When the advertisers  vanish and money goes away what do you?

One answer for the Chicago Defender has been to host events.  It’s not traditional journalism, but its money and it serves a community purpose.

Cafe magazine has also been holding gatherings and that’s given them a lot of attention. Money too.

But what else can ethnic news media do to stay alive?

L. Nicole Trottie, publisher of the West Suburban Journal, sells videos that her paper takes of public and sporting events.

Scott Bae, vice-president of KBC-TV, looks for ways for Asian-American television stations to cooperate so they can cut costs.

And on and on. Some have solutions. But many do not in this terribly withered economy.

That is why we invited Mike Smith, head of the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, to talk at 11 a.m. Thursday (May 28th) about business strategies for the ethnic news media.
Whether it is advertising or circulation or just making a business plan, Mike will be ready to deal with your questions. If you work on the business side of your news outlet, this is especially meant for you.

The meeting is at the North Lawndale Community News, 1211 S. Western (corner of Ogden), Second floor. There’s parking on the street. The meeting should last just about an hour so you can get back to work.