Top five takeaways from LMA Fest 2024

Liz White Notarangelo, incoming co-CEO of Local Media Association, greets the audience at LMA Fest 2024, along with J. Tom Shaw, association president.

I was fortunate to attend this year's LMA (Local Media Association) Fest in Chicago last week. The experience left me asking, "Why did I wait so long?" If you've never been to this conference, put it on your schedule/wish list for 2025, when they'll return to Chicago in late summer/early fall. Stay tuned. So, for my top takeaways:

1. Young and diverse

Even in the more progressive areas of the news media industry, I find it's still a very male-dominant, older industry that often lacks diversity. I know we all read and talk about diversity initiatives, but my first look around LMA Fest showed me that this group is brimming with youth, color and diversity of life experience. They walk the walk.

(Photo courtesy of the Local Media Association)

2. It’s all about sharing

Every session I attended included opportunities to share best practices and ample time for Q&A. Most of us would say that a large part of the value of attending conferences lies in the contacts we make and the sharing that happens. However, most of the sessions at LMA Fest seemed to be based on the value of sharing. Even their emphasis on "cohorts" has sharing and learning from others built in. Whenever I met someone new (who didn’t read the E&P on my nametag), the second question (after my name) was, “What cohort are you in?” Even though I was “cohortless," sharing and learning from others was a big part of my experience.

3. The importance of philanthropy

Philanthropy is increasingly considered the proverbial "third leg" of the revenue stool in news media. Several of the sessions at LMA Fest discussed philanthropy for news media outlets. Definitely, the most popular and highly informative session I attended was "Press Forward Presses Forward — What's Next for This Major Funding Effort" with Jim Brady, vice president, journalism, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Dale Anglin, director, Press Forward; and Silvia Rivera, director, local news, MacArthur Foundation on the panel. The session, moderated by Nancy Lane, co-CEO, LMA, was a fast-paced, info-packed session with, again, a good chunk of time allotted to Q&A at the end.

Another session, "Philanthropic Success Stories," showed how philanthropic support of all types is sustaining local journalism. This session, moderated by Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer of LMA, included inspirational stories and real-world advice from Elinor Tatum, publisher/editor-in-chief, New York Amsterdam News; Ashley Talley, enterprise executive producer, WRAL; and P.J. Browning, president, newspaper division, Evening Post Publishing. All three of these speakers are from outlets that are not only using philanthropy to keep the lights on but have found funders and opportunities to grow their local news projects and coverage.

4. Inspiration is everywhere

No one would dispute that we work in a challenging industry that is going through a difficult time. Throughout LMA Fest, however, whether in small group or one-on-one conversations, there was evidence that the people in this group are innovators and aren't about to take the challenges lying down. Probably the most down-to-earth yet inspiring session for me was another session moderated by Nancy Lane, "State of Local Media 2024 — CEO Roundtable." The panel included Judi Terzotis, president and publisher of The Advocate; Ken Doctor, CEO of Lookout Local; Catherine Badalamente, president and CEO of Graham Media Group; and Hiram Jackson, CEO of Real Times Media and publisher of Michigan Chronicle. This was a no-holds-barred, no-question-too-hard session with CEOs who are "making it work" in probably one of the toughest environments we've experienced in news media. They shared their strategies, stories, successes and difficulties with candor, insight and (much-needed) humor. I don't think anyone could have left this session uninspired.

5. Shot-in-the-arm

LMA Fest was the shot-in-the-arm I needed, and I believe that most of the 275 attendees left feeling the same way. I’ve only highlighted a few of the many valuable sessions offered. If you need inspiration, look into LMA. The association and its members are doing good work and paying it forward through sharing.

Robin Blinder is E&P's editor-in-chief. She has been with E&P for five years. She can be reached at robin@editorandpublisher.com.