The News Nirvana Podcast

Ep 7: Delivering news for the people, not their mailboxes

Daniel Williams has spent his entire career working to build and retain news audiences. The game, he says, has changed and the focus now needs to be on the news consumer and creating sustainable relationships not only with them, but also between the reader and our organizations' business partners and advertisers. The co-founder of BlueLena sits down with Host Nick Parker for a conversation on audience building and retention.

Ep. 6: Old school community journalism leads to new success

Walk your beat. Cultivate your sources. Know the community you cover and the people you serve. For Bob Jacob, editor of the Cleveland Jewish News and Columbus Jewish News, these old school rules for journalists are the key for his papers' growth and success in these key Ohio markets.

Ep. 5: All for the love of journalism

Mike Blinder, from Editor & Publisher, joins host Nick Parker to talk about the state of the news industry and his passion for the work news organizations do across the country. There is a need, he says, to remind newspapers and broadcasters to celebrate the work they’re doing and the roles they play in the communities they serve.

Ep. 4: Blue turf, relationships & storytelling

Recorded prior to the start of the 2021 NCAA football season, B.J. Rains (Boise State beat writer for the Idaho Press) joined host Nick Parker for a conversation on sports writing. B.J. talks about the infamous blue turf of Boise State, what it was like covering college football in empty stadiums during the 2020 season and how he's had to shift the way he not only covers sports, but builds relationships when he's not always able to cover his beat "in person." (Note: we had some technical issues with this recording and apologize for the host's low audio.)

Ep. 3: Rekindling the fire of community news

Anika Anand, deputy director of LION Publishers, joins the show to talk about her organizations efforts to support growth of the hyper-local and independently-owned news organizations across America.

Ep. 2: Regrowth of a major metro and protecting journalism in America

Just months after his paper covered the social unrest of 2020, Seattle Times President Alan Fisco joins host Nick Parker to talk about the direction and state of his paper and what it could mean for other major metros. In the second half, Alan puts on his other hat, that of president of America's Newspapers, and talks of the latest efforts to encourage new legislation aimed to protect the fourth estate.

Ep. 1: We may be old, but we gotta embrace the new

Eric Reinert, Director of Digital Media at WFMZ-TV in Allentown, PA, joins the show for conversation about the ever-changing technologies we use to collect and deliver the news. How we use the technology matters not only to how we gather the news, but also how we reach our audiences and better serve our advertising and business partners.

Welcome to the News Nirvana Podcast

The way people consume news is changing. Just as the morning and evening editions were eclipsed by the 24/7 news cycle, the “I only want the news I want, and I want it NOW” mindset is sweeping away everything that came before. In a world of social media, podcasts, and on-demand digital TV, where does traditional journalism fit? Who will hold businesses and governmental institutions to account for their actions? And who will pay for the credible local reporting that makes our democracy work? Host Nick Parker speaks with the visionaries and thought leaders who are transforming the way news is created, distributed, and monetized. The News Nirvana podcast looks to uncover what content is most engaging, how modern technologies are changing news consumption, and how news organizations are reshaping their business models for tomorrow... and beyond. We don’t know what the future holds for news, but it’s out there. On the News Nirvana podcast, we’re going to find it.