2025 LMA Fest Agenda

9 a.m.-9:15 a.m.: Welcome and LMA Fest Kickoff | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Kick off LMA Fest with a warm welcome, a look at what’s ahead, and a few surprises to set the tone for an energizing week of learning, networking, and big ideas.

Welcome remarks presented by Jay Small and Liz White Notarangelo, co-CEOs, Local Media Association

9:15 a.m.-10 a.m.: The Evolving News Value Proposition and Navigating a Changing Ecosystem from Google News Initiative | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

What’s driving today’s news consumer—and what does that mean for the “local news value proposition” as we’ve traditionally understood it? In this session, the Google News Initiative team unpacks the latest research on shifting audience habits, emerging news providers, and what it means for the local news ecosystem. Get ready for sharp insights and takeaways that reveal what’s working, what’s fading, and what’s next for sustainable news.

Introduction by Nancy Lane, CEO Emeritus; Presenter. Arun Venkataraman, Global Research & Insights Lead, Global News Programs, Google;

Senior Leadership Track sponsor

Digital Revenue Track Sponsor

Senior Leadership Track: Roundtable with Industry Funders  | Room 100

Funding from philanthropic and corporate partners is an essential part of any local media company’s sustainability plan. In this session, we’ll hear from leading funders about how they make decisions, what they support, and where they are seeing the most impact.

Panelists: Chrissy Towle, director, news partnerships, Google; Duc Luu, director of sustainability initiatives/journalism, Knight Foundation. Moderator: Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer.

Digital Sales Track: Fast Cash: 4 Proven Revenue Wins in 45 Minutes | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Get ready for a fast-paced lightning round packed with genius revenue ideas and outside-the-box real-life examples from across the industry. You’ll leave with fresh inspiration and actionable takeaways you can bring back to your own market.

Panelists: Kelly Homewood, president, The Gazette; Walter White, senior vice president of advertising, The Cincinnati Herald; Christen Irving, director of revenue and audience engagement, Black Voice News; Leo Cusimano, publisher, president, CEO, Dallas Voice. Moderator: Robert Walker-Smith, digital revenue director, Knight x LMA BloomLab.

Senior Leadership Track: Next-Level Local: Expansion Strategies for Media Leaders | Room 100

Growing a local media company in today’s fast-changing landscape takes strategy, creativity, and bold moves. This session explores smart, scalable approaches to expansion — whether you’re launching new products, entering new markets, or deepening community impact. Hear from media leaders who are turning innovative ideas into sustainable growth, and walk away with actionable insights to fuel your next phase of impact.

Panelists: Kevin Hall, president and publisher, Georges Media Company; Chase Heatherly, president, King and Columbus, chief revenue officer, The Post and Courier; Ken Doctor, CEO and Founder, Lookout Local. Moderator: Liz White Notarangelo, co-CEOs, Local Media Association.

Digital Sales Track: The Content Playbook: What Advertisers Are Really Buying (and Why) | 621 Executive Dining Room

Be among the first to tap into new data revealing how and why advertisers are embracing content marketing—and where it fits within their broader digital strategies. Based on new survey findings from Borrell Associates and the Branded Content Project, this session delivers actionable insights into advertiser motivations, spending trends, and what makes a compelling pitch in today’s fractured media landscape.

Presenter: Corey Elliott, executive vice president, Borrell Associates. Introduction by Julia Campbell, chief business transformation officer, LMA.

Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch plus our Innovators of the Year | 621 Executive Dining Room

Join us for lunch, where we will recognize our Innovators of the Year and hear from our lunch sponsor.

Lunch remarks and awards presented by Tanisha Leonard, president, Pitch Black, and LMF board chair.

Senior Leadership Track: Donors, Dollars & Demonstrating Impact: How 3 Newsrooms Raised Philanthropic Funding to Drive Measurable Results in Their Local Communities | Room 100

As philanthropic support for journalism grows, the need to show tangible community impact has never been more crucial. In this candid and practical panel, leaders from three innovative newsrooms will share how they collectively raised a significant amount in philanthropic funding—and, more importantly, how they are using those dollars to drive measurable, mission-aligned outcomes in their local communities. Whether you’re just beginning your fundraising journey or looking to deepen your newsroom’s impact, this session will provide inspiration and real-world tactics for translating philanthropic support into meaningful change.

Panelists: Maritza L. Félix, founder and director, Conecta Arizona; Jane Wooldridge, senior director, journalism sustainability and partnerships, McClatchy; Dana Peck, digital solutions director, The AFRO-American. Moderator: John Celestand, director of funding services, Knight x LMA BloomLab.

Digital Sales Track: Real Events That Really Worked | Room 600 Classroom

Get an inside look at three standout event case studies that turned great ideas into real revenue. This session showcases what worked, why it worked, and how each event delivered results for both sponsors and audiences. Hear directly from the teams behind the wins and gather actionable takeaways to bring back to your market.

Panelists: Kea Cuaresma, chief revenue officer, Anchorage Daily News. Tanisha Leonard, president, Pitch Black, and LMF board chair; Reilly Kneedler, chief of staff, Wick Communications. Moderator: Dana Piccoli, managing director, News is Out.

Shaping Sustainable News: Data-Driven Insights from the News Sustainability Project | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Discover the key findings from the News Sustainability Project, a global initiative by GNI and FT Strategies that gathered financial and survey data from hundreds of news publishers to illuminate critical drivers of long-term sustainability. This session will unpack the results and offer actionable insights to help publishers strengthen their financial resilience and strategic positioning.

Presenter: George Adelman, director and head of partnerships. FT Strategies.

Built, Tested, Launched: AI Experiments That Made an Impact | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Curious how AI is actually being used in local newsrooms? This session highlights real experiments that moved from idea to implementation, showing how teams built, tested, and launched AI tools that made a difference. Get inspired by practical use cases, lessons learned, and strategies you can try in your own organization.

Panelists: Paris Brown, publisher, Baltimore Times; John Sahly, senior digital editor, Shaw Media; Jon Rust, president, Rust Communications. Moderator: John Humenik, program lead for FIMS Lab and AI Community Lab, LMA.

The Power of We: Innovating Community Impact Through Story and Strategy | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Join Gwyneth Gaul, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Philanthropy at Comcast NBCUniversal, and Shawn Mooring, Head of Philadelphia Programs at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, for a candid fireside chat on how cross-sector partnerships are sparking a new wave of innovation in their hometown of Philadelphia and beyond. They’ll pull back the curtain on the Economic Opportunity Lab, which unites media, philanthropy, and community organizations; highlight fresh programs debuting this year; and share the hard-won lessons—funding models, stakeholder alignment, showing impact —that keep their work both sustainable and scalable. Walk away with actionable insights for adapting new frameworks in any city to fuel local opportunity and inclusive growth.

Presenters: Gwyneth Gaul, head of strategic partnerships & philanthropy, Comcast NBCUniversal, Shawn Mooring, head of Philadelphia programs, Lenfest Institute for Journalism.

Senior Leadership Track: From Education to Action: Unpacking Results from the Inaugural Statewide Summit on the Local News Crisis| Room 100

Held in Michigan, the first Statewide Summit for Local News convened a diverse coalition of media executives, policymakers, funders, and community leaders to educate about the pressing challenges facing local journalism. This session delves into the tangible outcomes of the summit, highlighting initiatives that have emerged to bolster local news ecosystems. Attendees will gain insights into collaborative efforts, policy developments, and innovative strategies aimed at revitalizing local journalism and ensuring its long-term sustainability.

Presenters: Tim Franklin, Senior Associate Dean, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News, Medill School, Northwestern University; Judi Terzotis, chief executive officer, Georges Media Company. Moderator: Liz White Notarangelo, co-CEO, Local Media Association

Digital Sales Track: 10 Things You Should Be Doing Now To Grow Sales Revenue | Room 621 Executive Dining Room

Learn how to transform your audience data into revenue with practical insights and real-world case studies. This session will equip revenue leaders with actionable strategies to monetize first-party data, unlocking new revenue streams.

Presenters: Shannon Kinney, founder, Dream Local Digital, Peter Lamb, president, Lamb Consulting.

Room 621 Executive Dining Room

This hands-on workshop is built for media teams ready to put AI to work. You’ll explore practical tools, test real-world workflows, and learn how to integrate automation into your daily routines—without needing a tech background. Whether you’re in editorial, sales, or marketing, this session will help you boost efficiency and free up time for the work that matters most.

Workshop Leaders: Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer, LMA; Apryl Pilolli, director of technology services, Knight x LMA BloomLab; John Humenik, program lead for FIMS Lab and AI Community Lab, LMA.

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: (Private Session) Video Journalism Evolution: Connecting Good Journalism to the Modern-Day Consumer | 621 Executive Dining Room

Ready to supercharge your organization’s innovation? This high-impact session delivers actionable strategies to leverage video, social media, and content innovation, ensuring your company thrives by engaging new audiences and boosting revenue.

Presenter: Travis Jones, senior director of news enterprise growth, Scripps.

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: (Private Session) IMPACT as the Superpower of Local Journalism

WHY journalism’s impact matters so much; how to design for impact; and, how to track, measure, and tell your Impact Story.

Presenters: Frank Mungeam, chief innovation officer, LMA; Judi Terzotis, chief executive officer, Georges Media Company.