WVU program aims to help retiring small paper owners sell and train potential new owners to take over - Entrepreneur Generations

West Virginia University's Reed College of Media has received a $125,000 grant to strengthen local journalism and help it flourish by creating a new ownership pipeline.

The grant, awarded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, and augmented by the WVU Foundation, "will support a partnership between the College of Media and the West Virginia Press Association to recruit, develop and train the next generation of independent community newspaper owners," and help current publishers get their papers ready to sell, WVU wrote on its website. The program anticipates that a number of West Virginia’s small-market newspaper owners and publishers will be ready to retire and sell their news operations over the next several years, creating potential news 'deserts' in their local communities."

The three-year program aims to facilitate smooth transfers of ownership so newspapers can remain a strong presence in their communities, and will enroll potential new owners in a year-long fellowship at the college to help them learn more modern ways to run a newspaper. That includes learning about digital media, new funding models for media, and an internship at a West Virginia newspaper to learn about the everyday business of running a small local paper.

The College of Media hopes to launch the program this fall.

from The Rural Blog http://bit.ly/2QMsVGi WVU program aims to help retiring small paper owners sell and train potential new owners to take over - Entrepreneur Generations

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