Live events are an attractive platform for many local news organizations — they build brand awareness and trust, bring the community together and, of course, can be a source of revenue. The American Press Institute has built programming and training around live events experiments — at last year’s API Local News Summit on Rural Journalism, Community and Sustainability, news organizations shared how they use spaces and events to gather people in meaningful ways. Here are two examples:

Additionally, API’s 2024 Live Events Sprint for alumni organizations of the Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program resulted in a robust, self-guided workbook to help you plan your next live journalism event. The cohorts’ projects ranged from community picnics to trivia nights to listening sessions, but they all shared a few things in common — among them, a commitment to centering diverse audience needs and pursuing both journalistic and strategic innovation:

  • Blue Ridge Public Radio partnered with an established local trivia host last summer for a series of “public radio takeovers” to reach younger audiences. BPR journalists wrote two rounds of trivia questions and came to the hosting winery to connect with guests, whose average age ranged from roughly 25 to 40. Two of the events saw more than 100 guests each, and the effort resulted in $4,500 of sponsorship revenue.
  • Boise State Public Radio hosted a joint panel with three experts on teen mental health, as well as moderators from both BSPR and their partner, KTVB. The audience of about 80 left with actionable resources, and a post-event survey indicated that nearly 60% of attendees were new to BSPR, and 100% of respondents said they’d be interested in attending future events.
  • Enlace Latino NC hosted  a community forum with a local city councilman and a member of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Hispanic/Latino Affairs Advisory Council. The group of roughly 30 attendees learned about the inner workings of local and state government and asked officials their own questions. Interpretation services were available to translate the conversation as needed, and the news organization provided both dinner and a gas/mileage stipend to attendees.
  • Texas Metro News hosted a rooftop party and discussion where six local Black women leaders delivered a short talk about her personal and professional journey and received recognition from local, state and national officials. More than 200 people attended, and the outlet saw an immediate bump in newsletter subscribers and ad sales after the April event.
  • The Assembly NC hosted a breakfast and panel discussion to introduce its new Greensboro reporting team and the issues it covers. Roughly 40 people attended the session. The planning process doubled as market research, helping the team better understand their expanding audience.
  • Vermont Public hosted a free community picnic, where the station provided food and entertainment along with one-on-one listening stations with reporters and convened a panel discussion on the economy. Of the 91 attendees, 43 were new to the station.

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