It has been the secret of success for small newspapers for years. Stay local. Stay really local. And put as many local names in the paper as you possibly can. Why? Because local news about you and the people you know is awesome. And if you can’t compete with the the news juggernaut in your nearest metropolitan city, compete in a different way.
Nearly half of American adults now get at least some local news, weather or restaurant information from their smartphones or mobile devices. Now, will people be willing to pay for this content? Definitely not enough. Especially when a competitive provider is going to be offering very similar information for nothing. But if you can attract the local audience, you can always find a way to make money off them. The news is dead. Long live the news.