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

Sources: Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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

News Ecosystem

Trib Total Media WESA-FM

WPXI-TV

KDKA-AM

KDKA-TV

WTAE

Pittsburgh Quarterly

Pittsburgh Magazine

Post-Gazette

South Pittsburgh Reporter

WQED

The Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Catholic

Whirl

Pittsburgh City Paper

News Ecosystem

Trib Total Media WESA-FM

WPXI-TV

KDKA-AM

KDKA-TV

WTAE

PublicSource

Eat That, Read This

The Incline

Pittsburgh Quarterly

Pittsburgh Magazine

Grant’s Hill

Post-Gazette

East End Print

South Pittsburgh Reporter

WQED

Patch

Pittsburgh Podcast Network

NextPittsburgh

The Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Catholic

Whirl

Pittsburgh City Paper

StoryBurgh

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?

• Youth CAST McKeesport • Empowering residents to tell their own

stories • Seniors, community leaders, citizens • Model that can be replicated

McKeesport Media Oasis • Point Park Micro Grant • Pittsburgh Foundation Pilot Grant

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_Information_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