Social Spider Community News currently publishes five local newspapers based on a social enterprise model. We are a not-for-profit organisation and our aim is to make independent local news that is accessible to everyone in our local communities.
The shift from print to primarily online advertising – and the decline of paid-for print newspapers – has created a massive problem for everyone in local news publishing.
The post-internet era has seen declining resources for local news as traditional advertising and sales models no longer provide the income necessary to support quality journalism in many local areas.
Having launched in 2014, we never had significant income in the first place. As a result our aim is to produce the best possible local news products with the limited resources currently available – and to work with local communities to attract new readers and advertisers to increase those resources.
Social Spider Community News generates revenue from:
- Print advertising – this remains the single biggest source of revenue for our publications, and we are able to offer local advertisers the dual benefit of promoting their products and services, and supporting community-focused local news
- Online advertising – this is a slowly growing source of revenue however we need to balance the income that can be generated against the negative effect that intrusive advertising can have on readers’ experiences.
- Membership – we have over 500 local people donating regularly to support our publications
- Newsletters – these weekly updates are a route for advertisers to notify thousands of local people about upcoming events and offers
- Consultancy – we work with other independent local news publications in different parts of the UK to help them develop their business models
There is no single magic solution to the business model challenges facing local news but by producing publications which are rooted in and valued by local communities, we are developing a sustainable mix of income streams.