MSJ can change.
The assumption we are making is that MSJ must change.

Given those assumptions, our goals are to:

Find out what is being done
Evaluate it
Figure out how to drive/support change.Comments