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PODCAST

Small Press, Big Ideas

Small Press, Big Ideas is a podcast about the business of local news and community journalism in the US. Host Paul Gewuerz interviews entrepreneurs and journalists in the field to get their take on what"s working, what isn"t, and how local publishers can thrive in today"s rapidly changing media landscape.

business business news

All Episodes

30:58

Building a sustainable local news engine in Edmonton

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/18

Today on the podcast Karen Unland, co founder of Taproot Publishing, shares how Taproot evolved from occasional stories into a newsletter driven media engine with sponsorships, memberships, and B2B briefing products. She also discusses how AI tools support their workflow, how they built a large scale local election matching tool, and why their goal is to become Edmonton’s publication of choice.Links: Taproot Edmonton https://edmonton.taproot.news/ Karen

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37:41

The business of saving community newspapers

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/16

Jerry Raehal has spent his career inside community newspapers across Colorado, Wyoming, Louisiana, and now Nebraska. In this conversation he shares what he has learned about turning struggling papers into profitable, community focused institutions and why curiosity and experimentation are essential for local media to survive. We explore how small newspapers are adapting to digital distribution, why local advertising still works, and what many publishers misunderstand about their own audience

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19:59

Behind the scenes at a modern city magazine

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/14

In this episode, Paul talks with Todd Lemke, publisher and owner of Omaha Magazine LTD. Todd shares the story of how he moved from selling real estate in the early 1980s to building one of Omaha’s most recognized lifestyle media brands.The conversation explores how local city magazines have evolved over the past four decades, how diversified revenue keeps independent media sustainable, and why niche publishing has remained resilient even as traditional newspapers struggled. Todd also discusses

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29:05

Closing the local news gap one neighborhood at a time

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/11

Wes Platt, founder and publisher of Southpoint Access, joins the show to share how he built a hyperlocal news outlet serving South Durham and surrounding communities in North Carolina.With a background in print journalism at the St. Petersburg Times and The Herald Sun, plus experience in video game design and technical writing, Wes brings a unique blend of editorial depth and technical fluency to his independent newsroom. He discusses why he launched Southpoint Access, how he identified a

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26:24

A real world case study for sustainable local news

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/09

In this episode, Paul sits down with Tony Mecia, founder and editor of the Charlotte Ledger, to talk about building a sustainable local news business in 2026. Tony shares how he launched the Ledger as a solo newsletter in 2019 after years at the Charlotte Observer and grew it into a four person newsroom with 5,000 paid subscribers. They discuss subscription first revenue, the evolution of Substack, the realities of scaling local media, and why original reporting remains a defensible moat, even in

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33:12

Egg prices and the future of local service reporting

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/07

Bryan Vance is building something different in local media. After being laid off in 2025, he launched Stumptown Savings, a hyperlocal newsletter serving Portland residents with one clear mission: help people shop smarter and save money: especially on groceries.It’s part consumer advocacy, part local journalism, and part service journalism, all grounded in real data. Links: Bryan Vance https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmvance/ Stumptown Savings https://stumptownsavings.com/ CurioCity

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45:51

After the headlines fade: the real work of local news

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/04

Veteran journalist Frank Scandale, News Director at the Asbury Park Press, joins Paul to unpack 45 years in local news: from typewriters to Twitter, from Columbine to 9/11, and from booming newsrooms to today’s lean investigative teams.Frank shares firsthand insight into covering historic tragedies as a local newsroom leader, the evolving fight for public records, and why deep-dive journalism remains essential to democracy. He also reflects on where the industry stumbled in the digital

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37:51

Local news needs to hit some singles

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/03/02

Chris Fusco, Executive Editor of The Sacramento Bee, joins the show to talk about leading a 169 year old newsroom into the future of local journalism.From his early days covering suburban night meetings in Chicago to overseeing investigative teams in Houston and California, Chris reflects on the evolution of local news, the realities of competition, and why the “demise of local journalism” has been greatly exaggerated. Links: Chris

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50:13

Why local journalism needs operators, not just reporters

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/28

Carol Wood, founder of Emerge Media Group, joins the show for a deep dive into the business and operational backbone of local journalism. With a career spanning editorial reporting, business ownership, and nonprofit leadership, Carol understands both the newsroom and the balance sheet. From her early days as a cops and crime reporter at the Rocky Mountain News to co-founding BizWest Media and serving as COO of The Colorado Sun, Carol has spent decades helping local news organizations survive and

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40:30

Kiosks, retention & real ROI

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/25

In this episode, Paul sits down with Lon Haenel, publisher of Decorah News, founder of Local News ROI, and Chief Client Officer at Newspaper Subscription Services.Lon shares his unconventional path through local media from selling ads in the late 1990s to launching digital services, leading circulation teams at major dailies, and ultimately building businesses focused on sustainable audience growth. Links: Lon Haenel - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonhaenel/ Decorah

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29:27

Can we fix social media’s news problem?

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/23

Jack Brewster, founder and CEO of Newsreel, joins the show to talk about reinventing journalism for the algorithmic age. A former politics reporter at Forbes and investigative editor at NewsGuard, Jack has reported on misinformation, social media manipulation, and the structural incentives that shape today’s digital landscape.Now, he’s building a new kind of platform, one designed to compete with social media not by maximizing time spent, but by maximizing understanding. In this conversation, we

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33:01

A new model for local news on streaming platforms

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/21

Todd Landfried, co founder and CEO of N2 Media Holdings, joins the show to discuss a bold reimagining of local news in the streaming era.Todd shares his unconventional path from rural economic development work with the USDA to radio and podcasting and how those experiences led him to confront a growing problem: the collapse of sustainable, high quality local news. His solution? The Local: a statewide, streaming first local news model built specifically for platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and

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31:42

Rebuilding hyperlocal news in the capital of the world

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/18

Vernon Jones is the founder and CEO of NYC Newswire, NYC News Network, and Jig Media, and he's exploring a bold new model for hyperlocal journalism in New York City.Vernon shares how his journey from running a 35 employee commercial cleaning company led him into domain investing, and ultimately into building a scalable, tech enabled network of niche media properties focused entirely on New York City. At a time when many claim “local news is dead,” Vernon is betting on the opposite: that

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37:41

Reviving a beloved alt weekly

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/16

In this episode, Paul sits down with Jason Joyce, publisher of Isthmus, a nonprofit, independent news source based in Madison, Wisconsin. With a career deeply rooted in local media, Jason shares his unique perspective on the evolution of alt weeklies, the revival of Isthmus post-COVID, and how the paper is thriving through nonprofit reinvention.Links: Jason Joyce - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjoyce/ Isthmus https://isthmus.com/ --- This podcast is sponsored by

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32:50

What it takes to run a major local newsroom in 2026

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/14

In this episode, Paul sits down with Mark Russell, Executive Editor of the Commercial Appeal and South Regional Editor for the USA Today Network, to talk about the realities, and future, of local journalism in the American South. With more than four decades in newsrooms across the country, Mark brings a grounded, practical perspective on how legacy publications are adapting to digital change while continuing to serve their communities. Links: Mark Russell -

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41:30

Building a media company with just two people (and...

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/11

Today Paul speaks with Mark Talkington, founder of Valley Voice Media and co-creator of Satchel, an AI powered reporting tool, about his unique path from traditional journalism to tech powered local news innovation.Mark shares how a career that began in weekly newspapers led him to help launch ESPN.com, build tools at Microsoft, and ultimately return to community journalism in Palm Springs, California. What started as a side project Substack during the pandemic has grown into a thriving local

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36:00

Why AI isn’t just another tech disruption

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/09

In this episode, Paul speaks with Greg Krehbiel, president of The Krehbiel Group, about the accelerating disruption AI poses to publishing, local media, and the broader economy. Greg shares insights from his decades long career in B2B publishing and his current work helping publishers bridge the gap between technology and strategy. They talk about why AI may not be "just another wave of disruption", the existential threat AI poses to jobs across industries, how local publishers can retain relevance

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38:08

Saving a struggling local newspaper

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/07

Today on the podcast Laura Rearwin Ward shares the gritty, hands on journey of taking over a struggling local newspaper, turning it around from the brink of bankruptcy, and championing independent journalism across California.Links: Laura Rearwin Ward - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-rearwin-ward-564b2466/ Ojai Valley News https://www.ojaivalleynews.com/ California Independent News Alliance (CINA) https://cina.news/ --- This podcast is sponsored by

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31:52

Fixing broken local events discovery

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/04

Today Paul talks with Brian Feister, a longtime software engineer and the creator of Meet Near Me: a platform designed to make it easier for publishers to gather and share local event data. Brian shares how his early WordPress plugin attempts evolved into a full fledged platform aimed at local publishers, newsletters, and community organizations. He explains how Meet Near Me tackles the real challenge of aggregating hyper local events like open mic nights, high school sports, or city parades,

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42:04

The challenges of rural local news

Small Press, Big Ideas ·

2026/02/02

Today Paul speaks with Jordan Brechenser, president and publisher at Vermont News and Media, about the unique and pressing challenges facing local newspapers in rural America. The discussion dives deep into the economics of print journalism, the critical shift to mail based delivery due to rising costs, and the strain placed on rural postal infrastructure. Jordan offers candid insight into how these shifts impact both newspapers and the communities they serve.Links: Jordan Brechenser -

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