Business transformation is one of our four strategic pillars. To LMA and LMF, business transformation in the local media industry can mean many things: innovations in advertising and marketing services; new approaches to sales and revenue management; new product development; consumer revenue and membership models, and more.
Current initiatives such as The Branded Content Project, the Family and Independent Media Lab (FIMS), LMA Digital Club, and past programs such as the GNI Subscriptions Lab reflect our commitment to researching, supporting, and leading business transformation efforts for the future of local media. We also believe work toward our other strategic pillars — industry collaboration, journalism funded by philanthropy, and sustainability for publishers of color — represents profound business transformation opportunities.
Here are recent articles on our work to support business transformation in local media.
AI roadmap for local broadcasters: Key lessons from LMA’s year-long initiative
A year-long Local Media Association initiative with 10 broadcast companies reveals practical ways to use artificial intelligence, protect newsroom content, create new revenue opportunities and preserve audience trust. Artificial intelligence is no longer a technology local news organizations can afford to simply experiment with on the sidelines. It’s already changing how journalists work, how audiences…
LMA announces 12 newsrooms in the LMA / GNI AI Growth Lab
(November 2026) — Local Media Association is pleased to announce the 12 news organizations selected to participate in the LMA / GNI AI Growth Lab. Led by the Local Media Association in partnership with Google, this six-month initiative equips local newsrooms with practical strategies and hands-on experience in integrating artificial intelligence into their news organizations…
Apply now: Join the Audience & Community Futures Lab
Local media companies are invited to apply to the Audience & Community Futures Lab, a seven-month program that helps newsrooms grow their audiences, deepen community ties and get ready for what audience engagement looks like next. Led by Local Media Association and Local Media Consortium, the Lab builds on years of work helping local publishers…
Coaching, strategy building, innovation, sustainability at core of LMA’s FIMS Lab
If you’re in local media, you never really stop learning. That’s the experience of executives from 19 local news organizations who, as members of Local Media Association’s Family and Independent Media Sustainability Lab, work collaboratively to turn insights into actions that strengthen their operations. The FIMS Lab assists small-to-midsize local media companies in the United…
One year in, the Economic Opportunity Lab releases a playbook for local newsrooms
A partnership between Local Media Association, Comcast NBCUniversal, and Opportunity Insights produced a year of data-driven journalism across five U.S. regions — and a free guide for newsrooms who want to do the same. A year after its launch, the Economic Opportunity Lab has released a new playbook designed to help local newsrooms, city governments,…
Why legacy matters
“Legacy” media. We use the phrase as shorthand for “media that have failed to change with the times.” I get that. Lost, though, is another aspect of the meaning of “legacy”: what you are known for — your reputation earned over time for your work. A news organization’s legacy matters in three important ways, and…
Expanding ‘fractional exec’ services, born in BloomLab, offer new ways to add top talent to your team
If you need senior-level talent to fill gaps for your team in technology, revenue or funding development — but can’t afford to add full-time employees — Local Media Association and Local Media Foundation may have a great answer. Three “fractional executive” services for local news outlets, originally developed by LMA/LMF as part of the Knight…
Borrell report: How local advertisers are using content marketing and what it means for local media
Content marketing is helping local advertisers grow, connect with audiences, and tell stronger stories. Understanding how businesses use it today is key to unlocking new revenue opportunities for local media. The Content Marketing Advertiser Study from Borrell Associates and The Branded Content Project answers important questions, including: Click here to read more and to download…
LMA/LMF 2025 Impact Report
We’re proud to share inspiring stories of news media organizations that have benefited from our programs Dear Friends of LMA and LMF, Many great things happened in LMA/LMF programs in 2025, and this report tells those stories of successes for local media of all kinds and sizes. We would seem naive, however, if we did not acknowledge…
How news audiences feel about AI use by newsrooms: What a new LMA–Trusting News survey reveals
As newsrooms experiment with artificial intelligence to create greater efficiency, one question looms large: Are their audiences comfortable with them using AI? A new national survey funded by Walton Family Foundation and conducted by Local Media Association and Trusting News offers one of the clearest answers yet — and it comes directly from engaged local…
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