Tag: Walt Potter
A new ‘Potter Listening Tour:’ Local newspapers can still work, even with different paths
A different kind of “right sizing,” grants and donations, and tinkering with the balance of online and print are some of the ways.
RJI helps rural Missouri newspaper hit its digital stride with Potter Digital Ambassadors program
Small-town community newspapers are seeing a resurgence as regional chains reclaim them from national conglomerates and re-center them on local news. But some of the same factors that make these rural communities attractive markets also present roadblocks to building a modernized local news machine.
Potter Digital Ambassadors visit five weekly newspapers to boost outlets’ multimedia, social media
The Potter Digital Ambassadors program recently paired five college journalism students with rural Missouri newspapers to help implement multimedia and social media strategies. This was the inaugural year of the program, which is underwritten by Missouri School of Journalism alumnus and newspaper editor Walt Potter. The ambassadors, all from the Missouri School of Journalism, had … Continued
Small paper, small city undergoing big changes in Virginia
For a century, the Culpeper Star-Exponent — whose predecessors date to 1881 — served a small community that changed relatively little. Today, the newspaper is dealing with rapid change in its central Virginia market. Since 1980, Culpeper County has more than doubled its population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, mostly with commuters to the … Continued
Serving Hispanic readers is a matter of trust
A recent issue of Nuevas Raices, the Harrisonburg, Virginia, weekly newspaper that serves Hispanic readers in the Old Dominion, had just one small coupon ad. “We don’t trust them,” explains owner Fernando Gamboa, who says his 14,000 readers worry the coupons, standard in U.S. papers, won’t be redeemed. His readers have grown up in countries … Continued
Potter resumes newspaper listening tour this month in Virginia
Walter B. “Walt” Potter Jr., a retired newspaper publisher who works with the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, will tour community newspapers again this spring. A year ago, Potter visited Missouri weeklies and small dailies during what became known as the Potter Listening Tour. He wrote a series of … Continued
Listening to community newspapers with Walt Potter
A retired newspaper exec looks to give back to the community newspapers that raised him with an ear to the ground for change.
Lessons learned and questions raised during the Potter Listening Tour, Part 2
As an old hand in print newspapers, I was struck by the contrast between the often days-long reporting process I remember and the instantaneous production I strived for during the tour (I posted to Facebook and Twitter). I had to create my words almost at the same time I was recording the words of my … Continued
Despite challenges, Southeast Missourian improves print product, grows online presence
Last year the Local Media Association named the Southeast Missourian the second-best daily newspaper with a circulation under 30,000 in North America. Bob Miller, editor of the Cape Girardeau paper, wants to build on that success, but he acknowledges the challenges posed by the convergence of print and digital technologies. First, there’s figuring out what … Continued
Legacy media company’s focus on the positive brings flood of new profit possibilities
As many legacy mass media company leaders worry about what they can’t do in the new digital age, Rust Communications Inc. is finding a cornucopia of things it can do. “We constantly look for new revenue streams,” says Co-President Jon K. Rust. The Cape Girardeau, Missouri-based company has capitalized on its resources, which include 49 … Continued