

Inside the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Revival
11 snips Jul 8, 2025
Steve Grove, CEO of the Minnesota Star Tribune and former tech executive at Google News Lab, discusses revitalizing local journalism amid modern challenges. He shares insights on why he left Big Tech, focusing on local relevance over scale. Grove details innovative strategies for restructuring the newsroom, enhancing community engagement, and launching new revenue streams. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of rebuilding trust and genuine relationships between reporters and their communities, pivoting towards a sustainable future for legacy news.
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Ownership Enables Revival
- The Star Tribune's revival relies on an independent owner willing to invest in change.
- Local relevance and ownership create a viable future for legacy news.
Revive Brand and Know Audience
- Revitalize brand and broaden market identity to build trust and recognition.
- Use data to understand audiences and create targeted content franchises like high school sports.
Focus Locally and Bring Joy
- Focus on local content areas like food, outdoors, and business with unique community relevance.
- Balance watchdog journalism with lighter, joy-bringing content to combat news fatigue.