I'd still argue that precious resources should not be spent repurposing wire copy. Better to, as Jeff Jarvis says, do what you do best and link to/outsource the rest. Can one local paper ever do as good a job as Politico.com or GlobalPost.com? Why spend time writing yet-another poll-analysis piece in the election when you can link to the outstanding fivethirtyeight.com?

I think local news organizations need to become a reliable nexus of news and information, not all of which is created by the local staff. But what is created by the local staff should be largely material that's not otherwise available.

Thanks.

I'm curious, could you point me to an example story that has driven massive traffic to the Sun?

my only concern, as an aside, is that news org like ours actually stop thinking of our efforts as just “hyperlocal.” the web offers us a chance to broadcast our content to the world. our readers are not just interested in hyperlocal coverage. indeed, when our web content goes boom, it's usually due to a story that has broad appeal — and not just for the local masses. if we build a new enterprise based on hyperlocal news, i'm not sure how much value that offers to our advertisers, especially when the educated (and more affluent) reader/consumer is usually far more interested in national and international events than in local ones.

Great ideas, though. Let's hope the powers that be take them seriously.

I think the key is what you're stressing: being the preeminent local news organization.

That's what you need to define your strategy around, because that's what you are. That's the value – quality news! Distribution models are just … distribution models. Don't let the tail wag the dog.