CAST: Proximity broadcasting as a mode of news distribution in rural Armenia

CAST (DisCovery Amplification Sustainability and InTeractions) has trialled a new community communication network in rural Armenia developing models to emerge alternative news media in a highly politically pressured national state. The project was a collaboration between the Media Innovation Studio, UK, Impact Hub Yerevan and SMART Edge Platform provider WICASTR™, Yerevan. The project also ran with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, award-winning investigative journalism outlet Hetq, and Civilnet from the Civilitas Foundation. It was a three-phase year-long pilot that ran in 2016 and 2017, funded by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund. The aim was to: Build a lightweight community connectivity system for content distribution Generate proximity insights: new data analytics that allow publishers to pinpoint what content is consumed where Facilitate novel approaches to digital literacy by creating engaged digital communities New knowledge and impact have been created around: How to build hyperlocal proximity networks using online to offline wifi technology Future scoping information systems for remote communities New hyperlocal news data analytics for publishers Novel methods to add to media plurality in a highly politically pressured environment Strategies to improve digital literacy and community communication that can challenge a digital divid

Digital Media in Public Archaeology

The twenty years following the mid-1990s witnessed a step change in the communication landscape, which can be summarised under the label of new digital media. In this period, the popularity of the Internet and mobile technologies has become more widespread, and previously distinct media forms have been progressively converging into fewer and ‘newer’ ones (Casey et al. 2008: 57–8; Castells 2010; Castells and Cardoso 2005; Lister et al. 2009: 420; Livingstone and Das 2009). An additional development since the early 2000s has been the shift from a straightforwardly informative World Wide Web to a more dramatically interactive Web 2.0 and 3.0, better equipped to support collaboration (e.g. O’Reilly 2005). This chapter will discuss the transformative roles of new digital media in public archaeology. It will focus on addressing key aspects relating to digital engagement, and thereafter explore pos- sible applications of ‘media-as-data’ (Housley et al. 2014: 7) for public archaeology research

Chasing Sustainability on the Net : International research on 69 journalistic pure players and their business models

This report outlines how online-based journalistic startups have created their economical locker in the evolving media ecology. The research introduces the ways that startups have found sustainability in the markets of ten countries. The work is based on 69 case studies from Europe, USA and Japan. The case analysis shows that business models can be divided into two groups. The storytelling-oriented business models are still prevalent in our findings. These are the online journalistic outlets that produce original content – news and stories for audiences. But the other group, service-oriented business models, seems to be growing. This group consists of sites that don’t try to monetize the journalistic content as such but rather focus on carving out new functionality. The project was able to identify several revenue sources: advertising, paying for content, affiliate marketing, donations, selling data or services, organizing events, freelancing and training or selling merchandise. Where it was hard to evidence entirely new revenue sources, it was however possible to find new ways in which revenue sources have been combined or reconfigured. The report also offers practical advice for those who are planning to start their own journalistic site

Music 2025 : The Music Data Dilemma: issues facing the music industry in improving data management

© Crown Copyright 2019Music 2025ʼ investigates the infrastructure issues around the management of digital data in an increasingly stream driven industry. The findings are the culmination of over 50 interviews with high profile music industry representatives across the sector and reflects key issues as well as areas of consensus and contrasting views. The findings reveal whilst there are great examples of data initiatives across the value chain, there are opportunities to improve efficiency and interoperability

HYPERLOCAL REVENUES IN THE UK AND EUROPE: Mapping the road to sustainability and resilience

During the past few years, Nesta and other strategic organisations have published research and delivered a range of resources to directly support hyperlocal media publishers to innovate their service. While there are a growing number of examples of innovative and dynamic practice, and an increasing relevance of hyperlocal media due to the shrinking footprint of traditional local print and broadcast media, our research highlights key challenges concerning sustainability (financial as well as human resource), growth and ‘findability’. As the sector continues to grow and becomes more diverse - in regards to the types of businesses and services that are producing content, the type of content being produced, the means through which content is being distributed and the ways in which local audiences are accessing and engaging with content - a more robust examination of how publishers are monetising their services is necessary. Therefore, this study undertakes an analysis of current and emerging revenue streams and the digital technologies facilitating these – the findings of which will help publishers implement positive changes to their own service. This research is aimed at online-first (but not necessarily online-exclusive) hyperlocal practitioners in the UK and in Europe, for them to use the findings and guidance to improve their ability to provide news and information to their local communities for the long term. It also provides evidence and recommendations to wider industry and policymakers in Europe in order for them to better support hyperlocal media, in regards to aspects such as the Digital Single Market, tax regulation especially in regards to organisational structure, and regulation of other areas of the digital and media sectors