In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, traffic to U.S. news sites has been staggering. In the month of March, the TownNews network — made up of more than 2,000 newspaper, TV, radio and web-native news organizations — delivered more than one billion pageviews, a 51% increase over the prior 31-day period. During the same period, overall user sessions were up 59%, to more than 606 million, while first-time visitors rose 55%. more

“Just the FAQs LIVE: Conversations about Coronavirus” is hosted by Megan Finnerty, founder and director of the Storytellers Project and Storytellers Brand Studio at Gannett. The live episodes will run roughly 30 minutes and will include a round-robin report bringing together local Gannett journalists to share what is happening in their communities and an established thought leader or expert to share insights on COVID-19. more

A.H. Belo Corp., the parent company of The Dallas Morning News, announced across-the-board pay cuts at its properties and a 50% cut to its quarterly dividend while also saying it is tapping into its cash reserves to somewhat mitigate revenue losses attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. There will be no layoffs or furloughs for now, the company said in a regulatory filing. more

The free resource pulls in legislation, so journalists can easily track and monitor legislation in one spot, which is particularly helpful to those reporting on multiple states. more

America’s Newspapers is joining the News Media Alliance (the Alliance), the National Newspaper Association (NNA) and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in asking Congress to take action on two measures that would help ensure newspapers, radio and television stations can continue to provide critical news and information during the COVID-19 pandemic. more

The COVID-19 crisis is pushing newspaper executives to take unprecedented measures to ensure their sustainability and relevance in a post-pandemic world, according to a survey conducted by Cribb, Greene & Cope. more

Just as communities generously support their restaurants and favorite stores by ordering take-out meals and gift cards, we hope you will also remember to support the staff of your local newspaper and the vital work newspapers do by subscribing in print or online. They are your neighbors — and they’ve got your back. more

A. H. Belo Corporation has promoted Katy Murray to executive vice president, reflecting a broader role she has taken on at the parent company of The Dallas Morning News. more

With the election of Paul Taylor, there are now 22 members of the Hearst board of directors, elected by the trustees of the Hearst Family Trust. more

Gannett Co., Inc. has announced the appointment of Douglas E. Horne as chief financial officer. He succeeds Alison “Ali” Engel, who stepped down at the end of the first quarter. more

Reacting to a collapse of local business, on Monday, April 6, the Duluth (Minnesota) News Tribune began to print and deliver a daily printed newspaper of 12 pages in a single section Monday through Saturday. more

"Newspapers have your back," reads a new marketing campaign being rolled out by America's Newspapers.  "We are grateful for those who have our back in this important time."

Newspapers can download a series of print and social media ads at no cost and add their own subscription marketing message to the ads.

Download the ads FREE. more

In light of COVID-19, people are overwhelmed with news of the virus — both globally and locally. As media companies, you have a vital role to provide information, updates and distractions to your audience. While people are saturated with news from so many sources, email is critical as it’s the only message you can guarantee your audience will receive. Check out these  email tips around COVID-19 from Second Street. more

As the economy wrestles with the effects of COVID-19, advertisers pull their spending and local media companies struggle to know where to focus their marketing efforts. But the response shouldn’t be to pull spending; it should be to divert it. Money is on the move. more

The Patriot-News, part of PA Media Group, has begun publishing a series highlighting coronavirus heroes — shining a spotlight on people displaying acts of kindness. more

Now that it’s been a coronavirus world for several weeks, we have a clearer picture of what works as effective service journalism in a crisis, and how those takeaways might inform the practice more generally. A few of the lessons include newsletters, which can be a great tool for cultivating loyal readers, and listening to your readers, which  is always the right answer. more

The News Media Alliance has partnered with the Ad Council to provide print and digital PSAs for newspapers’ use to help raise awareness about the importance of practicing social distancing during the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. more

Rex Maynor has been named publisher of The Natchez (Mississippi) Democrat, Natchez The Magazine, The Brookhaven Daily Leader, Brookhaven Magazine, the Prentiss Headlight and related digital and print products. more

With everyone doing their part to shelter in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's become even more challenging for the News-Press to serve the greater St. Joseph area with print alone. In times of global crisis, readers are hungry for breaking news — and the e-Edition offered by the News-Press helps to meet that need. more

Suspending print publication of its 14 suburban Chicago weeklies was not enough to save 22nd Century Media, which announced March 31 that it was ceasing operations. The cause was the severe drop in advertising revenue as its local businesses closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. more