The Changing Local Media Landscapes of Rural and Urban Communities

Over the past three decades, large media companies based in other states have purchased many formerly locally owned newspapers and radio stations serving small towns and rural regions throughout Illinois. Media consolidation has affected urban Illinois communities as well. Partly in reaction to those trends, independently owned, “hyperlocal” media outlets have arisen in various rural and urban communities in recent years. All of these developments have substantially changed the ways in which many local media entities are situated within their communities and altered their relationships with the residents and the cultures of their coverage areas. Panelists representing several rural and urban Illinois communities will discuss the ongoing evolution of local media landscapes.

Free and open to the public.

Funded project of Illinois Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.