over 60 Million per Week Through 8,000 Media Outlets

Now offering "seamless delivery" via legacy, new and digital media, Ohio 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, Ohio News Connection produced 214 stories, which aired a minimum of 9,427 times on 127 radio stations and used by 44 print/online outlets and 7 television stations for a total of 178 media outlets in Ohio and border states and 33 regionally/nationwide. An average of 29 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 1/6 page ad in Columbus Post-Dispatch can run 2,200
  • a 30 second radio ad on WTVN-AM can be as much as $350
  • booking a 30 second spot on NBC4 costs at least $600
  • the average minimum for an Audio News Release (ANR) is $2,000 to produce and distribute one radio actuality statewide
None of those buys guarantee a reader will flip to the page an ad is on, won't change the radio station when they go to commercial, or won't fast forward through the ads with their DVR.

Ohio 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, ONC is part of a network reaching over 24 million people weekly through over 8,000 other outlets.

Market Share Coverage in Ohio

Last year our stories got picked up by a significant share of radio stations in the top media markets of Ohio - 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
Akron OH 2 19 1
Ann Arbor MI 1
Battle Creek MI 1
Cincinnati OH 21
Cleveland OH 2
Columbus OH 3 3
Dayton OH 5
Flint MI 4
Fort Wayne IN 6
Huntington-Ashland WV 1
Lima OH 4
Louisville KY 1
Muncie-Marion IN 12
Terre Haute IN 8
Toledo OH 1
Wheeling WV 3
Non-Major Markets 17 45 5

The Issues We Cover

The graph below illustrates the coverage of funded issues from last year in Ohio. 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
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention 1 34
Animal Welfare 4 176
Budget Policy & Priorities 21 937
Children's Issues 18 793
Climate Change/Air Quality 5 191
Consumer Issues 11 548
Criminal Justice 1 35
Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault 1 66
Education 7 348
Endangered Species & Wildlife 3 98
Energy Policy 19 804
Environment 19 762
Health Issues 40 1,845
Housing/Homelessness 1 54
Hunger/Food/Nutrition 7 342
Immigrant Issues 1 25
Juvenile Justice 3 111
LGBTQIA Issues 4 144
Livable Wages/Working Families 12 612
Mental Health 1 42
Peace 1 24
Public Lands/Wilderness 1 26
Rural/Farming 2 109
Senior Issues 1 67
Social Justice 7 239
Sustainable Agriculture 7 262
Water 6 293
Women's Issues 3 114
Youth Issues 5 229

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 Ohio News Connection now to make sure issues you care about are covered!