LMA Fest 2025, August 19–21 at Chicago’s Gleacher Center, is built to give local media leaders practical tools, fresh strategies and connections that drive results. Whether your focus is revenue growth, audience engagement, product expansion or impact measurement, you’ll find sessions tailored to your challenges and opportunities.
Here’s a breakdown of 18 specific takeaways — and the sessions that will deliver them.
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1. What’s driving shifts in audience behavior
Session: The Evolving News Value Proposition and Navigating a Changing Ecosystem from Google News Initiative
Get research-backed insights into what’s working, what’s fading and what’s next for sustainable local news. Learn how emerging providers and changing habits are redefining the “local news value proposition.”
2. How to build partnerships that amplify community impact
Session: The Power of We: Innovating Community Impact Through Story and Strategy
Learn how collaborations between media, philanthropy and community organizations can spark innovation, align stakeholders and create sustainable programs that fuel opportunity and inclusive growth.
3. What funders want from local media
Session: Senior Leadership Track: Roundtable with Industry Funders
Hear directly from philanthropic and corporate partners about their priorities, decision-making and impact goals.
4. Scalable strategies for expansion
Session: Senior Leadership Track: Next-Level Local: Expansion Strategies for Media Leaders
Explore bold approaches for launching new products, entering new markets and deepening community impact.
5. How to turn philanthropic dollars into measurable results
Session: Senior Leadership Track: Donors, Dollars & Demonstrating Impact: How 3 Newsrooms Raised Philanthropic Funding to Drive Measurable Results in Their Local Communities
See how three newsrooms turned funding into mission-aligned, measurable community change.
6. Four quick-hit revenue wins you can deploy now
Session: Digital Sales Track: Fast Cash: 4 Proven Revenue Wins in 45 Minutes
A lightning round of tested ideas you can bring back to your market immediately.
7. What advertisers are really buying — and why
Session: Digital Sales Track: The Content Playbook: What Advertisers Are Really Buying (and Why)
New survey data from Borrell Associates reveals what makes an effective branded content pitch.
8. Event strategies that deliver sponsor and audience ROI
Session: Digital Sales Track: Real Events That Really Worked
Case studies from three markets on how to plan and execute profitable, high-impact events.
9. How to build a podcast strategy that works
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born: Small Table Talks on Hot Topics in Local Media – Table Talk #1: Building a podcast strategy
Practical frameworks for creating a podcast that drives audience growth and revenue.
10. Selling journalism and products as a value proposition
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #2: Selling what we stand for: Turning journalism and products into revenue
Learn how to connect your mission to the sales conversation.
11. Easy AI workflow wins for busy teams
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #3: Easy AI workflow wins
Low-barrier AI solutions that save time without requiring heavy tech expertise.
12. Turning ‘zero-dollar’ clients into revenue
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #4: Sales strategy for zero-dollar clients
Tactics for converting tough prospects into paying accounts.
13. Small-donor fundraising strategies
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #13: What works best for small-donor campaigns
Ways to attract and retain donors giving at modest levels.
14. Philanthropy strategies that strengthen newsrooms
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #5: Philanthropy strategies for news
Learn approaches for diversifying and sustaining philanthropic support.
15. How to create successful news collaborations
Session: Where Big Ideas Are Born – Table Talk #6: Creating successful news collaborations
Blueprints for partnerships that expand coverage and impact.
16. Data-driven insights for financial sustainability
Session: Shaping Sustainable News: Data-Driven Insights from the News Sustainability Project
Global findings from Google News Initiative and FT Strategies on the key drivers of resilience.
17. Real newsroom AI experiments
Session: Built, Tested, Launched: AI Experiments That Made an Impact
Case studies of AI tools that moved from concept to implementation with tangible results.
18. 10 ways to grow sales revenue now
Session: Digital Sales Track: 10 Things You Should Be Doing Now To Grow Sales Revenue
Actionable strategies to monetize first-party data and expand revenue streams.
Editor’s note: Artificial Intelligence was used to create a first draft of this list from the original agenda; the list was then edited by LMA staff.