About this Webinar

How Village Media has grown its footprint with a relentless focus on giving readers what they want is the subject of this INMA Newsroom Transformation Initiative Webinar.

Canada’s Village Media is a success story that stands out in the troubled local media landscape –– adding editorial staff and expanding into new communities, including most recently, Toronto. Part of its success traces from adding new products like Spaces and its own CMS. Part of its growth can be attributed to a hyperlocal focus that includes original news and information relevant to residents’ lives.

The 11-year-old company is now in more than two dozen markets, with plans to continue growing. Most of its news sites were launched from scratch, while five were added through acquisitions. Last October, Village Media debuted its newest site – TorontoToday, a hyperlocal news source dedicated to serving the downtown neighbourhoods of Canada's largest city. None of its markets have print products.

CEO Jeff Elgie will walk through Village Media’s strategy, with an emphasis on how its newsrooms continue to evolve, how they measure success and where they plan to go next.

The Webinar will be moderated by Amalie Nash, INMA’s Newsroom Transformation Initiative lead.

About Village Media

Village Media is a Canadian media company that operates more than 25 hyperlocal online news and community Web sites throughout Ontario. Its news brands focus on providing local stories written by journalists in the communities that they serve. In 2024, Village Media announced plans to launch Spaces, a localised social networking platform where users can join customised groups to discuss topics of community interest, such as local sports and history.