The Local Media Playbook #2

Where We Are Right Now

That’s important—not just because of the numbers, but because it validates that what we’re doing is working.

Momentum is building across the company, and it’s a direct result of the people in each market and at every level of OMG.

It’s always worth reinforcing just how simple our playbook is:

• Build a top-performing sales organization
• Operate lean and efficiently
• Invest in community journalism
• Grow a digital agency alongside publishing
• Help local businesses win

We stay focused on that—and execute.

Employee of the Month

One of the highlights this month was launching our Employee of the Month program.

The level of engagement right out of the gate was outstanding. The selection process is based on five criteria:

• Performance / Results
• Initiative
• Teamwork and Culture
• Customer Service
• Reliability / Consistency

Each nomination also includes a written recommendation. Anyone in the company except me is eligible to win, and the winner will also be rewarded $250. The main challenge of the program is truly selecting just one winner each month.

With that said, I’m excited to recognize our first Employee of the Month:

Rachel Machia – Business Office Manager, Vermont

From publisher Bridget Higdon:

“Rachel is the rock of the Vermont team, working diligently every day on everything behind the scenes. With Messenger for over 15 years, Rachel is in charge of billing, subscriptions, ad orders and more. In the last year, she’s taken on even more responsibility—stepping into production management and customer service roles when needed. I recently listened to her spend 15 minutes helping an elderly customer navigate the e-edition. She was patient, kind, and incredibly helpful. Rachel may fly under the radar, but she is essential to our operation.”

Personally, I’ve worked with Rachel since our first acquisition in St. Albans in December 2018. Through all the change in our industry and within our business, she has been a constant.

She’s dependable, hardworking, and always willing to step in where needed—not just in Vermont, but across the company.

Rachel—thank you. Well deserved.

Company Highlights

Revenue & EBITDA Growth

April was another strong month.

• Total advertising revenue: +31% vs. prior year (+24% YTD)
• Same-store digital revenue: +45% in April (+31% YTD)
• EBITDA margin: 16% YTD

These are strong numbers for a local media company—and frankly, for any business.

Sales Performance

I want to recognize the top producers this month:

Joe Paul (All), Jade Lewandowski (All), Erica McNamee (Philly), Michele Swain (DE), Bobbie Duft (CO), Pam Mathes (All), Sharon Schneider (WI), Kathy Riley (AZ), Jeff Wolfe (CO), Shari Pierce (Pagosa Springs – $113K), Twila Adkins (DE), Laura Simonson (MN), Nicole Lee (MN), Alicia Burgos (Philly), Amanda Meloni (Philly), Dennis Watson (Philly), Jennifer Lydon (Philly), Ruth Constantine (Philly), and Suzanne Lynn (VT).

This is a strong mix of Account Executives and Managers—and that balance is a big part of what makes OMG different.

Also worth noting: many of these same names showed up last month. That consistency matters.

Across the company, 70% of teams exceeded their targets in April:

• Arizona
• Minnesota/Wisconsin (five straight months)
• New Mexico
• Colorado
• Pagosa Springs (six straight months)
• Philadelphia

Anytime 70% of teams are hitting goal, that’s a real win.

Community Connect

Community Connect continues to gain traction.

• $500K+ in new recurring revenue to date

This program works because it leverages everything we do—print, digital, sponsored content, social, and newsletters—to deliver real value and ROI for advertisers.

Recognition for leading sales:

• Jade Lewandowski (12)
• Joe Paul (6)
• Kathy Riley (5)
• Tina Nixon (4)
• Ruth Constantine (4)

News Team Spotlight – Vermont

This month, I want to highlight the team in Vermont.

• This month, I wanted to recognize publisher Bridget Higdon and our entire team in Vermont. April is maple-everything month in Vermont. Reporters for the Saint Albans Messenger spent the month prepping for the 59th Vermont Maple Festival, the region’s biggest annual event. Leading up to the weekend, staff published profiles of local sugarmakers, festival how-tos and event schedules. Vermonters eat this up (literally and figuratively), and readers even submitted their own photos of sugarmaking. All of that was published digitally and in a Vermont Maple Festival guidebook, which was distributed throughout the county with the support of 29 advertisers. Then it was all-hands-in to cover the three-day festival. Reporters Josh, Aidan and Bridget snapped thousands of photos, publishing four photo galleries, interviews and contest results to the Messenger website.

Video posted to Facebook and Instagram during the festival generated 98 new social media followers. Data show reels are majority seen by users who do not already follow the Messenger, helping new audiences to discover and subscribe to the brand.

This is exactly what strong community journalism and audience engagement look like.

Employee Updates

Welcome to our April hires:

Evelyn Kono (Digital Fulfillment), Chris Fox (Reporter – Chicago), Debbie Hamilton (Sales – Chicago), Betty Jesensky (Office/Sales – Chicago), Mike Sandrolini (Reporter – Chicago), Jane Charmelo (Reporter – Chicago), Cat Carroll (Reporter), and Catharine Lautenbacher (Digital Fulfillment).

Metro Philly Distribution Expansion

The Philadelphia team continues to expand aggressively:

• 55 new newsstand locations
• 15 regional rail locations reestablished
• 12 new PATCO line locations
• 25 new vending machines

This is a major advantage for our Metro brand.

Great work by Jerry McConnell and Perry Corsetti.

Acquisition Integration

Another strong integration effort across the team.

Key highlights:

• advertising system transitioned day one
• circulation systems transitioned day 30
• five new websites launched day 30

Appreciation to Sally Shepherd, Jade Lewandowski, Sharon Schneider, Chad Richardson, Betty Jesensky, and the entire team.

And thank you to our partners:

• Bill Ostendorf and team– Creative Circle
• Paul McCarthy-Brain and team– Flip Pay

Looking Ahead

May is our Super Bowl.

It’s a critical month for revenue and cash flow.

Priorities are clear:

• Maximize advertising revenue, especially around niche publications and special sections
• Continue improving goal attainment across teams
• Launch Newspaper of the Month recognition
• Expand the Metro brand into suburban markets with a scalable digital presence
• Continued focus on building and strengthening our “second lane” for revenue diversification and new business development. A key component is AI activity, which will take form and quickly become a driving force for revenue and audience growth as well as efficiency (it’s already begun!)

Execution matters here.

Personally Speaking

Last week, we lost our yellow lab, Mozzy.

Anyone who’s had a dog knows how tough that is. It’s like losing a member of the family.

Mozzy was 120+ pounds, full of energy, and all in on everything—running, swimming, eating, and being part of our lives.

He was friendly almost all of the time—but fierce when needed.

There’s probably a lesson in that for all of us in business:

Be friendly. But be fierce when it matters.

RIP Mozzy.

Final Thought

Strong community journalism matters.

And we’re building a company that proves it every day.

Thank you to everyone across OMG for the work you’re doing.

— Jim O’Rourke