Internews, Thomson Media and Deutsche Welle
From audience to community, from donations to a business model
Mentoring independent media in the Western Balkans and Central Europe through business and communication transformation
- Client
- Internews, Thomson Media and Deutsche Welle
- Year
- 2020–present
Independent media in the Western Balkans and Central Europe do important work in an environment that is not on their side: small budgets, dependence on donors and algorithms, and often political pressure. They know how to tell good stories. Building a business that sustains them in the long run is harder.
Since 2020, our partner Jernej Verbič has been helping media outlets through business and communication transformation as a mentor and consultant in programmes funded by Internews, Thomson Media and Deutsche Welle. There were several outlets and programmes, but the core of the work was always the same: first understand who the outlet is, then build a community and new revenue streams from that.
In numbers
- 11
- Independent media outlets from Serbia, North Macedonia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic we have worked with since 2020.
- 69%
- More unique YouTube viewers for Njuz.net, from 970,000 to 1.6 million, alongside 52% higher monthly ad revenue.
- 27%
- More regular supporters for Deník Alarm after it launched its own donation platform.
- 26,000
- Loyal readers of the Slovak weekly Tyždeň in October 2023, up from 14,000 in June of the same year.
01The same challenge in different newsrooms
A satirical portal in Belgrade, fact-checkers, a regional portal in Novi Sad, a print weekly in Bratislava and a progressive daily in Prague don't seem to have much in common. When we started working with them, their problems were strikingly similar.
- Revenue depended on one or two sources: donors, one big client, or ads on platforms that like to limit political content.
- The people who followed them were an audience, not a community. They read, but didn't take part, suggest or support.
- The teams were creatively outstanding but organised as a group where everyone does everything. There was no time left for strategy, sales and management.
- The same content went to every channel, so algorithms often pushed it aside.
So we didn't start with new formats, but with the question of who the outlet actually is and whom it serves.
Key idea
When a community supports an outlet, it isn't begging for money. It's a fair relationship.
02How we work: in stages, on real problems
The work is modular. Online, we run structured consulting sessions with case studies. Live work needs a few days in a row, because we set up a simulation of a real change environment in the newsroom: we tackle the team's actual challenges and solve them hands-on as we go.
While we playfully define the brand archetype, we talk about its architecture, real obstacles and quick fixes. That's how a strategic and business framework takes shape, one that accounts for real resources, constraints and untapped opportunities. We lead change in the team gently, so people feel like an important and welcome part of it.
Five stages of transformation
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01
Brand archetype
Who we are, what sets us apart and how we talk about it. We define it together, through exercises and role play.
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02
Brand architecture
How the outlet, formats, shows, services and sub-brands connect, and which channel serves which community.
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03
Strategic and business framework
Mission, vision and values, analyses of the environment and competition, and a business model stress-tested with an investor's questions.
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04
A new revenue stream
A plan for a product or service that brings in money while strengthening the bond with the community rather than draining it.
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05
Monitoring delivery
Monthly sessions based on learning by doing: we develop what works and drop what takes too much effort and brings no results.
Since 2020
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2020
Building media communities
Internews: workshops and consulting sessions for Vidi Vaka, 360 stepeni, Sloboden pečat and Sakam da kažam from North Macedonia. How to turn an audience into a community, segment content by channel and write original social media posts.
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2021–2022
A brand newsroom as a new revenue stream
Internews and Thomson Media: Vidi Vaka used its existing production team to offer storytelling services to companies. In 2022, a live Internews follow-up with Sloboden pečat in Skopje: a simulated morning editorial meeting and a new weekly newsletter.
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2023
Strategic and business frameworks
Internews: six consulting days each for 021 from Novi Sad, BIRN Serbia and Istinomer, from an elevator pitch to environmental analyses, a blue ocean exercise and a business model.
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2023
From print to community
Journalift: mentoring the Slovak outlets Tyždeň and Parameter. Audience research, content segmentation, a new look and a daily newsletter.
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2024–2025
Satire that can do the maths
Western Balkans Media for Change: mentoring Njuz.net and Vidi Vaka. New formats, an online shop and a strategic plan for the years ahead.
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2025–2026
A community that pays for independence
Media Innovation Europe: mentoring the Czech daily Deník Alarm. Its own donation platform, a video studio and its first video services for external clients.
Four newsrooms, four paths
The Serbian satirical portal tested three new formats and opened an online shop.
The satirical quiz became a permanent format, while the interviews and live show became occasional specials. The online shop became a new revenue stream that funds less profitable projects. Monthly YouTube ad revenue rose by 52%, Patreon donations by 33%, and unique viewers from 970,000 to 1.6 million. The team now weighs every format by its costs and benefits as well.
The Czech progressive daily built its own donation platform and a video studio.
The donation platform is tied into editorial and communication work. As much as 90% of donations come via QR codes, regular supporters are up 27%, and yearly donations grew by 14% in 2025. The new video studio won its first four external clients, and the YouTube audience grew by half.
The Slovak weekly with a print legacy found its readers again.
We started with audience research among 1,000 respondents and added qualitative interviews. Then came social media planning, digital content segmentation and deciding what stays behind the paywall. Regular website users grew from 125,000 to 150,000, and loyal readers from 14,000 to 26,000 in four months.
The Slovak portal turned its readers into a community.
The team upgraded its knowledge of formats, platforms and content segmentation, refreshed its look and website, launched a daily newsletter and grew the team. The biggest shift was in mindset: people are no longer just those who read, but a community to talk with.
What changes
- An audience that reads
- One or two revenue streams
- Everyone does everything
- The same post on every channel
- Decisions made on the fly
- A community that takes part and supports
- Several streams: membership, shop, services, sponsors
- Clear roles and junior team members
- Content tailored to the channel and community
- A strategic framework for several years
»2025 was about building the foundation. 2026 is about scaling.«
Jernej Verbič on working with Deník Alarm
03What we learned
Creative chaos and strategy are not mutually exclusive. Even a team that works as a "creative tribe" can make a five-year plan, as long as it does so because it wants to, not because a donor demands it.
The best new revenue stream isn't always new content. Often it's something the outlet already knows how to do but doesn't sell: a production team that can work for companies, an archive and expertise that become an analytics service, or a slogan that becomes a T-shirt.
Read more about the individual stories on Journalift: Njuz.net and new revenue streams, Njuz.net's video podcasts, Deník Alarm, Tyždeň, Parameter.
04Where this project sits in our matrix
We work across all of these layers, and any combination is possible.
- Who we worked for
- Executive leadershipCorporate communicationsHRMarketingPublic sector
- Project scope
- Small brand storyAlways-on communicationBig brand story (a full campaign)
- What we improved
- ProcessesRelationshipsContent
- How we approached it
- StrategicallyDigitally, with AICreativelyIn an advisory role
- How long?
- Short-term (up to 3 months)Mid-term (3–12 months)Long-term (a year or more)
- What we created
- DocumentsPresentationsVisual identitiesDesignWebsitesSocial mediaCopywritingPhotographyVideo storiesAnimationsPodcastsEventsWorkshops