The Sumter Item named finalist for national Mega-Innovation newspaper award

The Sumter Item was named one of three national finalists for the 2020 Mega-Innovation Award for newspapers, the News Media Alliance, America’s Newspapers and the Local Media Association announced Monday.

The Salt Lake Tribune and The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette are the other two finalists for the award, the winner of which will be announced on Feb. 18 at the 2020 Key Executives Mega Conference for newspapers in Fort Worth, Texas. The conference is the largest annual newspaper gathering in the nation, and the Mega-Innovation Award is the only award presented at the conference.

It was created to identify and reward “those companies that are successful transitioning their business to take advantage of the emerging trends in media and marketing,” according to a press release announcing the finalists Monday afternoon.

“This is a surreal moment for our staff, and we couldn’t be more humbled and honored. This is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious awards in newspapers,” Publisher Vince Johnson said Monday. “To be in the same breath as two of the largest newspapers in the country who are making disruptive, game-changing moves is quite incredible, a credit to our staff and propels Sumter quickly onto a national stage.”

All three finalists will present their nomination before the final award is announced in February. Johnson, Executive Editor Kayla Green and Chief Digital Officer Micah Green will present on behalf of The Item staff.

The Sumter Item’s nomination centers on the large-scale changes the 125-year-old, family owned organization has made since late 2017, including the creation of its video production company, Studio Sumter, the revamping of its annual Best of Sumter and expansion into Best of Clarendon readers' choice awards and the creation of new email newsletters and digital products.

“In an industry where 2,100 newspapers have shut down nationwide in the last 15 years (according to research from Penelope Muse Abernathy at the UNC School of Media and Journalism’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media), being able to adapt and build within your community has stopped being a luxury and has become a necessity,” Johnson said. “It’s a challenge to serve both our longtime readers while also promoting our work and community value to new generations that consume media in different ways, but that’s our goal. We’re building organically and with Sumter’s growth and prosperity in the forefront of our long-term goals.”

Each of the other two finalists for the award has received national attention for its transformative initiatives in the last several months.

The Democrat-Gazette is piloting a subscriber program that distributes iPads to readers while cutting back the days of the week it prints a physical newspaper. The Salt Lake Tribune recently became the first major metropolitan newspaper to apply for and be awarded a nonprofit status, allowing tax-exempt donations from citizens and organizations to support the creation of local news.

“This is a big deal, but at the same time, we’re just going to keep moving forward for the Sumter region,” Johnson said. “It’s critical we remain a voice for our community. We need more readers advocating for and subscribing to The Sumter Item. We need more advertisers putting their dollars behind the creation of local news and reaching the region’s largest local media audience. As that happens, we can certainly play our role in the growth and prosperity of the region as a whole.”