As we celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, we’re looking back at four stories that topped the list of what local media leaders were reading on the Local Media Association website for the first half of 2026.
We’re calling it “Four for the Fourth!”
1. Winning with zero and first-party data: A practical playbook for local media
Privacy regulations are rewriting the rules of digital advertising, and publishers are scrambling to keep up. That’s probably why Todd Handy’s conversation on Keep It Local became one of the year’s most-clicked stories so far.
Handy, CEO of Disruptive Impact and author of this Local Media Innovation Insights (LMII) report, made the case plainly: anonymous audiences are losing value fast, and publishers who build direct relationships through zero-party and first-party data are the ones who’ll come out ahead.
Better revenue, better personalization, better results for advertisers.
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2. How broadcast stations can turn “Best Of” into a six-figure revenue engine
A lot of broadcasters have always thought of “Best Of” contests as a newspaper thing. Julie Foley says they’re leaving serious money on the table.
In a “Keep It Local” conversation, Foley made the argument that TV and radio stations might actually be better positioned to win with “Best Of” programs — thanks to daily reach, trusted on-air personalities and real promotional firepower. She backed it up with real numbers: stations pulling in tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars a year through nominations, voting campaigns, sponsorships, text-to-vote and self-serve advertising.
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3. Pitch Day winners showcase local journalism’s power as a convener
Our recap of the latest Pitch Day competition, part of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, was the most-read story in that space this year so far.
Yes, this was a winners list, and those are always popular. But this article went beyond that, showcasing the opportunity for local newsrooms to be more of a connector and convener. The piece highlighted the five best practices for earning philanthropic support for journalism.
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4. The “context” era of news
Frank Mungeam’s piece, drawing on new research from Frank N. Magid Associates presented at the 2026 NAB Show, challenged a core assumption about what local news is even competing for anymore. It’s not consumption. It’s attention. And in a world flooded with AI summaries, social feeds and endless content, being first to a story is no longer the edge it used to be.
The argument: breaking news is giving way to something bigger — the era of context. Audiences don’t just want the news. They want to understand what it means, how it affects them and what comes next. That question — what does success look like in the age of AI? — is one every newsroom is wrestling with right now.
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Looking ahead
Four stories, four themes: stronger audience relationships, smarter revenue, sustainable funding and a look at where journalism is heading.
What would you like to read more about on the Local Media Association website? Who would you like to hear from on the next Keep It Local podcast? Message Ryan Welton at ryan.welton@localmedia.org.
Have a safe, fun Independence Day weekend!
Editor’s note: AI was used to create a first draft of this article, which was then added to and edited by a human. The cover image was put together in ChatGPT but with elements and images created by a human.