Lookout Local turns five this year — and its story offers one of the clearest roadmaps yet for rebuilding local journalism.

In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton talks with Ken Doctor, founder and CEO of Lookout Local, and Ashley Harmon, the organization’s chief of staff, about how Lookout launched during one of the most turbulent moments in modern journalism — and emerged with a sustainable business, a Pulitzer Prize, and expansion underway.

Topics include:

• Why Lookout rejected the “start small” approach
• What made covering the Santa Cruz floods a defining moment
• How community engagement and revenue work together
• Why reporter visibility matters more than ever
• How Lookout’s app, newsletters, and short-form video strengthen relationships
• Lessons learned expanding to Eugene-Springfield
• What profitability really takes in local news
• Why Lookout believes this is an unprecedented moment for local journalism

This is a candid, practical conversation about what it actually takes to build a modern community newsroom — and why optimism may be justified heading into 2026 and beyond.

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Giving Tuesday strategies for newsrooms with LMA’s Kristyn Cooper

Show Notes:

On this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton sits down with Kristyn Cooper, director of fundraising initiatives at the Local Media Association, to explore how local newsrooms can make the most of Giving Tuesday. Cooper shares insights from two decades in the nonprofit world—covering how to normalize fundraising, connect storytelling to generosity, and build long-term donor relationships.

Listeners will learn:

• How Giving Tuesday evolved into a $3.6 billion global movement
• Why journalists already possess the skills to be great fundraisers
• Best practices for donor engagement and impact storytelling
• Simple ways to make giving easy and friction-free

In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton interviews Todd Handy, founder of Disruptive Impact and board member for the Local Media Association, about his new report, The SaaS-ification of Media. Handy shares how local publishers can learn from software companies by focusing on recurring revenue, retention and customer lifetime value.

Listeners will learn:

• What “SaaS-ification” means in practical terms for local media
• Why advertiser churn is the “silent killer” of sustainability
• How to run a Go-To-Market Audit to assess digital readiness
• Why every publisher needs a CRM to track renewals and growth
• How to start applying SaaS principles immediately — no matter your size

Resources Mentioned:

• The SaaS-ification of Media — Purchase via Local Media Association
• Contact Todd Handy: https://disruptiveimpact.co
• Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddjhandy/