AKRON, Ohio — Akron is set to gain a new, community-focused news outlet that organizers say will deliver independent reporting to fill a significant news deficit in the city.
Signal Akron is planned to begin publishing later this year as part of the nonprofit Signal Ohio, which launched Signal Cleveland, its first newsroom, last year, organizers said in a release.
To launch Signal Akron, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation allocated $5 million over five years, the foundation said.
The Knight Foundation invests in 26 cities where the company once published newspapers, with Akron the home of Knight’s flagship paper, the Akron Beacon Journal.
According to the foundation, Akron is important in helping continue the Knight brothers’ legacy of strengthening civic engagement in Knight cities, to ultimately build a healthier democracy.
Since 2012, the Knight Foundation has invested more than $81 million in Akron initiatives and infrastructure, the foundation said.
With Knight’s investment in Signal Akron, at least six reporters will be hired initially while the search for an editor-in-chief is underway, the foundation said. The newsroom is expected to grow to 11 journalists covering beats from government, economics and health to arts and culture and education.
Stories Signal Akron reporters generate will be free and distributed digitally across multiple platforms, the foundation said. Reader memberships and sponsorships will help support the Akron news outlet while Signal Ohio works to raise an additional $3.5 million.
Local investors include the Akron Community and GAR foundations, the University of Akron, the United Way of Summit and Medina Counties, the Greater Akron Chamber, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Welty Building Construction and Huntington Bank.
Also backing the initiative is the American Journalism Project, a Knight-supported organization dedicated to sustaining and growing local news organizations.
A popup parklet in downtown Akron is one of many initiatives the Knight Foundation sponsored to revitalize downtown Akron. (Photo courtesy of Shane Wynn for AkronStock)
Jim Brady, Knight’s vice president of journalism, called the lack of local news in Akron a “crisis.”
“With support from the American Journalism Project and investment from Akron’s philanthropic community, we are proud to have Signal Akron enhance and partner with the existing Akron media ecosystem,” Brady said.
While the Akron reporting team will be local, as part of a statewide network, the newsroom will be operated by a central business and operations team responsible for managing programs around Ohio, the foundation said.
Signal Akron is the result of philanthropic and civic leaders working together to keep their communities informed, said Sarabeth Berman, CEO of American Journalism Project.
“Signal Ohio is at the forefront of a national movement of local nonprofit news organizations stepping up to solve the local news crisis,” she said.
Debra Adams Simmons, a former Beacon Journal editor and a board member of Signal Ohio, called the launch of Signal Akron “fantastic news.”
“More reporters on the ground strengthen the local news ecosystem and help meet the information needs of Akron’s residents,” she said. “At a time when local media outlets around the country are significantly diminished or shutting down, trust in media has eroded, and the news industry is fighting for survival, this investment is a significant boost for the Akron community.”
The grant for Signal Akron is part of Knight’s $300 million commitment in 2019 to supporting initiatives that help sustain local journalism.
