County 10 is always seeking ways to better serve readers and our local community. With that goal in mind, County 10 Owner and Publisher Will Hill, and General Manager Scott Fuller recently attended a conference in Chicago hosted by the Leading Independent Online News Publishers association (LION).
Attendance at the conference was made possible in part, thanks to Mick Pryor with Edward Jones in Riverton. Readers that care about quality local, community-focused journalism have Pryor to thank for supporting County 10’s desire to continuously improve.
LION’s Independent News Sustainability Summit was three days of sessions focused on serving local communities, the role of artificial intelligence in journalism, leadership, technology, and more. The conference was attended by over 500 people from hundreds of publications across the US and Canada.
“Every day there’s a headline about the decline in newspapers, but at the LION conference I witnessed a thriving, innovative, and sustainable group of small local publishers just like County 10,” said Hill.
“Getting out of our comfort zone and learning from experts in the local news industry gave us fuel for County 10’s next phase.”
Hill was invited to speak at a pre-conference event focused on revenue generation for local news publications. “Free news isn’t free. We have to be innovative with advertising products and services that really provide value to small businesses and honor our audiences. Without revenue, we can’t employ reporters to cover the community.”
Fuller attended the conference hoping to bring something back to improve County 10’s journalistic impact in Fremont County. County 10 employs two full-time reporters and two freelancer reporters. In comparison to others at the Summit, County 10 has a medium sized newsroom. Many locally owned publications struggle to employ more than one journalist.
“Independent publishers all over North America share many of the same challenges and opportunities,” Fuller said. “ We were fortunate to be able to attend such a diverse gathering of like-minded journalists, all seeking to better inform our communities within the constantly-changing landscapes of how audiences receive and consume the information that impacts them most.”
County 10’s mission is “to connect the community.” Their local news website, local radio stations, and marketing agency employ eleven Fremont County residents full-time and multiple freelancers. They would like to thank Mick Pryor with Edward Jones in Riverton for helping them grow their knowledge and skills through attendance at the LION Summit this year.
If you would like to support County 10’s mission, you can make a contribution by clicking here.
