50 ideas in 50 minutes

VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION

Richmond, VirginiaApril 8, 2017

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60 seconds per idea;40 story ideas, 10 conceptual ideas

Quick overview of what it was, how you can pull it off in your newsroom

No questions answered until after (please!)

Can get you in touch with newsrooms responsible for these stories or projects

(Full disclosure: Idea was borrowed from an Iowa Newspaper Association presentation; thanks to Zack Kucharski and Nancy Newhoff)

Today’s agendaINTRO

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Brian CouturierManaging Editor,

Petersburg Progress-index

Tim SchmittGateHouse Media

Today’s lineupON THE CALL

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Ready, set …INTRO

… away we go!

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How much are they costing to purchase, refurbish or maintain? Municipalities are grappling with whether or not they can afford these properties, or if they need to sell them. What are they worth?

How to make it happen: Do a Zillow search in that neighborhood. Get budget lines from city and state, and remember, grants that come from the state or federal government are still taxes in some form. If your community is getting these grants, so are neighboring communities. Which means everyone is paying for it.

Local landmarks: What do they cost?GOVERNMENT, TAXES

In action: MetroWest (Mass.) Daily News

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Getting to the source. With the recent scare from Flint, infrastructure is being scrutinized (and rightfully so), but what’s the source of your city’s water system?

How to make it happen: Talk to the water department, and ask for an in-depth look at where your water comes from, as well as the route map for piping that water to the treatment plant, then out to the public. This often leads to numerous stories.

Where does your water come from?INFRASTRUCTURE

In action: Galesburg (Ill.) Register-Mail

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Profile the average farmer in your region. Pull together stats, see how many are nearing the end of their careers and how many are replenishing the workforce.

How to make it happen: Get state and national stats first, but then reach out to local FFA or other agricultural organizations. This pairs well with a profile on an aging farmer and another on a younger farmer.

Farming: Who’s left to do it?AGRICULTURE

In action: Seacoast (N.H.) Sunday

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Uncork the numbers. Wine is becoming bigger business by the day. These stories can take multiple paths.

How to make it happen: Even serious wine enthusiasts often don’t know where all the area’s wineries are. Mapping is a key. Also, this makes for a great ASF opportunity. Remember to include ownership groups. This is an area that’s been ripe for mergers and acquisitions of late. Also, point out if grapes are grown on site, and which are imported.

Updating the local wine sceneBUSINESS/FOOD

In action: Erie (Pa.) Times-News

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Are malls still failing? While some are still shining, others continue a downward trend.

How to make it happen: It’s a great time to take inventory, so to speak. How many vacancies are there at your mall (or malls)? 10-20% marks trouble, 20-40% is unhealthy, 40% and up is considered dying (NYT). Deadmalls.com is a great resources. Why not pair with story (or ASF) on deadmalls from your region?

Malls: How are yours doing?BUSINESS

In action: Kinston (N.C.) Free Press

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Keeping it fresh. Does your area have food deserts? Why? And what can be done about it?

How to make it happen: Check the food desert locator to see if you have one. A surprising number of small towns have pockets that are considered deserts (by the federal definition).

Food deserts, do you have one?BUSINESS/FOOD

In action: Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald-Tribune

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Impartiality. No food critic? Let the masses make these decisions.

How to make it happen: Using Yelp, TripAdvisor or others to gather this information, but as Medford did here, take that info and do something with it. They asked the owners of Yelp’s top 10 restaurants for their favorite places to eat and found some surprising results.

Using Yelp, othersBUSINESS/FOOD

In action: Medford (Ore.) Mail-Tribune

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Finding methods and a turning point. Understanding how an area turned can help others.

How to make it happen: Explore policies, incentives, etc., that might have helped. Was there one business that legitimized the area? (MW found it was Rail Trail Flatbread) Timelines work great with these stories. Can be food, shopping, nightlife, residential, etc. Offers great context.

How’d your hot spot get so hot?BUSINESS

In action: MetroWest (Mass.) Daily News

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Use what you know. When new staffers were hired at the Sentinel, they had trouble finding rental housing. Ding! An idea was born.

How to make it happen: Census data is a good start. Zillow helps, too. Holland used planning experts and non-profit representatives, too. (This was a multi-part series.)

How’s your rental market?REAL ESTATE

In action: Holland (Mich.) Sentinel

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First-home buyers: It’s a good sign if the millennials in your community are purchasing homes — not only as a sign that the economy is strong, but potentially adding to the tax base for decades.

Info on agents helps, too: As this article pointed out, younger real estate agents also help the process as they woo younger buyers. What do the numbers look like in your community?

Is the market getting younger?REAL ESTATE

In action: Freeport, Illinois

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Can I walk anywhere? Many are adding “walkability” to their wish list when it comes to real estate purchases. What does it mean, and does your city have it?

How to make it happen: This one’s easy. Go to Walkscore.com and pull up the map. Would work to pull numerous neighborhoods and see which areas score highest.

How walkable is your town?REAL ESTATE

In action: CND

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Trend stories are great, but give us examples: Rather that writing an overarching story about how development in Sarasota is booming, the paper looked at every single project.

Gives you inventory: Sure, this is a heavy lift, but think about what comes from it — stock photos for every future sale, follow-up stories on what projects have been completed and any cost overruns, etc.

Individual projectsREAL ESTATE

In action: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Perfect combination: People love history, and odd facts. The stories behind street names, especially odd ones, can make for an interesting package of stories.

Make a connection: Can you track down an ancestor for each odd street name, and talk to the them about the history of the family?

What’s in a name?QUIRKY HISTORY

In action: Columbus, Ohio

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‘As much as a mortgage’: What prescriptions are making the biggest dent in local readers’ budgets?

How to make it happen: Although the Medford story followed just one drug, this story could be expanded to the market’s five most expensive drugs.

Expensive prescriptionsMEDICAL ISSUES

In action: Medford (Ore.) Mail-Tribune

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Addicts learn quickly, can we? Drugs keep coming, but can we stay on top of how they’re distributed?

Stay in touch with professionals: Treatment facilities and hospital workers will tip you off on the hot-button issues, but you have to keep asking.

Staying aheadDRUG ISSUES

In action: Washington, D.C.

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Changing fortunes. As the healthcare landscape keeps emerging, keeping track of which hospitals have maternity wards isn’t easy.

How to make it happen: Chronicle any changes in maternity wards in your region, then ask leaders if it’s financially worthwhile for them to keep these wards. Also, this would work well for a map component.

Maternity wards: Who has them?MEDICAL ISSUES

In action: Providence (R.I.) Journal

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Some say drug courts make a tremendous impact. Is that true in your community?

How to make it happen: Chronicle how drug courts started in your area, then provide hard data showing whether those who graduated from class have been arrested after. Makes for great profiles, including this one from Medford.

Drug court: Is it working?COPS AND COURTS

In action: Medford (Ore.) Mail-Tribune

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Do it before. Many times, this story comes up after an incident has occurred. Why wait?

How to make it happen: Many officers moonlight. Find out how many hours officers are allowed to work, if they’re allowed to us police vehicles to work private functions, etc.

Off-duty cops: What are your rules?COPS AND COURTS

In action: Asheboro (N.C.) Courier-Tribune

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Buildings matter. Take a look at the key buildings that has made your community special.

How to make it happen: Any historical society would want to partner on such a project. Why not set up a meeting, let them do some of the grunt work, then offer credit when the series is printed?

Key buildings in your town’s pastHISTORY

In action: Utica (N.Y.) Observer-Dispatch

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Another look. People love looking back at their communities. Have they changed?

How to make it happen: Got any shots of Main Street in your archives? How about a city directory? Compare and contrast from 10, 20, even 50 years ago to today. Use Juxtapose to show the difference in eras.

Revisiting downtownHISTORY

In action: Asheboro (N.C.) Courier-Tribune

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Even in small towns, ride-sharing services are gaining ground. Take a look at the key buildings that has made your community special.

How to make it happen: Long on and find out what services are available in your community. Walk through the process. Then take a ride, ask questions of the driver, and see if there are future plans for additional services. Also, make sure to ask about rules concerning the airport, etc. And remember, many people are unfamiliar with the process, so walk them through it from the beginning. (Uber 101?)

Got ride sharing?TRAVEL

In action: Pittsburg (Kan.) Morning Sun

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New and innovative treatments: In March 2016, Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl S. Leonard launched HARP or the Heroin Addiction Recovery Program, a first-of-its-kind treatment and recovery program. The program looks not just to house drug users, but to treat underlying causes of addiction using the “pure abstinence” program.

Using education: HARP is based on the idea that simply taking drugs away from users is not enough. Instead, it aims to educate participants — largely current inmates awaiting court hearings or individuals out on bail — about what they’re going through.

Opioids in your midstDRUG

In action: Petersburg Progress-Index

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What’s in a name? Nothing stirs emotion like pets, and this great idea from the N-J pooled all the area pet names together.

How to make it happen: Not exactly hard-hitting journalism, but well worth the effort up front. Daytona Beach got the list from the county’s Division of Animal Services. You can count down some of the top names on a daily list via social media, leading up to the centerpiece.

Naming our petsPETS

In action: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal

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Always a hit. Cape Cod, Wilmington, Sarasota and others have used sharks to get big Parse.ly numbers. What’s your predator?

How to make it happen: Brainstorm. What is the thing that scares locals most? What attacks can be prevented? Anything on sharks, gators, snakes, bears, etc., will all be well-read stories.

Predators always draw attentionANIMALS

In action: Cape Cod Times

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Where are numbers trending? News orgs are constantly looking at the demographics of those who attend school but what about teachers? And administrators? Are they representative of the communities they serve?

How to make it happen: Reach out to administrators, but also FOIA numbers. Also interesting to see the salary breakdown of teachers of different ethnicities.

Teacher inventoryEDUCATION

In action: Worcester (Mass.) Telegram

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Feeling lucky? Many state lotteries claim that all funding goes into the education system. But does it? And what tangible benefits has your community seen?

How to make it happen: This will like take some FOIA requests, but start with your own school budget, and ask an administrator or treasurer.

What’s your lottery funding?EDUCATION

In action: Asheboro (N.C.) Courier-Tribune

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Sundays used to be sacred, but no longer for sports teams. The conflict has impacted local faith communities.

How to make it happen: Ask local religious leaders if they’ve seen a difference. Also, find out if local fields, ice rinks, etc., have reduced rates on these days. Often, club teams will play on Sundays (not typically high school teams) because it’s cheaper.

Are sports and religion conflicting?RELIGION/SPORTS

In action: Canandaigua (N.Y.) Daily Messenger

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Texting has become a language all its own, and one that many parents don’t understand. Unless parents know what to look for, they can’t help monitor their kids and keep them safe.

How to make it happen: Local law enforcement will help, and there are plenty of online guides. Also, it’s helpful to have a teen walk you through it.

Understanding textsPUBLIC SAFETY

In action: Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger

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Trouble spots. Makes a great list: Where are you most likely to crash in your town?

How to make it happen: Start with the Department of Transportation. Get maps that shed light on the worst areas in the city, then break these into small pieces — walk through the dangers of each of the top few intersections, talk with traffic committees about possible solutions.

Where the crashes happenPUBLIC SAFETY

In action: MetroWest (Mass.) Daily News

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Cities in trouble? Prompted by Petersburg's financial crisis, the General Assembly this year took action to beef up Virginia's early warning system for spotting local governments that may be faltering. Now, according to the state's Commission on Local Government, all but five of the state's 38 cities are dealing with above-average or high levels of "fiscal stress" – difficulty raising enough revenue to pay for the vital services they're required to provide. In fact, of the 22 localities in Virginia rated "high" in fiscal stress, only one is a county (Greensville). We've all heard of "too big to fail" – are Virginia's independent cities too small to succeed?

Hard look at city financesDRUG

In action: Petersburg Progress-Index

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Check out all angles: Mental health issues are becoming more of a hot topic.

How to make it happen: This can take multiple angles. Spartanburg H-J staffers showed how the local jail cells were cramped by some who had simply slipped through the cracks of the mental health system, and how a little care could have saved taxpayers money, as well as putting lives back on track.

Look at mental healthPUBLIC SAFETY

In action: Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald-Journal

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Who will get what? Due to a number of proposed cuts by the Trump administrations, some programs could be cut, or funding streams greatly altered.

Get ahead of the story: What could be coming down? What possible changes or programs in your community could be stopped. Talk to those who might be impacted.

Where does funding stand?DRUG

In action: Petersburg Progress-Index

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That’s the Spirit! Carriers like Allegiant, Spirit and Frontier often offer cheap non-stop fares out of small communities. When was the last time you reported on the whole body of destinations from your airport?

How to make it happen: Contact your local airport, and reach out to the companies themselves. What other destinations might work? And how full are the local flights? Are they staying financially viable?

Airline carriersTRAVEL

In action: Canton (Ohio) Repository

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Roads: Since trucks can do significant damage to roads, how does your community keep track of the weights of the trucking industry? Do they?

Is there a cost?: And if they have weigh stations, how often are they staffed and how much do they cost?

Wide loadTRUCKING

In action: Worcester, Massachusetts

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Take inventory: How many festivals or major events are held in your town each year? Do you have attendance figures for each? Start a special digital file with all the info.

Who’s backing the fun? Is a local development corporation footing the bill? How much is it costing? What’s the return? What do local businesses say?

Paying for the partyFESTIVALS

In action: Panama City, Florida

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Tell the story of the press: While some highlight the history of their own publications (understandably so), what was the history of the press in your community? How many papers were printed, and who founded them?

Use front pages: Again, your front pages will be easy to find, but can you find some from others that were circulated? This can highlight the importance of the free press in your community. Pair with history museums, and ask via social media for pages.

Free speechFIRST AMENDMENT

In action: Utica, N.Y.

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How does it happen: What are the greatest causes for death in your community? What’s being done to improve those numbers?

The process: Death is an industry, and a pretty significant one. What are the costs associated with death? Do people shop around, and if not, should they?

Telling death’s storyLIFE AND DEATH

In action: Las Vegas, Nevada

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Looking good: While we often highlight other medical procedures, have you looked at how many cosmetic surgeons your community has?

What’s being done? Also, it’s interesting to see what procedures are the most popular, and if they’re covered by insurance.

Looking your bestHOSPITALS

In action: Providence, R.I.

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Give the pre-game and the post-game: Often, media sources report on the up-front costs of new stadiums, but rarely do they look back at a project as it’s being paid for. Did costs rise during the project? Were tax projections close for the project? And how does this line up with other communities and how they handled their stadiums? Don’t forget to look at how many dates these stadiums were used for.

Before and afterSTADIUMS

In action: Canton, Ohio

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Gun trends: Typically, gun applications rise during elections, but not always. What’s happening in your community? This also lets you learn the process, ahead of an incident.

Gender and age: Who is signing up for guns? More women in your community? More millennials?

See who’s applyingGUN RIGHTS

In action: Worcester

10 good conceptsThings you can use immediately!

INNOVATION 45

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Not just for you: It’s important to know who the open government person, or entity is in you region or state, just in case you ever have a dire question. But what about others? Don’t they also have a right to open government? Shedding light on this person or entity can help others. Hosting a Q&A or FAQ with that person is a smart, but an event could also stir interest.

Ask the expertOPEN GOVERNMENT

In action: Utica, N.Y.

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Tap into the pipeline. Got plenty of archived photos around? Why not use them to create an Instagram or TBT theme?

How to make it happen: Set aside time to build a special account. Send photos out daily, or a few times a week. Highlight them in print occasionally (once a week or so) with a refer. Note: The Vintage Tribune account has nearly as many followers as the Chicago Tribune account.

Use your old photosIDEAS: HISTORY

In action: Fall River (Mass.) Herald News

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Smaller staff? Make sure everyone’s pitching in for your 1A centerpieces. Sports staffers shouldn’t live in a silo.

How to make it happen: Have a rotation of sports staffers attend news meetings, and have them draw up a master list of big board, topical stories that can play on 1A. Don’t allow the argument “we have our own section to fill” to shift your focus. The newsroom is one team.

Get sports involvedIDEAS: STAFF

In action: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal

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Know what’s coming. It seems sacrilegious to skip council meetings and other board discussions. But how much are you getting from these things?

How to make it happen: Build strong relationships with council members, get agendas early on, and make calls ahead of all important meetings. Don’t stop covering government, stop wasting time on it!

Are meetings necessary?IDEAS: SKIP MEETINGS

In action: Gaston (N.C.) Gazette

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What constitutes animal cruelty: People are vigilant about reporting what they feel are acts of animal cruelty, and these get tremendous feedback. But what actually constitutes animal cruelty in your community (or state)?

Room for a follow: This would be a great way to open a deeper dive into the number of animal cruelty cases in your region. Are they trending up or down?

Know your lawsANIMALS

In action: Gadsden, Alabama

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On the level: Do you have a grasp of the highest and lowest precipitation years in your community’s history, and what impact that will have on your local water table?

Reach out: How is your community preparing for extremes — what if the 100-year flood comes? What about a drought? How much would it take to have a real impact?

Be ready for extremesWATER ISSUES

In action: Barstow, California

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Simple map: You’re trying to stay on top of all the local openings/closings in your area, but do your readers/viewers know the big picture?

Keep it consistent: Add to this map online consistently, but print it the same time (either weekly or monthly) so readers can have context. Also, link to any follow-up (grand openings, etc.) for those who are jumping in late.

Show me what’s opening!BUSINESS

In action: Round Rock, Texas

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Keep readers interested: Suspense does well in video, and it can help your stories as well. Can you tell a story as a series? Can you package it together in a different format — podcasts, video, etc.?

Back for more: A series, especially one as intriguing as this one, will keep readers coming back to the digital product, or buying off the rack each day until the series’ completion.

Try something differentSTORYTELLING

In action: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Thinking outside the box on events: What groups can you bring together? This event was run by another organization, but NPR captured it perfectly. And wouldn’t it have made sense an engagement event?

Other ideas: What other events can bring groups like this together, and how can we facilitate this?

Keep it streaming: Make sure to use Facebook Live or other means to report immediately on the event.

Getting groups togetherENGAGEMENT

In action: Washington, D.C.

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Somebody has to do it: You see a dead animal on the side of the road on your way to work, but it’s gone on your ride home. How does that happen?

Day in the life: Follow folks from the DOT or DPW. How do they find out about these incidents? What procedures and protocols do they have in place?

Don’t touch that!PUBLIC SERVICE

In action: Athens, Ohio

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Complete PPX presentation will be sent out to everyone who attended.

Can get you in touch with newsrooms responsible for these stories or projects

Reach out to me: tschmitt@gatehousemedia.com for anything you need (even possible training ideas on the future)

Will follow upTAKEWAY

THANKS FOR LISTENINGHAVE A GREAT DAY!

GATEHOUSE MEDIA