New projects from enterprising journalists in the hyperlocal scene: The case of the Castellón province, Spain

Abstract

The communication companies´ general crisis affects journalists all over the world, and the ones working in the Spanish province of Castellon are not an exception, specially after the closing down of the regional corporation Valencian Radio Television (RTVV) where many of them were employed. To survive, they chose to create their own digital media, competing for a very fragmented advertising market in the local journalism niche. In this paper, the journalistic projects that emerged in Castellón between 2008 and 2015 are analyzed. We describe their business models and their situation. The results reveal two main characteristics of this type of media: lack of a business plan and dependence on public administration content. Both aspects can determine the future development of these ventures.