Americans get their mainstream news from hundreds of sources, many of them free. They still want to see and hear well-told stories about people and trends in particular areas, but sometimes those areas are very particular. 2008 was one of the worst years in recent history for magazine ad sales. A few magazines that bucked the downward trend? Organic Gardening, Scholastic Parent and Child, and a monthly publication called Electrical Apparatus. In the first half of 2009, revenue for all major media companies was down by nearly ten percent. Not at Gawker Media, which publishes blogs like Fleshbot, Defamer and Lifehacker, and saw its revenues in that same period shoot up by 45%. In a fragmented media landscape, will niche media outlets be the last ones standing? We'll hear from Fritz Kramer from Frontline, and Rachael Maddux of Paste Magazine. Moderator: Jess McCuan is the editor of VERVE, a regional women's magazine for Western North Carolina. She is a former staffer for The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine and SmartMoney.com.
