Why would anyone want to invest in the L3C model? And why could it provide a flexible funding model the media industry needs now?

Those are two of many questions asked on Friday as panelists John Plunkett, ceo of Harborquest, and Chicago journalist Sally Duros discussed with media entrepreneurs, journalists and nonprofit communicators how this new model of financing could create sustainable economic support for the media. The event was supported by The Chicago Community Trust and through its Community News Matters initiative.

Duros wrote about L3Cs for our New News report last year,

The L3C merges foundation money, specifically program-related investments, with investor’s cash in a mission-based business that puts purpose before profits…Under this model, a newsroom will pay a living wage to journalists and executive leadership while earning a return for investors. Most importantly, because it is mission-based, the L3C signals a return to the historical value of newspapers: local news. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s many ways to contact news outlets about news they can use. One way is through news outlets’ websites. Submit press releases and media alerts to Chicago and other Midwest news outlets using the links below. A word of advice: Be selective when choosing news outlets to send your news too. Consider the geographic area the outlets cover and the readership/viewers they serve. Consider publications’ frequency. Will your news be timely by the time it might be published?

Chicago-area Outlets

• ABC Television
WLS-TV (ABC7-Chicago) does not accept press releases via email. All documents should be faxed to (312) 899-8019. For a directory of links for ABC New’s various national programs click here.

• American Bar Association Journal
All press releases should be emailed to releases@abanet.org.

• CBS Television
WBBM-FM (CBS2-Chicago) accepts press releases on its Web site. This page should be used to contact all national programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by jochemberends on Flickr.com

After several months of relative calm in the Chicago media landscape (with thankfully few layoffs), activity has picked up significantly in the last few weeks, with lots of announcements, many of which strike us as very promising developments for the future of news coverage in Chicago.  Several of the announcements involve the creation of actual new outlets altogether, staffed at least in part with former daily newspaper folk.  Below we will try to cover all the changes that have occurred:

First off, the Sun-Times has gotten a new owner/savior in Mesirow Financial’s Jim Tyree.  He and his investor group seem willing to pour resources into the long-starved daily.  Here’s hoping that they succeed. Read the rest of this entry »

Melissa Harris is the Chicago Tribune's newest business columnist

Melissa is reachable—but before you contact her, check the specifics about what she needs for her Tribune biz section column that debuted in September.

“Call me on the phone or send me email—I do read all of my email,” she says. “My cell phone number is on my voicemail…. I’m available.” She’s also invite-able: “I go to events morning, noon, and night—although I’m not very good at breakfasts”—when she’s at the gym (needless to the say, we think the gym is a no-pitch zone, we didn’t ask where she works out).

She welcomes nonprofit and philanthropy pitches but, be aware that her audience is business decision-makers. “The way this is going to survive is big, bold prominent names,” she says. Think board members, honorees, grant awards.  Metropolitan Planning Council and other local organizations have already received some coverage in Chicago Confidential, BTW.

The column goes deeper than boldface names, because Melissa is really looking to offer items about Chicago business people and how deals get done. Double bonus if you have a humorous anecdote or item. One more thing to keep in mind: Melissa comes from covering crime (in Baltimore) and before that politics (in Orlando, Fla.) – no fluff here.

Her column runs Sundays and Wednesdays. More details at the Tribune Web site. (Her contact info  is in the 2010 guide or find it in the 2010 Getting On Air, Online & Into Print resource forum–registration required).

Check out some pics taken at our CommuniCamp Open Space un-conference from Thursday October 29th at Film Row Cinema at Columbia College. View the photo gallery

Were you there? Do you have photos you want to share with us? Email cmw@newstips.org and we’ll add them to the gallery.

Also, check out the notes taken from the break out sessions on our Adventures in Nonprofit Communications site.

“I signed-up for CommuniCamp to learn practical skills, current best practices, new technologies and strategies that my undergraduate education in theatre 20 years ago may have missed! Having been involved with non-profits for nearly two decades now, I have great respect for Community Media Workshop and trust their ability to share the information specifically needed by community-based organizations operating on a wide scale and a small budget”. -  RoiAnn Phillips,Communications and Program Associate, HealthConnect One

Thursday, October 29; 9AM-5PM

Today nonprofit communicators are thinking more like journalists and journalists have a new appreciation for what it means to be “nonprofit” (for better or for worse).

• It’s about business: Which new models and new ways will best support news and nonprofit communications?

• It’s about media and tech: How will today’s Web 2.0 platforms change the way we tell our stories, cover our communities, and deliver our messages?

• It’s about content: Whose new voices and new stories will be heard in print, online and on the air?

• It’s about all of us: Who from among from among established and emerging communicators and reporters will help shape the future of news?

With this event we hope to build the conversation about how Chicago tells its stories within and across the city’s diverse communities. Call us if you have questions 312-369-6400 REGISTER TODAY!

Here is a sneak peek at some of the folks registered to attend CommuniCamp:

Erin Polgreen, Media Consortium

David Krumlauf, The Pierce Family Foundation

Kelly Kleiman, Freelance Writer/NFP Consultant

Esther Cepeda, 600words.com

Steve Rhodes, Beechwood Media Company

Toure Muhammed, Bean Soup Times

Edited by Jessica Rosenberg

Words on the Web

Jessica Rosenberg

When writing on the web, panelists stressed nonprofits avoid jargon and use clear, concise language.

Especially when writing emails, Annie Kinnard Williams of EMMA said to never underestimate the personal touch.  No one likes a mass email so when possible, address your reader by name or organization and keep the language conversational.  It’s best to put your organization’s name in the subject line – that way your email is searchable once in someone’s inbox.

“Short updates on a frequent basis” is a good rule of thumb for email messaging, said Williams.  Stick to a schedule and try to be consistent.  And don’t rely on images to communicate information because some people block images and won’t get the message.

Brad Flora of Windy Citizen recommends nonprofits start using blogs to tell their organization’s story. Keep the language simple in blogs too, he said.  Even though it sounds informal, it works.

He also suggests that blogs should include links to other sites or blogs because it tells your reader that you are an authority on your topic.  Images are good too – it creates a visual appeal for your reader.

“The title of a post is absolutely critical,” said Flora.  It’s one of the first things that will grab a reader’s attention.

A good way to generate traffic to your blog or site is to fill a hole in a conversation.  Find out what’s missing in someone else’s blog and provide them with the missing piece.  For example, Flora said if a blogger doesn’t have any photos that pertain to their post and you do, send them over and ask them to link back to your site. Read the rest of this entry »