Three New Mexico newsrooms join News Revenue Hub to accelerate audience and revenue growth
In a new, grant-funded partnership, three New Mexico-based news outlets — New Mexico In Depth, City Desk ABQ, and Searchlight New Mexico – have joined the News Revenue Hub to increase their audiences and revenue. The partnership is made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Thornburg Foundation.
Over the course of a year, the newsrooms will benefit from the Hub’s Growth Plan, a dynamic support package that gives organizations access to Hub technology and proven strategies of audience and membership consulting.
The teams at New Mexico In Depth, City Desk ABQ, and Searchlight New Mexico will receive detailed assessments of their SEO, site calls-to-action, and newsletters, paired with recommendations and training on how to implement proven best practices that deliver results. They will also receive an in-depth audience survey, assistance running membership campaigns, regular check-ins with Hub team members, and monthly KPI reports.
Evan Mackinder, the Hub’s vice president of business development and a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, helped to broker the partnership, which kicked off in May. “We’re thrilled to be working with three newsrooms in a state that’s important to me,” he said. “We admire these newsrooms and are excited to help them grow their audiences, especially in an election year, when access to accurate and reliable news and information is crucial.”
While local news is in crisis across the U.S., the effects are especially stark in New Mexico, which has a mostly rural population and limited philanthropic dollars to support local journalism. “The need for trustworthy news is greater than ever, and there are unfortunately fewer journalists producing that kind of accurate reporting — particularly in rural areas outside of Albuquerque and Santa Fe,” explained Mackinder.
New Mexico In Depth, a nonprofit, nonpartisan outlet focused on statehouse and political reporting, was founded in 2012 “as a response to ongoing downsizing among traditional news organizations.” Searchlight New Mexico, founded in 2017, was created to fill gaps in investigative reporting; the nonprofit has dozens of content-sharing partnerships with media organizations across the state and region. And nonprofit newsroom City Desk ABQ, launched in January 2024, serving Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
Tamara Bates, the executive director of Searchlight New Mexico, said she is looking forward to seeing the results of the Hub’s comprehensive audience survey. “It’s important for us to know who is reading us directly versus from our media partners,” she explained, adding that Searchlight’s funders and board members are also eager for this information.
The Searchlight team is also focused on growing their subscriber list in 2024. Currently, 8% of Searchlight’s email subscribers donate to the organization — a percentage they hope to maintain as they grow their list.
“I’m most excited about learning from the pros,” said Bates. “Being involved with this program gives me something tangible I can show our board.”
Allan Oliver, executive director of the New Mexico-based Thornburg Foundation, said that supporting these local newsrooms fits squarely in the foundation’s overall vision.
“Local news organizations help our communities understand challenges like water scarcity, homelessness, education, food security and self-governance,” he said. “They also play an essential role in encouraging thoughtful exploration and engagement on potential solutions.”
Bates and her local colleagues are grateful for the support. “I’m glad they are supporting multiple journalism groups in New Mexico,” she said. “We all need it.”