In January 2020, CCM launched the Advertising Boost Initiative to assist print and online outlets in New York City to become more effective in accessing their share of city agencies’ advertising budgets. CCM serves as an information bridge between the outlets, city agencies and advertising agencies.
We advocate for the community media sector, making clear to marketing directors and communications staff at city agencies just how vital a role the community media play in New York City civic life.
Report: Community Blindspot
In September 2023, CCM released “Community Blindspot: Study of NYS agency advertising practices reveals lack of transparency that leaves community media business sector and audience overlooked.” The ground-breaking report on the advertising practices of New York state agencies and departments uncovers conspicuous inequities in the advertising spending practices of at least six state agencies. It provides insights into the advertising spend of New York State agencies across the multitude of outlets that make up the state’s media ecosystem and gives recommendations for agencies to reform their advertising practices in a way that is more transparent, equitable and reflective of the state’s rich diversity.
Growth Mentorship Program
In the fall of 2022, ABI kicked off its Growth Mentorship Program: Building a Plan for Audience and Revenue Growth to support the sustainability efforts of NYC metro area publishers as they face an ever-expanding digital media landscape.
The first track, which focuses on digital analytics, provides participants with the tools to collect and analyze newsroom data to drive their outlet’s revenue, audience, and advertising goals. The data will help them develop a business plan for better communication with advertising agencies. The second track advises publishers in building a media plan for advertisers that fits the outlet’s needs, as well as in designing and developing an industry-standard media kit. This will help give outlets a competitive edge when engaging with advertisers and marketing representatives. See the program announcement for more details.
Report: Initiative Boosts Community News Outlets
In the year after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 47 mandating agencies to spend at least half of their advertising budgets on community media outlets, the city placed a record $9.9 million worth of advertising in the sector – or 84 percent of its total print and digital advertising budget. This crucial spending became a lifeline for many of the more than 300 community outlets serving city audiences in 37 languages. In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Census and the presidential and city elections, it kept essential community news sources afloat.
ABI Program Manager Darlie Gervais connected community publishers with city agency marketing directors, supported them with training and consultative resources, and kept them apprised of upcoming advertising campaigns, all while familiarizing city agency decision makers with the outlets they needed to know.
In December 2020, CCM published its independent report on EO 47 and ABI. NYC community-based publishers, meanwhile, launched an open letter campaign, entreating city and state legislators to make the executive order into lasting legislation.
In June 2021, the New York City Council approved legislation to create the Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media – the first such office in the country. The new legislation, Intro. 2313, codifies into law EO 47.
A February 2022 update released by CCM on the city’s advertising spending found that community media received a record $15.6 million in fiscal year 2021, an increase of more than $5 million from the previous year. At the time of the release, publishers from across the state of New York signed an open letter calling on the state to follow in the steps of New York City in dedicating government advertising dollars to community media.
The initiative offers a powerful model for how local governments can reinvest an existing budget line item toward local journalism.
How to Benefit From This Initiative
In order to participate in this initiative, eligible publishers must fill out this survey. This survey will give us the information we need in order to create relevant programming and effectively advocate on behalf of the outlets. We are happy to report that more than 130 outlets have filled it out to date.
Advertising Boost Initiative Guidelines
CCM is pleased to share its Advertising Boost Initiative Guidelines.
Prepared by CCM’s Advertising Boost Initiative, this document offers resources and information that we hope will help publishers to be better prepared to receive ad campaigns from New York City’s agencies.
Our Program Manager
The manager of this initiative is Darlie Gervais, a full-time member of the CCM team. You can contact her at darlie.gervais@journalism.cuny.edu.
Media Kit Training and Reaching Out to Advertisers
On April 9-10, 2020, CCM kicked off the Advertising Boost Initiative’s first webinar with a two-part training on creating an essential media kit and reaching out to advertisers with Ned Berke, the program director for audience development at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.
This training was developed by J+, the professional development program of the Newmark J-School.
Need Help and Interested in Future Trainings?
Let us know if you need help with your media kit. If you would like us to take a look at your media kit and offer feedback on how to meet the expectations and needs of city agency marketing directors, please contact Darlie Gervais.
This initiative is possible thanks to the support of Citi and Revson.