
From Northeastern University's School of Journalism. Local news, the bedrock of democracy, is in crisis. Dan Kennedy of Northeastern University and veteran Boston Globe editor Ellen Clegg talk to journalists, policymakers and entrepreneurs about what's working to keep local news alive.
| Publishes | Twice monthly | Episodes | 124 | Founded | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | News CommentaryNewsSociety & Culture | |||

Dan talks with Jon Keller, who has been explaining Massachusetts politics to Boston broadcast audiences for nearly half a century. Jon returned to WBZ-TV just in time to cover a contentious governor's election. He brought his trademark quick thinking... more
Dan and Ellen talk with Clay Wirestone the opinion editor of the Kansas Reflector. His first book was published Sept. 29. It's called, aptly enough, "Opinionated: Kansas Journalists who Proved Why Commentary Matters -- Then and Now." His second is se... more
Dan talks with Margaret Sullivan, who has spent the last decade or so doing the toughest of jobs: Telling the country's most powerful newsrooms what they're getting wrong. She was the fifth public editor of The New York Times, from 2012 to 2016. Som... more
Dan and Ellen talk with Emily Sweeney of The Boston Globe. As the Globe's first social video journalist, Emily broke through the clutter on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram with her Boston accent and her collection of track suits. Not to mention her s... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





Discovered show on mastodon social media.
My spouse and I have worked in newsrooms in Wisconsin and California, and have a lot of reporter friends still.
Papers are shrinking and their responsibilities are growing, even as major funding is drying up.
This show covers a lot of that material even as they discuss a toolbox for local sustainable journalism.
I love this show and the material, and the podcasters are getting better at presenting the material so it sounds more off the cuff and unscr... more
Great podcast to learn that there really is a lot of good work being done at both new and old outlets, despite all the pressure on the industry.
In 2022 my wife and I suddenly found ourselves purchasing and owning a weekly newspaper in rural Idaho.
We have no background or training in journalism and this podcast has been a significant part of my education about the industry and what other small outlets are doing to solve some of the same problems we face. Highly recommend. (I was born and raised in Maine so I enjoy hearing the accents of hosts and guests as well.)
Great interviews of local news people. Localnjournalism is essential. Dan and Ellen are gteat at finding and exploring hoe local news outlets are surviving.
An interesting lineup of guests from around the country. I really enjoy hearing about their experiences and different perspectives on covering local news. This is a good podcast on a vital topic. And the two hosts have a great rapport.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.










Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
A thoughtful examination of local journalism's sustainability, audience engagement, and evolving business models. Episodes frequently center on nonprofit newsrooms, philanthropic funding, and innovative partnerships designed to expand coverage without sacrificing trust. Notable guests include editors, publishers, professors, and startup leaders who share practical strategies for sustaining local reporting, from classroom projects that scale into public initiatives to statewide newsroom coalitions. The format blends on-the-ground reporting, policy context, and media-innovation discussions, making it a practical listen for audiences who want concrete approaches to fund, govern, and grow local news ecosystems.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for What Works: The Future of Local News. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to What Works: The Future of Local News and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for What Works: The Future of Local News, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for What Works: The Future of Local News, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers What Works: The Future of Local News has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with What Works: The Future of Local News:
1. E&P Reports with Mike Blinder
2. Small Press, Big Ideas
3. The Codcast
4. Local Media HQ
5. The Business of Content with Simon Owens
What Works: The Future of Local News launched 5 years ago and published 124 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for What Works: The Future of Local News from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of What Works: The Future of Local News. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on What Works: The Future of Local News include:
1. Emily Sweeney
2. Carlene Hempel
3. Sydney Woogerd
4. Sanjana Mishra
5. Joe Kriesberg
6. Laura Colarusso
7. Rachel White
8. Zuri Berry
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.