Who Pays for Local News Now? Detroit Papers Split, PBS, and Live Sports

Local media across America is in its most tumultuous moment in decades, and Detroit is at the center of it.

From the end of the joint operating agreement between the Free Press and the News, to shifts in public media funding, to the chaos around how you watch the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings, there’s a lot to sort through.

On today's Daily Detroit, I talk with longtime PR pro and media watcher Matt Friedman of Tanner Friedman Public Relations about what’s really happening, what’s at stake for Metro Detroiters, and why your media subscriptions matter more than ever.

The Rundown:

01:56 - People are confused in today's fast-changing media landscape.

02:58 - Detroit's JOA (Joint Operating Agreement) is dissolved and the Detroit News and Free Press are separate now. What does that mean?

Matt walks through how joint operating agreements emerged in the 1980s to keep multiple daily papers alive, and how Detroit’s JOA kept the News and Freep tied together on the business side while competing in the newsroom for decades. He explains why their recent split into fully separate business and news operations is such a big deal in a market many don’t think is “big enough” to support two robust metro newsrooms.

We also get into the financial pressures facing local media, how Pittsburgh has lost two papers recently, how the New York Times makes more money and more profit than all of the USAToday/Gannett papers combined, and more. 

18:08 - The state of PBS and Public Media today: In short, it's not dead. With federal funding clawed back through a budget rescission and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting dissolved, local stations now have to replace that money through philanthropy and memberships, which Detroit has managed so far — but smaller markets may not. 

22:57 - The local sports TV rights business is a mess right now.  There’s real uncertainty about how fans will watch first‑place teams if the parent of the regional sports network can’t find a buyer, and that contingency planning is already underway. Plus, might we see some games on free TV? 

This was a conversation as a media nerd I was glad to have with someone who has a 360 degree view of the landscape, and I hope you get some value out of it. 

Do you pay for any news subscriptions? Lemme know. If you've got feedback, email me - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com, hit up our contact form, or leave a voicemail at 313-789-3211.

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