This preliminary research on hyperlocal online news sites was presented at the Broadcast Education Association in April 2013. The work is part of the Media Deserts Project, Dr. Michelle Ferrier, principal investigator.

1. Hyperlocal Online News
Where is the Diversity in Ownership/Representation?
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, School of Communications, Elon University, Elon, NC
@mediaghosts; mferrier@elon.edu

2. • Associate Professor
School of Communications,
Elon University, NC; mferrier@elon.edu;
Twitter: @mediaghosts
• Founder, LocallyGrownNews.com
info@locallygrownnews.com;
Twitter: @localize_nc
• For More Information on
Media Entrepreneurship Vision:
http://nabjdigital.wordpress.com/tag/dr-
michelle-ferrier/
• www.newmediainnovators.com
• http://www.poynter.org/author/michelle
michelleferrier-com/
Educator
Entrepreneur
Mentor
Scholar
New Media Innovator
Dr. Michelle Ferrier

3. Media Deserts Project
 Using GIS tools, we map
“media deserts” --
places where fresh
news and information is
lacking.
 Multi-method study
using quantitative,
qualitative and
ethnographic research
methods.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

4. 
More than 120 newspapers have ceased operation in
the United States since 2008. Our map will help
monitor the system over time and focus attention
and resources where they are most needed.
 We’re using GIS tools to create a “climate” map that
tracks changes in the reach and depth of community
news.
 We’re using open geographic information systems
software to overlay existing daily and weekly
newspaper circulation data, hyperlocal online news
sites, demographic and community data.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

5. What is a “Media Desert”?
Working Definition
 A media desert is a
geographic area that is
lacking fresh news and
information.
 This condition may be as a
result of a lack of content,
access, language barriers
and other issues.
Framework of Analysis
 I use Lawrence Lessig’s concept
of communications
architecture:
 CODE: Language, spoken or
written or computer languages
 CONTENT: News, information,
images
 CONDUIT: Newspapers, radio,
mobile.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

6. Mapping Newspaper Circulation
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

7. Overlapping service areas for 12 newspapers in NC. Three newspapers in our pilot did not
have ABC data for multiple years.
Mapping Circulation Data
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

8. Average Annual Change
in Circulation
-4% 0% 4%
Newspaper Circulation Change: 2007 to 2011
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

9. Results for PiedmontTriad Region
 Contrary to our hypotheses, the
outlying reach of the newspaper
improved or held steady. In the core
of Guilford County, we see erosion of
the circulation, an area that was a
more circulation-rich region for the
newspaper. The newspaper lost the
most subscribers right in their back
yard.
 We then analyzed the locales with
the greatest change against
education level and income levels
using 2000 census data to determine
if correlations exist.
 Statistical analysis using Ordinary
Least Squares Regression suggests a
very weak positive relationship
between Median Household Income
and Change in Circulation (R2 = 0.16,
p < 0.1). A $10,000 decrease in
Median Household Income results in
a %0.02 larger drop in Circulation.
 Similarly, the data suggest a
very weak positive relationship
between the % of people with At
Least Some College and Change in
Circulation (R2 = 0.12, p < 0.05). A
10% reduction in the number of
people with some college results in a
%0.08 larger drop in Circulation.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

10. Hyperlocal Online News Sites
 CJR.org created a database
of hyperlocal online news
sites.
 Like Placeblogger.com, it is
an attempt to identify who is
creating content where.
 Maps are still pinpoints as
was the case with the
newspaper changes.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

11. I found the CJR
Guide to Online
News Startups
provides state-level
data in their
searches, but no
demographic reach
data for its entries.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

12. Hyperlocal Online News Layer
Ethnographic
Research:
Engaged in
communities of
interest for
more than 5
years.
FB: Local Indie
Online
Publishers
represents the
most formalized
of these groups.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

13. Local Indie Online Publishers
This closed group
has 144
members:
From the avatars,
126 have
identifiable facial
features or are
known to me.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

14. Local Indie Online Publishers
Only 7 of the
avatars/known
people are
people of
color…or 5.5
percent of this
emerging news
environment.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

15. Hyperlocal Online News Layer
Quantitative Analysis
 We examine the geographic
footprint or reach of
132 online hyperlocal news
sites.
 We identify the zip codes
covered from this data.
 We collect demographics from
census data and from site-
specific demographics as
available on gender, education,
HHI, and ethnicity.
Qualitative Analysis
 We are collecting “home page”
screen grabs of each of the 132
sites for 14 days.
 Our content analysis focuses on
story coverage and on a visual
analysis of the sites.
 The resulting report will look at
the representation of the
community in the content of
the site.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

16. The student work is collected into a wiki, where we can map our geographic footprints
and aggregate the content analysis for each hyperlocal online news site.
Hyperlocal Online News Layer
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts

17.  Associate Professor
School of Communications,
Elon University, NC; mferrier@elon.edu;
Twitter: @mediaghosts
 Founder, LocallyGrownNews.com
info@locallygrownnews.com;
Twitter: @localize_nc
 For More Information on
Media Entrepreneurship Vision:
http://nabjdigital.wordpress.com/tag/dr-
michelle-ferrier/
 www.newmediainnovators.com
 http://www.poynter.org/author/michellemi
chelleferrier-com/
Educator
Entrepreneur
Mentor
Scholar
New Media Innovator
Dr. Michelle Ferrier

18. MediaDeserts:Dr.MichelleFerrier
We’reusingGIStoolstocreatea“climate”mapthattrackschanges
inthereachanddepthofcommunitynews.
Morethan120newspapershaveceasedoperationintheUnited
Statessince2008.Papercutsshowspinpointsofnewspapersthat
haveclosed.Wearecreatinga“mediadesert”mapwithreachdata
forexistingmediathatshowswherepeoplelackaccesstonews.
We’reusingopengeographicinformationsystemssoftware.Wewill
overlayexistingdailyandweeklynewspapercirculationdata,
demographicandcommunitydatathroughESRIandanetwork
analysisofhyperlocalonlinenewsproviders.
JustastheUSDAfooddesertmaphasgalvanizedcommunity
conversationandactionaroundremedies,webelievevisualizationof
communitymediasystemswillhelpilluminatewherenewsislacking.
Ourmapwillhelpmonitorthesystemovertimeandfocusattention
andresourceswheretheyaremostneeded.
Dr.MichelleFerrierisanassociateprofessorinjournalismandonline
communitydevelopmentatElonUniversitywhoistheprincipal
investigatorfortheproject.Contact:mferrier@elon.edu.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Elon University, @mediaghosts