WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – Woodbury News Net marked its first anniversary with a celebration that included a ribbon-cutting Thursday at 3rd Act Craft Brewery.
WNN is a member of the Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event. Chamber President Laurie Staiger told the crowd “We’re all very supportive” of WNN’s mission to create an independent, impartial news source for Woodbury.
Mayor Anne Burt said she was saddened when the Woodbury Bulletin stopped publishing its weekly newspaper in 2020. WNN has helped fill that information void.
“I’m just so thrilled this is happening,” Burt said. “I just absolutely love news. I love our local community. So local news and local community make a great combination. When you all came forward with this idea, I’ve just been more than anything a big supporter and big cheerleader for it.”
WNN co-founder Susan Kent said she felt the loss of a community news source when she was a state senator. Getting the word out about things like town hall meetings became difficult. With her background in marketing and advertising, she decided to look into creating a news source.
Kent learned that Kathy Saltzman, also a former state senator, was exploring the same idea. They teamed up as co-founders. Planning began in earnest about a year ago, setting the stage for WNN’s first anniversary celebration.
Both women thanked the volunteers and donors who’ve helped along the way including WNN board members Paul Huffman, Pat Mack, Rich Radke, and Manali Shah.
The effort began with the generic name Woodbury News Project. Last spring, volunteers met and discussed several options before settling on Woodbury News Net. WNN began as a state-registered nonprofit with the Woodbury Community Foundation serving as its fiscal agent. By the end of the year, WNN was certified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
WNN began publishing its weekly email newsletter, The Roundabout, in August. That initial newsletter was sent to just 100 people but has grown to a mailing list of 2,600 readers. In August, WNN began publishing its stories on its website – www.woodburynewsnet.org – as well.
This fall, WNN became a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News. The Woodbury organization was also one of three nonprofit newsrooms awarded a $200,000 McKnight Foundation grant. The funding supported creation of the Metro Nonprofit News Network with WNN as a founding member.
At the end of January, WNN hired a paid, part-time editor to work with its volunteer staff. Matt McConico comes from television and digital newsrooms in Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.
WNN is now seeking sponsorships and will soon begin selling advertising in the newsletter as well as on its website. Revenue will cover the cost of WNN’s newsletter and website platforms as well future staff to strengthen business development and editorial coverage.
While business support is critical, so are individual donations to allow WNN to offer its coverage for free to the entire community.
“This is a community-led project,” Saltzman said.
Kent agreed. “This is absolutely a community project. We know this is going to last and be exciting and important for Woodbury for a long, long time to come.”
Building community. One story at a time.
