Supporting Media Viability - Knowledge Exchange Webinars

"Diversify funding of the media house, also among the grant funders. This way, you do not become dependent on one funder."

In this series of webinars, media practitioners from the Global South share experiences and initiatives that have helped their media outlets become more viable. Discussions cover different income streams and business models of media, access to (online) advertisement, the impact of big tech, and the way independent media are affected by the contexts in which they operate.

The webinars form part of the 'Supporting Media Viability' project, which was co-implemented by Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The project focused on the feasibility of possible solutions to preserve media viability without compromise to editorial independence and the integrity of journalism. The countries involved were Brazil, El Salvador, Indonesia, Jamaica, Lebanon, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, and Tunisia. The webinars were organised to bring together media outlets from these countries to exchange ideas and share inspiring solutions (see Related Summary below, which is a report that highlights the results of a consultation with media professionals from these 10 countries looking at how they remain viable and generate income in difficult times).

The webinars are as follows (the links take you to the video recording and, in some cases, also to a list of key takeaways from the webinars):

Monetizing Trust - Best Practices for a Membership Model, November 30 2021 - Speakers: Alina Radu, CEO of Ziarul de Garda (Moldova), and Enrique Gasteazoro and Cinthia Membreno, CEO and Audience Loyalty Member, respectively, of Confidencial (Nicaragua). One of the takeaways from this webinar around building a membership model is to share information as much as possible: Members support media outlets because they believe in what that media outlet does. It is, therefore, important to tell one's story and share the impact of one's work.

(Native) Advertising by Niche Media, December 7 2021 - Speakers: Devi Asmarani, founder and editor-in-chief of Magdalene (Indonesia), and Japleen Pasricha, founder and CEO of Feminism in India (India). In this webinar, the media houses, which both develop content from a feminist perspective, interviewed each other about their business model. One takeaway is the importance of reputation and branding, especially if the media outlet is a niche platform.

Reselling Content: Turning Editorial Content into Saleable and Scaleable Products, December 14 2021 - Speakers: Laura Daicz, manager of Mutante (Colombia), and Paula Miraglia, CEO of Nexo Jornal (Brazil). At the heart of the conversation was the message to keep true to the mission of the medium while reselling content.

Community Radio: Diversifying Income Models, December 15 2021 - Speakers: Thabang Pusoyabone, manager of Riverside Radio (South Africa), and Carol Taylor, Administrator of Roots FM (Jamaica). In this exchange, the speakers discussed best practices for community radio around grant funding, commercial collaborations with companies, local council airtime, and music packages for upcoming artists.

Fact Checking as a Business Model, January 26 2022 - Speakers: Laura Zommer, Executive Director of Chequeado (Argentina), and Layal Bahnam, Programme Manager at Maharat News (Lebanon). In this exchange, the speakers discussed best practices of fact-checking, the role of fact-checking in fighting disinformation, and creation of a business model that benefits from fact-checking content.