Program that aims to train future community paper owners awards five fellowships for new online master's degree - Entrepreneur Generations

(L-R) Andrew Weiler, Tony Baranowski, Miles Layton, Becky Pallack, and Crystal Good.

NewStart, a program that aims to find, train and support buyers for community newspapers, has named fellowships to five journalists for a new one-year online master's degree program in Media Solutions and Innovation at the West Virginia University's Reed College of Media, according to a WVU press release.

"Current events and economic conditions have created an environment conducive for learning and growing as a media entrepreneur," said NewStart director Jim Iovino. "There is still a great need for credible local news outlets in this country, and the coming year will likely see a lot of innovation in the media industry. This new online master’s program examines new business models during this time of forced innovation, and the NewStart fellows are diverse in geography and professional experience, allowing for a rich educational atmosphere."

The inaugural NewStart fellows are:

• Tony Baranowski, director of local media for Times Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
• Crystal Good, founder and CEO of Mixxed Media in Charleston, W.Va.
• Miles Layton, editor of the Perquimans Weekly in Perquimans County, N.C.
• Becky Pallack, product manager at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.
• Andrew Weiler, an entrepreneur and digital media producer from Wahkiakum County, Washington.

NewStart was created in a partnership between WVU and the West Virginia Press Association.  The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided funding for the five fellowships; though the fellowships are no longer available, applications are still open for the master's degree program.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2W5EJbg Program that aims to train future community paper owners awards five fellowships for new online master's degree - Entrepreneur Generations

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