NewsReach picks 30 vernacular publications for 1st Cohort of Local News Community Program

NewsReach, a women-led media tech startup to promote the vernacular hyper-local publishers of India, on July 20 announced the selection of 30 local publications out of a total of 250+ applications for the first cohort of its Local News Community Program. It is a region-specific program, which is specifically designed to promote hyper-local content and help them advance their reach geographically. The cohort of publications will receive the required support (technical, business and financial) and expert interventions to scale their publication.

The publications for the first cohort are selected from more than 250 applications from across 33 districts of Gujarat, out of which the majority were from tier-2 & tier-3 cities of Gujarat. The publication is required to have a significant online presence and should cater to the local audience by generating original content among other conditions to qualify for being a finalist in Cohort 1. The first cohort commences in July 2022, which is a specially designed 10 days of the program based on the needs of each publication.

Many publications are struggling to find ways to sustain themselves. With targeted financial aid and support, the publications will be able to build a way to achieve long-term and viable publication. Recognising the need to constantly publish original content and at the same time focussing on increasing their audience reach with limited resources and funds during the ongoing crisis, NewsReach came up with the program to give the hyper-local publication the much-needed support to grow and drive sustainability in their respective businesses. The program is being launched with support from OHO Gujarati, a premium Gujarati content streaming platform and Supercity Lifestyle.

NewsReach has structured an online program for the publication with help of various industry experts. The industry experts will be sharing their experience on how to cope with the challenges they face on a timely basis. One of the top industry specialists Mr Hiren Shah (Founder & Chairman at Vertoz), Mr Nishith Rajyaguru (Senior producer at TV9 Gujarati), Mr Amit Mishra (Founder of Tryootect), a well-known YouTube Influencer and Mr Pragnendrasinh Rahevar (Chief Growth Officer at VTV Gujarati) is going to join the program. The program will not only help the publication with well-informed and cultured sessions but also grant them financial support along with exclusive advertising and content credits to access the one-of-its-kind content marketplace.

The shortlisted publications will be given access to the content marketplace. The content marketplace will help them licence original content in various categories and languages to increase their reach with the audience. The publications will also get a chance to engage in paid advertisement activities through NewsReach’s partnerships with various advertisers.

Soniya Kundnani, the Co-founder & COO of NewsReach, said, “The first cohort of Local News Community Program is just the beginning of creating a sustainable news ecosystem and promoting hyperlocal publishers. The idea behind this initiative is to educate the publications about various ways of expanding their reach. We are excited and enthused to explore various hyper-local publications through this program not only to help publications financially but also to help them accelerate sustainable growth.”

Publications from the first cohort are Connect Gujarat, Khabar Chee, Western Times News, Kutch Khabar, Gujarat Exclusive, Rajkot Mirror News, VTV News, LokSatta News, Banaskantha Update, Morbi Update, Satya Day, AasPass Daily, Trishul News, Tapi Mitra, Gujarat Message, Ahmedabad Express, City Watch News, At This Time, Samacharwala, Patidar News Gujarat, Swaraj Samay, Saurashtra Kranti, Karnavati 24 News, Morbi News, Asmita News, Gujarat Herald, Panchat TV, Mera Gujarat, Vatsalya News and EL News.