IPI Local News Accelerator Programme

The objective is to help local media organizations take meaningful steps toward financial and editorial sustainability. They will do this by giving you the structure, support and skills development to test and implement new ideas that will help you serve your communities and adapt in the face of a rapidly evolving media landscape.

IPI’s Local News Accelerator is a three-month programme where you and your media organization will build the skills to develop a sustainable media business. The accelerator will offer outlets the tools and guidance to learn how to reach audiences and empower your teams to build habits to grow into an engaged, responsive media brand.

Eligible media include:

• established and new journalism startups bring regional, local and niche news to communities with limited access to independent coverage of issues relevant to them.
• there are no geographic limitations – newsrooms from any country worldwide may apply.
• you have a clear challenge and are seeking to transform their journalism, products or business by investing in audience research, experimenting with new revenue models, deepening audience engagement, or investing in new content and distribution products.

The challenges facing media – especially when it comes to local news – are clear. They range from technological disruption and changing consumer behavior to scarcity of economic and human resources. Media outlets must adapt to ensure their survival by identifying their specific challenges, developing a framework for delivering solutions and advancing their organizations towards business and editorial sustainability.

Participants will develop the ability to use innovative practices in their internal editorial, business and product processes. This will equip teams to identify and address the most pertinent challenges faced by media organizations in their journey to sustainability. While connecting with the world’s leading media managers, you will gain valuable insights into reader revenues, product development and audience engagement.

What you will receive?

• Successful applicants will take part in a programme of intensive training, one-on-one and group coaching, speaker sessions, networking and access to an e-learning platform.
• The curriculum has been designed by IPI’s media innovation and sustainability team based on the extensive work with local and regional media. It will cover topics such as business models and audience engagement, with coaching tailored to the specific needs of the participating newsrooms, to give you tools and skills that will help your media brand innovate and grow.
• Training will be delivered by IPI’s in-house experts as well as media industry leaders; you can expect to learn from people with a deep understanding and direct experience of the challenges facing local media.
• By joining the accelerator, you will also be part of a global cohort of newsrooms pursuing similar goals – participants in previous programmes, including the Transition Accelerator, have highlighted this as a key benefit.

Key Activities

• Intensive training covering audience research, journalism formats built for user engagement, digital business models and diversifying revenue models.
• Access to an e-learning platform that houses recordings, training modules and discussion platforms.
• Monthly “Ask Me Anything” sessions allowing attendees directly pose questions to industry experts and gain valuable insights.
• One-on-one coaching sessions tailored to the needs of each newsroom.
• Group coaching sessions with peers developing similar projects.
• Speaker sessions based on themes determined in the needs assessments.
• Access to a network of media innovators and local news practitioners.

Eligibility Criteria

• The programme is open to both established and new media, based around the world, as long as you serve a regional, local or niche community with high quality independent news.
• You should be a media organization (no geographic limitations) and demonstrate a clear focus on serving local audiences, with news tailored to the specific needs of the local community.
• You must produce original content in the public interest, be non-partisan and represent the interests of your target audience.
• Applicants must submit a proposal outlining a specific project (but it is anticipated that this project may evolve during the accelerator period)
• Your organization must have a team of at least two individuals who are willing to commit to accelerator activities throughout the three months (this is estimated at a time commitment of eight hours per week, divided between the team of two).
• The organization should demonstrate a commitment to producing quality original journalism, adherence to ethical journalism practices and commitment to press freedom.
• Your media should have a solid business case and understanding of their audience, ideally backed up by audience or market research.
• Your media should demonstrate a willingness to explore and implement new ideas, tools and technologies to enhance storytelling and audience engagement, while learning from experts and each other.
• Your media should have a clear vision for the future of their media organization, including plans for how they will grow, expand and/or adapt.

For more information, visit IPI.