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Townsquare Media Inc.

05/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/09/2021 19:21

Townsquare Media, Google News Initiative Publish a Roadmap for Launching Radio-Supported Local News Sites

Townsquare Media, a community-focused digital media, marketing, and radio company focused outside the Top 50 markets in the U.S., has published a guide in partnership with the Google News Initiative to help other radio stations navigate launching standalone local news websites to complement their broadcast portfolios. The guide, available on Townsquaremedia.com, outlines best practices for building a digital news brand using the marketing resources, local reach and community influence that is so unique to local radio. The guide can also be found as a resource on The Google News Initiative's Digital Startups Site, which aims to demystify the process of launching a digital news startup and help users build businesses that are both financially viable and journalistically impactful.

The guide was built with local radio company leaders in mind, taking them step-by-step through the process of building a local standalone news site. Creation of a standalone news site will help local stations build a stronger regional presence, and provide the community with real-time local news. These real-time news updates, especially amid a pandemic, are critical to the health and economic well-being of the communities that local radio stations serve.

The guide is the result of a partnership which began in 2020, between Townsquare Media and the Google News Initiative (GNI). With support from the GNI, Townsquare Media studied how local radio station presence can help support the development of local news sites in underserved regions. After studying this, Townsquare Media used the findings to plan and launch standalone digital news brands in two cities where it owns and operates prominent radio stations: the Tuscaloosa Thread in Tuscaloosa, Ala., home of 95.3 The Bear, Tide 100.9, 92.9 WTUG, 105.1 The Block, Nick 97.5, Catfish 100.1 and Praise 93.3, and the Seacoast Current in Portsmouth, N.H., home of WOKQ 97.5 and 102.1/105.3 The Shark. The project has proven instantly successful in delivering critical news and information to these communities.

During two recent devastating tornado outbreaks in Tuscaloosa, which resulted in five deaths, radio station staff and Tuscaloosa Thread reporters collaborated on providing essential information in real time for the community. Live website and social media coverage of the severe weather, mobile app alerts and on-air updates from the new digital news brand kept residents informed about the paths of the multiple tornadoes. One resident reached out to Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa Director of Content Meg Summers on Twitter, crediting the coverage with saving her life. The Tuscaloosa Thread and Townsquare Media's local radio stations amplified coverage through digital platforms and the wide reach of local radio broadcasts.

Radio's broad reach makes it well-positioned to leverage a standalone news site to accelerate brand awareness. A Nielsen Total Audience Report in April 2020 found that 92% of adults in the U.S. listen to radio each week. A standalone news needs to reach a majority of the population in its coverage area to be financially self-sustaining. Radio's audience penetration allows a news site to be marketed widely in its local market and become financially viable more quickly.

Townsquare Media's guide also details monetization strategies for radio stations that build standalone news sites, combining on-air and digital assets. Commercials for a radio cluster's standalone news site should be viewed as an opportunity to generate revenue rather than a marketing cost. The monetization and marketing strategies unique to radio allow local journalism to thrive in communities that are otherwise 'news deserts.'

Townsquare Media first saw the potential for these strategies with the launch of Hudson Valley Post in its Poughkeepsie market in 2016 and Laramie Live in its Laramie market in 2012.

'Hudson Valley Post's rapid traffic growth exceeded anything I had seen in my local news career. The marketing reach of terrestrial radio combined with a lean staffing structure showed a sustainable path forward for local journalism. Our partnership with the Google News Initiative allowed us to study this model in greater detail, launch additional examples of this model, and create a blueprint for other radio companies to follow,' Townsquare Media Vice President of Digital Strategy Jackie Corley said.

The strategy Townsquare Media used in building, branding and monetizing Hudson Valley Post and Laramie Live proved replicable with the Tuscaloosa Thread and the Seacoast Current. The success of the two standalone digital news brands launched through Townsquare Media's partnership with the GNI has led the media company to invest additional digital resources and training in existing news radio stations and explore opportunities for launching standalone news brands in other markets in the future.

Townsquare Media will also explore opportunities to partner with other radio companies to implement the learnings within the guide or utilize the company's platforms to launch news sites.

ABOUT TOWNSQUARE MEDIA, INC.:

Townsquare is a community-focused digital media, digital marketing solutions and radio company focused outside the Top 50 markets in the U.S. Our assets include Townsquare Interactive, a digital marketing services subscription business providing web sites, search engine optimization, social platforms and online reputation management for approximately 22,750 SMBs; Townsquare IGNITE, a proprietary digital programmatic advertising technology with an in-house demand and data management platform; and Townsquare Media, our portfolio of 322 local terrestrial radio stations in 67 cities with corresponding local news and entertainment websites and apps including legendary brands such as WYRK.com, WJON.com, and NJ101.5.com along with a network of national music brands including XXLmag.com, TasteofCountry.com, UltimateClassicRock.com and Loudwire.com. For more information, please visit www.townsquaremedia.com, www.townsquareinteractive.com, and www.townsquareignite.com.

Contact:
Jackie Corley
Townsquare Media, Inc.
[email protected]
908-230-0585