over 60 Million per Week Through 8,000 Media Outlets
Now offering "seamless delivery" via legacy, new and digital media, Wisconsin News Connection content is used at the local and national level by print, radio, TV and online outlets, from local newspapers, community broadcasters and blogs to national networks like Huffington Post, Clear Channel (now known as News Talk Network), CBS, Sirius Satellite Radio and Native Network News. We distribute to 10s of thousands of media outlets and over 8,000 are regularly using our content, reaching individuals and thought-leaders seeking information and solutions.
Last year, Wisconsin News Connection produced 122 stories, which aired a minimum of 7,494 times on 131 radio stations and used by 31 print/online outlets and 3 television stations for a total of 165 media outlets in Wisconsin and border states and 147 regionally/nationwide. An average of 36 media outlets broadcast or ran each story in their paper and/or on their web page.
About 1/3 of this content was picked up by national networks, like (formerly known as Clear Channel’s) News Talk Network, Sirius, CBS and Native News Network.
More on Social Media
Each story is Tweeted and shared through other social media channels, reposted on hundreds of websites and often included in our daily national news podcasts for mobile devices through iTunes, Stitcher and others, as well as our own public website.
This broad reach does not happen by accident, and it doesn't happen with PR.
Why Solution-Focused Journalism Matters (More Than Ever)
There is a 'new normal' as journalism reinvents itself. Gaining access to the dominant media is increasingly dependent on being able to relate to journalists in time-saving ways.
Often this expertise comes with a hefty price tag, and those with fewer resources have a harder time being heard and taken seriously in the public arena. In fact, annual spending in the U.S. on PR services (already at $4 billion) is expected to grow 55 percent (to $8.3 billion) from 2009 to 2013 (view the complete article here.)
The public officially owns the airwaves, but the companies that run them sell that airspace, and in general media outlets see any space under their control as "real estate" with financial value. Larger corporations and charitable institutions have the resources to underwrite content in return for branding and advertising. Public broadcasting allows small donors to vote for the specific programs they like. Our model allows anyone to fund, or help fund, independent reporting on any issue.
This is a new model that allows anyone or any organization to be a philanthropist. Our content has to be extremely useful for other outlets to give up their "real estate" for it. Otherwise, you can see below how much they charge for advertising. (There is no way to compare news to advertising, but we don't have any other models to compare to help show the value of our work.)
- a 1/8 page ad in Wisconsin State Journal can run $1,157
- a 30 second radio ad on WIBA-AM can be as much as $190
- booking a 30 second spot on WISC-TV costs at least $520
- the average minimum for an Audio News Release (ANR) is $2,000 to produce and distribute one radio actuality statewide
Wisconsin News Connection is an independent public-interest news service and what we do is not advertising or PR, but goes beyond anything that PR can regularly achieve. With news, we're providing a highly valuable product that other journalists and media outlets need. And, as new platforms are created, our content adapts easily and supports the rapidly changing news and information environment.
Overall, WNC is part of a network reaching over 24 million people weekly through over 8,000 other outlets.
Market Share Coverage in Wisconsin
Last year our stories got picked up by a significant share of radio stations in the top media markets of Wisconsin - the graph below illustrates the pickup in each market. We would love to get the same great coverage for issues you care about now!
| Media Market | Print Online |
Radio | Television |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton-Oshkosh WI | 3 | 23 | |
| Chicago IL | 3 | ||
| Dubuque IA | 2 | 15 | |
| Duluth-Superior MN | 4 | ||
| Green Bay WI | 1 | 2 | |
| La Crosse WI | 7 | ||
| Madison WI | 1 | 1 | |
| Milwaukee-Racine WI | 1 | 5 | |
| Rockford IL | 2 | 6 | |
| Sheboygan WI | 1 | ||
| Wausau-Stevens Point WI | 1 | 7 | |
| Non-Major Markets | 20 | 43 | 3 |
The Issues We Cover
The graph below illustrates the coverage of funded issues from last year in Wisconsin. A well-rounded news service helps ensure the greatest media outlet pickup. Counter to what one might think, the more stories we send out, the more they are all picked up and redistributed.
| Issue | Number of Stories | Media Pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Welfare | 2 | 99 |
| Budget Policy & Priorities | 13 | 848 |
| Campaign Finance Reform/Money in Pol | 11 | 579 |
| Children's Issues | 6 | 353 |
| Climate Change/Air Quality | 2 | 129 |
| Consumer Issues | 7 | 584 |
| Criminal Justice | 3 | 206 |
| Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault | 1 | 56 |
| Education | 7 | 390 |
| Energy Policy | 4 | 265 |
| Environment | 9 | 566 |
| Gun Violence Prevention | 2 | 124 |
| Health Issues | 18 | 967 |
| Hunger/Food/Nutrition | 4 | 286 |
| Juvenile Justice | 1 | 86 |
| Livable Wages/Working Families | 1 | 58 |
| Public Lands/Wilderness | 1 | 55 |
| Rural/Farming | 2 | 154 |
| Senior Issues | 8 | 507 |
| Social Justice | 9 | 512 |
| Sustainable Agriculture | 5 | 324 |
| Toxics | 1 | 46 |
| Welfare Reform | 1 | 59 |
If you don't see stories on topics you care deeply about...
that means the funds aren't there yet! Download a list of issues that your funding can help support today! Our "orphan issues" do not receive any funding at all - would you consider "adopting" coverage on what is most important to you?
Join the Wisconsin News Connection now to make sure issues you care about are covered!