We begin today with a conversation about an exciting development that will transform and enrich the media landscape in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Banner will begin publishing soon. The Banner is a multi-platform news organization, launched under the aegis of the non-profit Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, that has attracted top talent from Baltimore and around the country, and it may turn out that it’s riding something of a wave in journalism. Non-profit newsrooms are springing-up and succeeding across the country in cities large and small. The Institute for Non-Profit News reports that in 2020, “Web traffic to nonprofit news sites grew by 43%.”

The Banner enjoys the substantial financial and philosophical support of Stewart Bainum, a wealthy entrepreneur who has made a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment, and serves as chairman of the Venetoulis Institute. Soon, anyone who values first-rate local journalism will have the opportunity to support this enterprise as well, with subscriptions and contributions.

Kimi Yoshino is an award-winning journalist who has come to Baltimore to be the Banner’s Editor in Chief after more than two decades at the Los Angeles Times…

Imtiaz Patel was a senior executive at the Wall Street Journal for several years. He’s also been a consultant with the Philadelphia Enquirer and USA Today.  He is the CEO of the Baltimore Banner…

They both join us on Zoom from the Banner headquarters in Baltimore.