Academic looking forward to ‘Advocate’/NOLA Media competition

Sonya Duhé, director and professor in the School of Mass Communication at Loyola University New Orleans, admits to being “perplexed” by the NOLA Media Group’s decision to open a new bureau in Baton Rouge, but says she’s looking forward to watching the competition with The Advocate. NOLA Media is the new “digitally focused” organization that will include The Times-Picayune. “I do find that very intriguing that they would expand into the Baton Rouge market,” Duhé says. “We’re kind of shaking our heads here, wondering why.” The move seems counterintuitive, as recent research indicates that consumers are looking for hyper-local coverage, and the group seems to be going in the opposite direction; however, it has said it intends to produce a website and a version of the newspaper tailored to Baton Rouge, and that 16 news and advertising staffers will be based here. “Maybe they see that the Baton Rouge market has the advertising revenue that they don’t have here [in New Orleans],” she speculates. “You must see an opportunity there that you don’t see here.” As larger organizations spread themselves thinner, more opportunities may be created for small, nimble media outlets, such as Uptown Messenger and The Lens in New Orleans. Duhé herself is a board member for the latter. “Certainly, I believe competition is good,” she says. “Bring it on.” —David Jacobs