NewsBeat

18 NewsBeat June 2018 By CHRISTINE SCHMIDT After Big Denver Post layoffs, the Fort Collins Coloradoan thinks beyond local Local news in Colorado–and no, this isn't about layoffs. While some corporate-owned outlets like The Denver Post have been gutted and new ventures like Denverite have had to make cuts as well, about an hour's drive north of Colorado's capital city is the Fort Collins Coloradoan, which was named to Editor and Publisher's 2018 list of top pioneering newsrooms. The Coloradoan, with a newsroom of 20 people, has been mentioned in previous Nieman Lab coverage and recognized for its resourcefulness in digital experimentation. P Owned by Gannett and witness to its own layoffs, the team has grown subscriptions, participated in Gannett pilots (comments- be-gone, for 90 days starting April 1) and experimented themselves with Facebook Groups, a chatbot, and local ticketed and free events. The Coloradoan has 22,000 print and/or digital subscriptions with a year-over-year paid subscription growth of 994 subscribers in early December 2017; Fort Collins, Colorado's fourth most populous city, has a population of about 170,000. "We want to just try everything and see what difference we can make. We want to see how we might be able to help shape the future of local news from our corner of the country," said Jennifer Hefty, the Coloradoan's content strategist. "We don't get too caught up in what we did yesterday or ten years ago. There are very few sacred cows in this room," said Eric Larsen, the Coloradoan's news director. "That's really freed us up to — if I'm going to be cliché — experiment, fail fast, and really see where we can play with the levers and see what works and what doesn't." In January, the Coloradoan launched a neighborhood watch Facebook group that included local police and fire spokespeople. The group now has more than 1,500 members and a surprisingly low level of drama: Hefty and other reporters post updates about local crime and mischief, and only one person has had to be removed for disobeying the rules. Two Coloradoan reporters, a Facebook page from the city, and the local fire authority are all admins on the page, which is billed as a collaboration (not a substitute for 911). While some members debated about the recommended speed in the left lane while driving and reminded others that it's illegal to run over geese, Hefty and the other Coloradoan staffers shared posts answering questions about a bullet found in an elementary school classroom and a dead body on the side of the road. The fire authority also shared its post about A neighborhood watch Facebook group, reader chatbot, and a state-focused project: "We all serve the greater Coloradoan community and we each have parts to play in that."

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