The News Nirvana Podcast

Host Nick Parker decided it was time to meet his newly hired News Nirvana benefactor, so why not make a show of it? Nick had a plan for this episode to focus on new approaches to sales revenue processes. And they stuck to it—for the most part. But what really came out was an unplanned and unrestricted conversation on leadership, mentors, and making sure we're opening the door for the next generation of industry leaders.

Let's be honest here. Most of us just aren't very good at selling our own news product to the audience. As an industry, we don't always do a good job bragging about the good work we do and the important role we play in our communities. But engaging our audience and clearly defining how we fit in their lives is essential to solving the ever-evasive dilemma of audience revenue. Bridget Sibthorp-Moecker, Director of Audience at TownNews, joins the show to talk about discovering and utilizing...

This week we're joined by Daily Herald Assistant Managing Editor for Watchdog Reporting, Jake Griffin. In his 20-plus years of covering suburban Chicago for the Herald, Griffin has established himself as one of the leading watchdog reporters and columnists using reader tips and deep data dives to cover everything from elected officials, taxing districts, and the local effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jed Williams and David Arkin are putting a new spin on local community media. The co-founders of Checkout DFW join host Nick Parker to talk about their fledgling publication and a new approach to both content and marketing partners (don’t call them advertisers!)

With new and refreshed approaches to revenue generation and audience engagement, the Richland Source, is carving out a successful model for community newspapers. Publisher Jay Allred and Engagement & Solutions Editor Brittany Schock join host Nick Parker to talk about their intentional approach to serving the community they cover.

A funny thing happens when student reporters are taught, and allowed, to act like professionals. Franklin College Pulliam School of Journalism director, John Krull, and senior reporter Taylor Wooten join Host Nick Parker to talk about how their program is leading the way through breaking news and statehouse reporting.

Emmy Award-winning digital news producer Cara Sabin, of WDRB in Louisville, joins host Nick Parker to talk about producing the news, driving traffic, and developing the next generation of reporters and producers.

Emmy Award-winning digital producer Cara Sabin, of WDRB in Louisville, KY, joins host Nick Parker to talk about producing the news, driving traffic and helping find and develop the next generation of news producers.

Dr. Chad Stebbins, executive director of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, and past board chair Gary Sosniecki join the show for a conversation about community journalism, keeping newspapers in rural cities and the support role of their organization.

The Cohort's Alex Sujong Laughlin, joins host Nick Parker to talk about her new project through the Poynter Institute and the need to focus on gender and inclusion in media.

Wick Communications' Reilly Kneedler joins host Nick Parker for a conversation on the importance of data collection and how we use it to engage our audiences and create places for meaningful conversation on the news and issues of our communities.

Rob Curry, executive producer of digital at KHQ in Spokane, Wash., joins the show for conversations on newsrooms thinking digital first, shifting to meet changing audience demand and finding the best way to package stories for the communities we cover.

It's a time to offer real support. A time for change. It is, according to Larry Graham, a time for action. In his 25-year career in the news business, Graham has worked in newsrooms and industry associations across the country. In 2021, he launched the Diversity Pledge Institute to help news organizations increase diversity in their businesses as well as provide needed support for the under-represented workers.

Daniel Williams has spent his entire career working to build and retain news audiences. The game, he says, has changed and the focus now needs to be on the news consumer and creating sustainable relationships not only with them, but also between the reader and our organizations' business partners and advertisers. The co-founder of BlueLena sits down with Host Nick Parker for a conversation on audience building and retention.

Walk your beat. Cultivate your sources. Know the community you cover and the people you serve. For Bob Jacob, editor of the Cleveland Jewish News and Columbus Jewish News, these old school rules for journalists are the key for his papers' growth and success in these key Ohio markets.

Mike Blinder, from Editor & Publisher, joins host Nick Parker to talk about the state of the news industry and his passion for the work news organizations do across the country. There is a need, he says, to remind newspapers and broadcasters to celebrate the work they’re doing and the roles they play in the communities they serve.

Recorded prior to the start of the 2021 NCAA football season, B.J. Rains (Boise State beat writer for the Idaho Press) joined host Nick Parker for a conversation on sports writing. B.J. talks about the infamous blue turf of Boise State, what it was like covering college football in empty stadiums during the 2020 season and how he's had to shift the way he not only covers sports, but builds relationships when he's not always able to cover his beat "in person." (Note: we had some technical...

Anika Anand, deputy director of LION Publishers, joins the show to talk about her organizations efforts to support growth of the hyper-local and independently-owned news organizations across America.

Just months after his paper covered the social unrest of 2020, Seattle Times President Alan Fisco joins host Nick Parker to talk about the direction and state of his paper and what it could mean for other major metros. In the second half, Alan puts on his other hat, that of president of America's Newspapers, and talks of the latest efforts to encourage new legislation aimed to protect the fourth estate.

Eric Reinert, Director of Digital Media at WFMZ-TV in Allentown, PA, joins the show for conversation about the ever-changing technologies we use to collect and deliver the news. How we use the technology matters not only to how we gather the news, but also how we reach our audiences and better serve our advertising and business partners.