Seizing an Opportunity

In the wake of the Easy Valley Tribune laying off virtually all its political staff in January 2009, an online political news publication was born.

Although he hadn’t worked at the Tribune, Bob Grossfeld had run several companies involved in politics and was a former reporter and news director. He saw a change in the newspaper industry, where reporters no longer needed a publisher to serve as the vehicle for delivering news to an audience.

So he hatched the idea of creating an Internet-based political publication and presented the concept to Dennis Welch, a Tribune reporter who had just been notified he was being laid off. Only three months later, The Arizona Guardian launched with a staff that included three other former Tribune journalists. 

“It took off like a rocket because people at the State Capitol and those involved in politics and governing throughout the state were – as we had thought – hungry for good, solid political journalism,” said Grossfeld, who is also The Arizona Guardian’s publisher.

Today, like any small company dealing with the recession, the Guardian has challenges. The publication is supported by subscriptions and advertisements, which Grossfeld says aren’t always easy to secure. However, overhead is so low it’s possible to maintain operations – unlike many print publications.

“I suspect print publications are clearly on the way out for economic reasons, if not cultural reasons,” Grossfeld added. “It just costs an enormous amount of money to publish a print newspaper.”

Costs are why The Arizona Guardian’s breaking political news is delivered using the Internet, opt-in e-mail newsletters and social media. The publication’s subscription-based model gives online visitors a glimpse of the content, but most material is only accessible to subscribers.

From a promotional perspective, the approach gives advertisers an advantage because the audience is highly targeted and receptive.

“If you need to get your message in front of the major political and policy players in the state, that’s what we do,” Grossfeld said.

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Arizona Guardian
www.arizonaguardian.com