Should Hyperlocal be Hyperniche?

What one heck of a sheep says about modern journalism.

Adam Tinworth
Adam Tinworth

I’d like to share something with you. Something that has made me very happy. Something, in fact, about sheep. This sheep, in particular:

Record-breaking Sheep

You see, this “tup”, as the livestock breeders call ’em, was sold for a staggering £230,000 yesterday, a story that’s being covered from the BBC to the Daily Mail.

But where was it broken?

On the Farmer’s Weekly livestock and sales blog, that’s where. But it was the above photo that really got the commenters going.

I mention this, both because I think it’s a fun story, and because I think that blog in particular illustrates something that I think is missed in much thinking about the future of news. We keep talking about hyperlocal, and that’s a thought process that’s rooted in the geographic nature of most newspaper circulations, particularly in the US. What our experience in RBI is teaching us is that hyperlocal is just a subset of hyperniche – and that there are many niches calling our for good, community-focused journalism.

Something to chew on over the bank holiday weekend. With some mint sauce.

farmers weeklyfarmingfwihyper-localhyper-nicherural life

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Adam is a lecturer, trainer and writer. He's been a blogger for over 20 years, and a journalist for more than 30. He lectures on audience strategy and engagement at City, University of London.

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