The Local News Matters Podcast
Ideas and insights for leaders shaping the future of local news
Local News Matters is the podcast where current and emerging local news leaders explore the challenges, opportunities and big questions shaping the industry. Hosted by Tim Regan-Porter, CEO of the Colorado Press Association, each episode features in-depth conversations with journalists, publishers, funders, entrepreneurs and innovators working to strengthen and sustain local news as a pillar of healthier communities.
We explore actionable strategies, leadership insights and industry shifts that impact newsrooms, business models and the communities they serve.
Join the Conversation
Whether you’re leading a news organization, launching a media startup, funding journalism, or simply invested in the future of news, this podcast is for you. Subscribe in your favorite podcast player and be part of the movement to strengthen journalism, build sustainable news organizations and empower communities.
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Browse our latest episodes below.
Newest episode
Finding calm in the chaos with 10% Happier’s Dan Harris (LNM Episode 52)
Dan Harris, podcast host, author of 10% Happier and former ABC News anchor, shares his journey from covering war zones to discovering mindfulness and meditation. He discusses the toll of high-stress journalism on mental health, including his on-air panic attack, and...
Past episodes
Prioritizing people, well-being and resilience in journalism with API’s Samantha Ragland (LNM Episode 51)
Samantha Ragland, vice president of journalism programs at the American Press Institute, shares practical strategies for fostering mental health and well-being in newsrooms. She highlights how prioritizing people can lead to exceptional journalism and stronger...
Tackling burnout in journalism with RJI’s Randy Picht and SmithGeiger’s Andrew Finlayson (LNM Episode 50)
Randy Picht, executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, and Andrew Finlayson, executive vice president of digital and AI strategies at SmithGeiger, share insights from their landmark study on burnout in journalism. They discuss why 80% of...
From “fried and frozen” to thriving: Helping local newsrooms serve communities with COLab’s Laura Frank (LNM Episode 49)
Laura Frank, head of the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), shares insights into sustaining local journalism through collaboration, innovation and addressing critical challenges. She highlights COLab’s role in supporting over 180 Colorado newsrooms with reporting,...
Slowing down and training the next generation of storytellers with Lede New Orleans’ Jennifer Larino (LNM Episode 48)
Jennifer Larino, executive director of Lede New Orleans, shares how her organization is reshaping local journalism by training young BIPOC storytellers to address community information needs. She discusses the origins of Lede New Orleans, the challenges of building an...
Bay City News’ unconventional model to serve newsrooms and communities with Katherine Ann Rowlands (LNM Episode 47)
Katherine Ann Rowlands, owner and publisher of Bay City News, shares insights into the unique hybrid model of her organization, which has served the San Francisco Bay Area with round-the-clock news coverage for 45 years. She discusses Bay City News’ evolution from a...
Inside O’Rourke Media Group’s community-first approach with Jim O’Rourke (LNM Episode 46)
Jim O'Rourke, CEO and founder of O'Rourke Media Group, shares his journey in local media, from delivering newspapers as a kid to founding a rapidly growing digital-first publishing chain. O'Rourke discusses his approach to acquiring and revitalizing local newspapers,...
Past guests on the Local News Matters podcast include: Dan Harris (10% Happier), Samantha Ragland (American Press Institute), Randy Picht and Andrew Finlayson (RJI Burnout Report), Laura Frank (COLab), Jennifer Larino (Lede New Orleans), Katherine Ann Rowlands (Bay City News), Jim O’Rourke (O’Rourke Media Group), Teri Finneman, Nick Mathews and Pat Ferrucci (Reviving Local News), Nic Dawes (THE CITY), Allison Taylor Levine (Local News Initiative Delaware), Crystal Good (Black by God), Lisa Snowden (Baltimore Beat), Karen Rundlet (INN), Jim Brady (Knight Foundation), Candice Fortman (Exit interview, Outlier Media), Jean Friedman-Rudovsky (Resolve Philly), Jay Rosen (NYU), Sue Cross (Exit interview, INN), Mary Margaret White (Mississippi Today), Amy Kovac-Ashley (Tiny News Collective), Michael Shapiro (TAPinto), Kenny Katzgrau (redbankgreen and Broadstreet), John Garrett (Community Impact), Shannon Kinney (Dream Local Digital), Larry Ryckman (The Colorado Sun), Frank Mungeam (Local Media Association), Kelly Ann Scott (Alabama Media Group), Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita (URL Media), Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro (National Trust for Local News), Mike Rispoli and Richard Young (via When the People Decide), Sarabeth Berman (American Journalism Project), Rabbi Hillel Goldberg and Shana Goldberg (Intermountain Jewish News), Lyndsay C. Green (via The Journalism Salute), Rashad Mahmood and Mark Glaser (New Mexico Local News Fund), Christian Vanek and Barbara Hardt (The Mountain-Ear), Dan Grech (BizHack), Zack Richner (Easy Tax Credits), Tracie Powell (Pivot Fund), Dan Oshinsky (Inbox Collective), Linda Shapley (via What Works), Yehong Zhu and Jake Seaton (Zette, Column), Charity Huff (January Spring), Joaquin Alvarado and Dave Perry (Aurora Sentinel), Steve Waldman (Rebuild Local News), Maritza Félix (Conecta Arizona), Michael Bolden (American Press Institute), Jeff Roberts and Corey Hutchins (CFOIC, Colorado College), Eve Pearlman and Erica Anderson (Spaceship Media), Jennifer Brandel (Hearken, Democracy SOS), Corey Hutchins with Bay Edwards, Todd Chamberlain and Raleigh Burleigh (Sopris Sun).