New local news outlet Signal Akron launching online this year
A new 11-person local media outlet producing independent public service journalism online is expected to launch in Akron later this year.
Nonprofit news organization Signal Ohio, formerly known as the Ohio Local News Initiative, said it has raised more than $5 million to launch Signal Akron, which will be part of a growing statewide network of independent newsrooms across the state. Similar efforts are under way across the country as nonprofits seek to replace journalists lost as newspaper newsrooms shrink in the digital age.
Signal Ohio launched an 18-person newsroom in Cleveland last year, Signal Cleveland, with Lila Mills as editor-in-chief, with $7.5 million in funding from national funders, local foundations and donors.
Signal Ohio — which has raised more than $13 million total and said its mission is to make local news and quality, unbiased information accessible to all Ohioans — said it expects Signal Akron to begin publishing later this year with support from local foundations, organizations and businesses.
Signal Akron would become the second-largest newsroom located in Summit County behind the Akron Beacon Journal and BeaconJournal.com. Most nonprofit news ventures in northeast Ohio have been based in Cleveland with the exception of the Devil Strip in Akron, which closed in 2021.
What is Signal Akron?
Signal Akron said it will offer its content for free and across multiple formats and will cover government, public safety, economy, health, education, local arts and culture, “centering community voices and letting residents help set coverage priorities."
Signal Akron will also feature a Documenters program, part of the Documenters Network by City Bureau, which trains and pays residents to cover public meetings.
“Bolstering local news might be the most important social impact investment the philanthropic community has ever made here," Debra Adams Simmons, a former editor of the Akron Beacon Journal and a member of Signal Ohio’s board of directors, said in a statement. "More reporters on the ground will strengthen the local news ecosystem and help meet the information needs of Akron’s residents.
"At a time when local media outlets around the country are significantly diminished or shutting down, trust in media has eroded, and the news industry is fighting for survival, this investment is a significant boost for the Akron community.”
The organization said Signal Akron will increase the volume of independent, original reporting in Akron and support the efforts of existing local outlets.
“We welcome more journalists on the ground in Akron and look forward to collaborating with another media partner,” Akron Beacon Journal Editor Michael Shearer said in a statement. “Our local democracy is best served when journalists are asking questions, seeking public records and holding our leaders accountable as our team does every day. More journalism is always a good thing.”
Signal Akron receives funding from Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $5 million over five years in Signal Akron, with the foundation noting that Akron is especially important to Knight because it’s where the Knight brothers started their newspaper company.
The money from Knight will fund at least six of the 11 staff members, with the newsroom being representative of the communities it serves.
“Akron has needed more local news sources for a long time, but the crisis has become more severe in the past few years,” Knight Vice President of Journalism Jim Brady said in a statement. “With support from the American Journalism Project and investment from Akron’s philanthropic community, we are proud to have Signal Akron enhance and partner with the existing Akron media ecosystem.”
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The Knight Foundation also provided significant funding for the Devil Strip, which abruptly laid off its entire staff and closed in October 2021.
The Devil Strip, which was a co-op model, had about $186,000 in debt. The publication prided itself on being owned by its community, with a board of directors appointed by the co-op members.
Signal Ohio hiring for Signal Akron newsroom
Signal Ohio is currently searching for an Akron editor in chief and a community journalism director.
Signal Ohio formed a search committee made up of local and national journalism experts who will lead the hiring process for the first two roles.
Committee members include Adams Simmons, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for National Geographic Media; Mizell Stewart III, former executive at Gannett/USA TODAY Network; and Rita McNeil Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio. The search committee will invite Akron residents to participate in the hiring process.
There will also be an Akron advisory board that will provide guidance and input in line with the values and vision of Signal Akron and serve as a sounding board for newsroom leadership. Members include Adams Simmons; Bill Considine, former president and CEO of Akron Children’s Hospital; and Laura Duda, senior vice president and chief communications officer of Goodyear.
A Northeast Ohio information needs assessment conducted by the American Journalism Project, one of Signal Ohio’s backers that’s also supported by the Knight Foundation, found that residents don’t feel they have enough relevant, accessible information about their communities and the decisions that affect their daily lives.
“The announcement of Signal Akron is a demonstration of what’s possible when local philanthropic and civic leaders come together to ensure their communities have the information they need,” American Journalism Project CEO Sarabeth Berman said in a statement. “Signal Ohio is at the forefront of a national movement of local nonprofit news organizations stepping up to solve the local news crisis.”
Signal Ohio has also received support from the Akron Community Foundation, GAR Foundation, Goodyear, the Greater Akron Chamber, Huntington Bank, United Way of Summit & Medina, the University of Akron Foundation and Welty Building Construction.
“Our communities in Akron deserve a newsroom as vibrant and diverse as our city,” GAR Foundation President Christine Amer Mayer said in a statement. “We’re building this growing coalition to support local news in Akron because quality local journalism is vital to the future of our city and key to strengthening the social fabric that holds our community together.”
Other media outlets close in Summit County
The announcement comes as Summit County is losing some local news outlets.
The Barberton Herald weekly closed in December after 100 years of publication.
Six free distribution weekly newspapers, published by Akron Beacon Journal owner Gannett Co., are closing in March due to a decline in print advertising and readers adopting digital news sources.
The final editions of the Nordonia Hills News-Leader, Twinsburg Bulletin and Aurora Advocate will be on March 22. The Stow Sentry, Cuyahoga Falls News-Press and Tallmadge Express will cease publication March 26.
The Hudson Hub-Times will continue print publication on Sundays.
“Our staff across the five-county region remains committed to pursuing great journalism,” Shearer said. “We understand the important role we play in every local community and urge everyone to support local journalism in these challenging times.”
The weeklies were owned by Dix Newspapers until 2017 when GateHouse Media acquired the properties. GateHouse acquired Gannett in a 2019 merger and took its name.
Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New local news outlet Signal Akron launching this year
