Taking on Hyperlocal: Lessons Learned From a High-Profile Start-Up

This Webinar was originally broadcast on:
June 08, 2011 Enroll Now
Watch and listen to the original one-hour Webinar in its entirety. This Webinar recording features the full presentation led by Poynter faculty and visiting faculty including Q&A from the audience and resources from the presenter.

Course Overview

Title:
Taking on Hyperlocal: Lessons Learned From a High-Profile Start-Up
Type:
Webinar
Cost:
$27.95
Originally Broadcast On:
June 08, 2011
Time Estimate:
One hour for the main presentation and questions. Sometimes presenters stay longer to answer additional questions from participants.

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In this virtual classroom, participants can join in a seminar led by Poynter faculty and visiting faculty. This screencast includes live audio and a slideshow presentation in which participants can post questions and respond to poll questions posed by the host.

Many eyes were on TBD as it ramped up for launch in August 2010. It was funded by the same company that started Politico and was led by some well-known web news veterans. TBD was the new local news site to the Washington, D.C., region that relied on aggregation, geolocation and community engagement through social media and outreach to local bloggers.

Despite strong initial traffic and buzz, its general manager left three months after launch. Three months later, TBD was reorganized and half of the staff was laid off.

Why did the promised three- to five-year runway not materialize? Why did the site struggle to make money? Hear the lessons learned from one of the key players, former TBD general manager Jim Brady.

What Will I Learn:
  • Five key takeaways from the TBD experiment
  • Challenges in trying to merge a startup culture with an existing legacy culture--on the editorial, business and corporate fronts
  • What worked editorially for TBD and what didn’t
  • What Brady would do differently if he could do it all over again
Who Should Take this Course:

Anyone who is managing or creating a local news start-up or who is interested in a hyperlocal news distribution case study.

Course Instructor:

Jim Brady

Jim Brady most recently served as general manager of TBD, a new local news operation dedicated to comprehensive coverage of the Washington, D.C. region that combines the values of traditional journalism and the power of citizen journalism. Brady joined TBD after more than four years as executive editor of washingtonpost.com, where he led the site to numerous awards and accolades.

As general manager of TBD, Brady was responsible for the business operations and editorial oversight of both TBD.com and TBD TV, a 24-hour local cable news station.

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