NEWS RELEASE

For information, please contact SNA President Nancy Lane at (843) 390-1531 or nancylanesna@aol.com.

Exceptional opportunity to visit some of the most innovative media houses in the U.S & Canada -- Reserve your spot now as space is limited

New Business Models; Emerging Content Strategies; Digital-First Initiatives; Revenue Growth

May 1 - 6, 2011

The community media landscape continues to change. New opportunities and new technologies continue to emerge and the busy publisher is often feeling overwhelmed. Print still rules when it comes to revenue share and the digital landscape is becoming more and more fragmented with mobile and group deals emerging in the last six months as “must haves”. And still, a sustainable business model on the digital side has yet to materialize for most.

The SNA Foundation has identified media houses in North America that are making bold changes in their company to adapt to the changing landscape. All of these companies are showing early success and many of them are in the top tier of their peer class when it comes to digital revenue performance. The working tour will focus on four key areas: the most promising new business models (that are sustainable) for community media companies; emerging content strategies with a special emphasis on community contributions; digital-first initiatives (both editorial and advertising) and above all, strategies to grow revenue (in print, online and mobile).

“The SNA Foundation conducted an innovation mission to Norway and Sweden in 2008 and it was an eye-opening, philosophy-changing experience for many of the attendees,” said Nancy Lane, President of SNA and the SNA Foundation. “We believe that this study mission will equal that experience if not surpass it as the innovation that is going on at these companies is incredible. The goal is to help community publishers make big and bold changes at their company as a result of attending this one week study tour. The learning will continue for six months after the tour through a series of monthly webinars for attendees only to share what they have put into practice and to continue the networking and learning experience. It is truly a one-of-a-kind learning experience.”

The tour will start in Salt Lake City with two fascinating meetings including a full day visit at Deseret News Publishing and Deseret Digital. Clark Gilbert, the guru of disruptive innovation, and now President & CEO at Deseret, will host an exceptional day featuring an in-depth look into one of the most innovative media companies in all of North America. Their numbers are enviable; their strategy is bold. There is much to learn here. The day will focus on two key issues: changing the business model and developing lower-cost but higher-quality content strategies. The tour will kick off on Sunday evening, May 1 in Salt Lake with a presentation from Rick Blair, CEO of Examiner.com. They are nearly fifty times the size of Patch.com and contract with over 6,000 “Examiners” described as “credible, local insiders”. They post 3,500+ stories per day and publish in over 225 U.S. cities and the top 5 Canadian cities. There is much to be learned about the use of community contributors; including the screening/interview process and extensive training that is required to make this succeed.

The group will then travel to New England for a series of meetings. In Boston, the group will visit MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media, for a look into the future. They will also participate in a publisher idea exchange with some of the leading New England media companies, focusing on pay wall success stories, self serve advertising strategies for small advertisers and revenue growth. The group will also travel to Torrington, CT to visit Journal Register Company’s just announced open community newsroom at the Register Citizen. While there, the group will also spend a half day meeting with JRC corporate executives learning more about their digital-first strategy with a particular focus on revenue strategies that are working.

Finally, the group will travel to Toronto to visit Metroland Media and Torstar Corporation. Metroland has a long history of innovation. SNA members have been exposed to their ground-breaking strategies for a long time. They are often featured at SNA conferences and no matter what the topic or the conference focus, the reaction from attendees is always the same - they are blown away by the innovative work that goes on in this company. This visit will be a real treat to witness the culture of innovation, learn about new and emerging strategies, discuss the changing business model and see first-hand how North America’s largest group of community weeklies continues to show record growth.

The full program details are available on the SNA web site or by clicking here. The study mission will take place May 1-6. Cost is $2,850 per person and includes air from Salt Lake to Boston and Boston to Toronto, six nights hotel accommodations at downtown locations, most meals including 3 dinners, 5 lunches and 6 breakfasts, transportation during the tour and program materials, etc. Full list of inclusions and exclusions can be found on the web site.

Reserve your place now to take part in this incredible small group learning experience. The tour is limited to the first 30 attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your space (and will be used to purchase air and hotel deposits). For more information, contact Nancy Lane at nancylanesna@aol.com or (843) 390-1531.