News

Green Philly selected for a LION-Facebook Revenue Growth Fellowship

Newsroom is in the first cohort of 12 newsrooms that will receive funding and training for a new hire focused on generating revenue

We’ve got exciting news to share.

As I often discuss in my social media marketing class at Temple University, newsroom revenue has been suffering as businesses shift advertising spend to Facebook, Instagram and Google. Inc. broke down the numbers for an article published in 2019, Google and Facebook Now Make More From Ads Than Every Newspaper, Magazine, and Radio Network in the World Combined.

Digital publications and advertisers traditionally rely on ad revenue but have been shifting to diversifying to stay afloat. Many areas have become news deserts, with about 1800 newspapers closing since 2004, as misinformation continues to run rampant.

Ironically, I chose to leave a career in marketing to grow a small digital startup, covering hyperlocal sustainability news.

Local Independent Online News (LION) identified the problem of revenue versus hiring people to grow in newsrooms and decided to launch a program. I’m pleased to share that Green Philly has been selected alongside eleven newsrooms that will be hiring a Revenue Growth Fellow as part of this program. The program is funded by the Facebook Journalism Project and will provide grants that last over two years. 

The goal of the program is to create and execute a revenue plan that puts our organization on the path to long-term sustainability. And with the climate crisis more apparent by the day, our longevity will ensure our mission to inform and educate others to fight climate change.

You can always make a donation to Green Philly on our website.

2021 cohort of the LION-Facebook News Revenue Fellowship


Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake.

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