A Successful Project in Local News: 6AM City

Erich Princeamp160 There has been a recent focus on the potential economic engine of midsized American cities as evidenced by for example Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett39s book The Next American City You operate in many of such cities Can you talk about the experience of working in these types of citiesamp8212and how your company fits into the types of economic climates each city hasRyan Heafyamp160 Whoever said you couldn39t build a successful startup in the Southeast hadn39t met those of us who are building quotThe Next American Citiesquot We did it in local media an industry that some have all but been deemed on the way to extinction You just have to have the right product people strategy and economic climate We were lucky to be able to take advantage of the economic climate in our cities as they were primed for growth Our cities have put in the work to develop a collaborative network of resources to support and develop the rising creative class We were further supported by the amazing community that makes up these midsized American cities These cities have recognized the need to punch above their weight and they have made the investment and commitment to supporting the small businesses that drive their economiesPrinceamp160 What makes the Southeast region so far particularly apt for your business model and do you have plans at this juncture to expand to cities such as say New York or ChicagoHeafy While 6AM is positioned to expand across the country we were lucky to get started in Greenville SC where the community39s quotpride in placequot a term we use to evaluate what cities we go to next was ripe for the product when we launched 6AM39s local brands are designed to educate and activate our community delivering local news and events via an email newsletter at 600 am each morning When we hit the inboxes of our community we are kicking off the watercooler conversation each day We are facilitating our communities39 ability to come together to support local businesses nonprofits and events we are talking withamp8212not atamp8212our readers We39re positioned to expand to Atlanta through a strategic partnership as well as other larger cities We believe that each city has its own unique quotpride in placequot that we can tap intoPrinceamp160 What sorts of relationships does 6AM City have with more traditional media companies in these cities whether it be Raleigh39s News ampamp Observer or Charleston39s Post ampamp CourierHeafyamp160 6AM initially started as a product innovation of a local print media company and thus was designed from day one to be noncompetitive with traditional media models As we39ve expanded this has allowed 6AM the ability to develop excellent working relationships with the traditional media companies in all of our cities As we aren39t focused on longform content and investigative journalism our peers see us as a distribution partner rather than a competitor In fact many local journalists and news desks send us their top stories each day to include in our email newsletter Additionally as distribution is constantly changing not all members of the community may be aware of the great content these organizations are creating As such we help to drive our readers to their sites and paywalls helping to convert our readers into their subscribers When it comes to revenue we39ve developed a unique model that allows 6AM to be profitable with fewer advertisersamp8212and with a slightly different product mix So we39re more complimentary when it comes to the local ad dollars that traditional media is pursuingPrinceamp160 In an age of many media companies looking to subscriptions for revenue what makes you stick 100 with advertisingHeafyamp160 Subscription revenue only works if you have a large addressable market as well as a unique value proposition and niche content The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have had some success because of this as have models like quotTrendsquot by The HustleOn a local level readers aren39t used to or willing to pay for the value of local content especially when paired with the fact that many nationallyowned local newspapers have been continuing to decrease local content creation We see an opportunity to continue driving our audiences39 attention to their contentamp8212and serving as a partner in their subscription effortsPrinceamp160 Can you discuss what a typical newsletter of yours features when it comes to contentHeafyamp160 Each of our local newsletters delivers the most relevant needtoknow local news and events daily We blend a mix of lifestyle content to capture the reader39s attention with civic content designed to educate and activate the community We break down the content filters that drive the content delivered via typical social media channels and we open up our readers to a diversity of content in the communities we serve As part of our packaging we lead with a topic designed to drive conversation insert modules to drive user engagement integrate social content and narrate the local news and events of the day We39ve designed the product for the consumer to be in conversation with our readers and they seem to be paying attentionClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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A Successful Project in Local News: 6AM City

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Erich J. Prince

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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A Successful Project in Local News: 6AM City

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