Local Media Association

For more than 25 years, Chef Simon has established itself as a leading online culinary reference in France, combining recipes, cooking techniques, and contributions from a passionate community. The platform has built a loyal audience of millions of users while maintaining a strong focus on editorial quality and user experience.

(October 1, 2026) — Local Media Association/Local Media Foundation has been selected as a grantee of the OpenAI Foundation’s 2026 People-First AI Fund. LMA was chosen from nearly 1,700 applicants based on its strong community engagement, track record of impact, and thoughtful approach to exploring artificial intelligence in service of local media.

(September 2026) — Local media companies are invited to apply to join the AI Growth Lab to acquire practical strategies and hands-on experience in integrating artificial intelligence into their news organizations. Led by Local Media Association in partnership with Google, this six-month initiative is designed to give newsrooms a comprehensive understanding of AI tools and capabilities, helping them implement these technologies in their organizations to drive revenue and grow their audience.

When a community is no longer well-informed, a slow social and political train crash follows. We’re already on that track – but it isn’t too late to stop it. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March 2025 found that 80 percent of American adults think Republicans and Democrats not only disagree on policies, but cannot agree on basic facts. Small wonder. The institutions Americans once relied upon for news, especially at the local level, have been dramatically weakened.

When news organizations listen to their communities, they build trust, understand community needs and ensure their reporting addresses real challenges. This practice is foundational for building philanthropic support for journalism and for creating community impact. The LMA Lab for Journalism Funding guides local newsrooms through a strategic approach to community listening. In the lab, newsrooms also share their own best practices as part of our peer-learning approach.

What running a small team for 20+ publishers looks like when the AI works the hours you don’t, teaches the tools you don’t have time to teach, and drafts the emails you’d rather not write. Dolly Parton wrote “9 to 5” in 1980, tapping her acrylic nails to get the typewriter rhythm right. It’s a great song. It has never once described my job, and I’d bet it hasn’t described yours either. Publishers don’t work 9 to 5.

A year after its launch, the Economic Opportunity Lab has released a new playbook designed to help local newsrooms, city governments, and community organizations report on the policies and places that shape economic mobility in their own backyards.

Newsrooms spend enormous amounts of time measuring engagement. Clicks. Comments. Shares. Likes. Subscriptions. Time spent. But new research from Pew Research Center suggests those highly visible behaviors may tell only part of the story.

Opti Digital is a leading AdTech company specialising in digital media monetisation. Through its AI-powered monetisation platform, fast wrapper, proprietary demand and advanced analytics, we help publishers maximise advertising revenue while improving user experience, web performance and operational efficiency.

For Dallas Voice publisher and CEO Leo Cusimano, the business case for local media begins with something journalism organizations spend a lot of time talking about — but perhaps not always in the context of revenue. Trust. Dallas Voice has published for more than 40 years, serving the LGBTQ+ community in North Texas. Cusimano has been with the organization for 34 of those years, first as advertising director and, for the past 13 years, as publisher.