A National Network of Local Journalism
In a nation that is increasingly divided politically , civic engagement is critical to a well-functioning democracy . A Pew Research Center poll shows that 52 % of those who regularly vote in local elections closely follow their local news . With this in mind , Spencer Boice , senior director of strategy and corporate development for Cox Enterprises , and others on the strategy team began to look for company opportunities in the new media landscape .
They looked at a variety of different companies , from digital news sites to email newsletters to podcasting platforms .
Axios ’ focus on quick snippets of unbiased news , deployed primarily through daily newsletters , stood out . But it wasn ’ t until Axios expanded its strictly national platform to launch local coverage that the Cox team knew it had found the right mix of an attractive business model and a commitment to independent local journalism .
Cox Enterprises became a long-term investor to help Axios accelerate its plans to expand across multiple products , including local news coverage . Axios currently has reporters in 14 cities and has announced an expansion into 11 more , with an ambitious goal to eventually reach 100 metro areas . This move builds on our more than 100-year legacy in local media , which continues with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and our Ohio newspapers .
“ What we have seen is that Axios engages a key group of consumers in both local and national news ,” Spencer said . “ We ’ re very interested in doing everything we can to increase local news engagement , as we believe it continues Governor Cox ’ s legacy .”
When the Atlanta Braves won their first World Series title in 26 years , the newspaper ’ s print products were flying off the shelves , and the AJC team saw an opportunity to experiment with NFTs by offering a unique sports collector ’ s item .
“ We jumped into it opportunistically ,” said Rodney Gibbs , senior director of strategy and innovation at the AJC . Rodney spearheaded the effort , working closely with the newspaper ’ s newsroom and IT experts as well as the Cox Enterprises strategy team and the Cox Communications new growth team . “ I don ’ t think any team could have moved this quickly without the cooperation of the other ,” he said .
Within a week , digital versions of three different front-page designs were for sale on a third-party marketplace . The teams learned a lot from the experience and showed how fast they could innovate and uncover new revenue streams . 19