Trump the bump
The perfect content vertical for high inflation, Google tests removing news in 8 European countries, IFPIM announces CEE grant results and 19 active calls.
Welcome!
This week on the Media Finance Monitor:
Trump the bump
A content vertical suited for high-inflation
The most ambitious global media funder announces CEE results
Google tests removing news from search results in 8 European countries
We need to change the way journalism is funded in Europe
19 active calls (7 new)
Trump the bump
While I promise not to refocus the entire newsletter on developments in the U.S. media landscape, Donald Trump's reelection warrants attention as it will affect the global market and Central Eastern Europe in complex ways.
First, there are already early signs of the “Trump bump”, increased audience interest in news and more people willing to pay.
Slate saw a 700% increase in subscription sales following the US election in just a few days and judging by the CTA on the homepage, they are very much leaning into the new reality.
INMA’s digital audience revenue whisperer, Greg Piechota published some very interesting figures on LinkedIn: 69% of the participants of their Subscriber Acquisition Master Class reported a traffic spike related to the US elections, 21% are already seeing increased subscription sales. Piechota predicts more peaks ahead, an assessment I totally agree with.
As the new administration takes shape and begins enacting controversial policies, some news publishers are very likely to benefit. They stand to gain both from the heightened demand for information and from an audience that may increasingly view news organizations as essential checks on executive overreach. (We wrote about newsrooms and subscriptions becoming proxies for civic action two weeks ago.)
There is another interesting piece on Usermag about the creator/influencer ecosystem amplifying Trump’s messages and why the Democratic Party has been unable (or unwilling?) to cultivate a similar environment so far.
“The conservative media landscape in the United States is exceptionally well-funded, meticulously constructed, and highly coordinated. Wealthy donors, PACs, and corporations with a vested interest in preserving or expanding conservative policies strategically invest in right-wing media channels and up and coming content creators.”
This connects with our recent piece on news creators and their funding challenges. While resource disparity is significant, I think there's a deeper dynamic at play: conservative interest groups readily provide politically-motivated funding, which their ecosystem accepts. In contrast, some progressive funders and creators often prioritize editorial independence, limiting their political impact.
This tension between political effectiveness and editorial independence isn't unique to the US. In Europe, the contrast is even starker. In Hungary, state-aligned actors fund the Megafon Incubator Center and scores of "influencers" willing to amplify explicit political messages. Meanwhile, every media-focused grant from the European Commission and similar institutions comes with mandatory guarantees for editorial independence.
The key distinction lies in the fundamental approach to media support. You'll find EU-funded newsrooms regularly publishing pieces that scrutinize EU policies or challenge institutional decisions. This isn't a bug in the system; it's a feature - the recognition that healthy democracy requires space for dissent. The Megafon model, by contrast, explicitly ties funding to political loyalty and systematically excludes critical voices.
This dynamic helps explain why creating a progressive equivalent to figures like Joe Rogan faces structural, not just financial, challenges. The principles of editorial independence and journalistic integrity that some progressive institutions insist on make it harder to build the kind of coordinated messaging machine that conservative media has mastered.
A content vertical well suited for high-inflation
Niemann has an intriguing piece on how local outlets could launch verticals dedicated to tracking where specific grocery items are cheapest. In a time of high inflation, particularly with rising food prices, this kind of information could be a powerful public service tool. Niemann cites The Krazy Coupon Lady as an example, but in Hungary, there’s Hovege (EndofMonth), which fills a similar niche by helping people find affordable groceries.
I’m a fan of these content streams because they address the needs of a broader audience, especially those outside the superserved urban elite. In our recent interview with Jo Illie, whose MealPlanning newsletter has seen explosive growth in Romania, she also highlighted the importance of affordability as a primary consideration for her audience:
“I've always thought about how to make meal planning accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford shrimps—I have a thing with shrimps. To me they seem like an excessive thing because we live in a region where they aren’t naturally abundant. I eat shrimp when I travel, but not here. On that note, another consideration is keeping things local, which makes them cheaper, recognizable and easier to set.”
The most ambitious global media funder announces CEE results
The International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is a fascinating initiative attempting to raise 1 billion dollars for media support globally (you can read our interview about their fundraising strategy here).
They announced the results of their CEE open call a few weeks ago and decided to fund 5 news organizations in Moldova and Georgia. You can find their release and the grantee profiles here. For any news organization considering grant applications, studying these successful recipients offers valuable insights into what funders are looking for. Many of these funded newsrooms are typically open to sharing their experiences with similar organizations – reaching out to them could provide invaluable guidance for your own grant applications and projects.
Google tests removing news from search results in 8 European countries
Ezra Eeman, director of innovation and strategy at Dutch public broadcaster NPO, recently shared the results of an intriguing experiment he conducted comparing how Google Search and ChatGPT Search display news content.
“Consider a breaking news scenario: Recent floods in Spain. Google's traditional search approach presents multiple news sources chronologically, with timestamps and various perspectives from different publishers. Each headline offers a slightly different angle, inviting users to click through for more information. ChatGPT, in contrast, provides a synthesized summary with structured sections covering casualties, government response, and infrastructure damage - all in one view.
While Google acts as a gateway to information, ChatGPT serves as an information terminal, providing a summary that doesn't necessarily invite more clicks.”
Say what you will about Google, but Eeman’s side-by-side comparison leaves little doubt about which platform currently offers better visibility to publishers.
This reality is especially tough for publishers to accept, as Google is now running a “test” in Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, removing articles from EU-based news publishers from its Search, News, and Discover platforms.
“(...) regulators and publishers have asked for additional data about the effect of news content in Search on peoples’ use of our products. To meet this request, we will be running a small, time-limited test in which we don't show results from EU-based news publishers in Google News, Search, and Discover. “
The Verge interprets Google’s move as a “warning,” suggesting that the company may want to gauge user reactions to the reduced availability of news content.
We need to change the way journalism is funded in Europe
We are pushing for EU funding reform and building a coalition. Read about our ideas here and get in touch if you are interested in joining our efforts.
Now here are the active calls, with the largest at the top:
DRL Internet Freedom Annual Program
Who: US Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor
How much: USD 500,000 - 3,000,000
What is it for: Defending digital freedom and promoting online security
Deadline: January 9th, 2025
Eligible countries: Global
Media Freedom Rapid Response Mechanism
Who: European Commission
How much: No maximum grant (estimated budget: EUR 3,000,000)
What is it for: Support media freedom and journalist safety
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: January 15th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme
Journalism Partnerships - Pluralism
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 2,500,000
What is it for: Protection of independent media and journalism
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: February 27th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 2,000,000
What is it for: Cross-border media collaborations
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: February 27th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
CREA - TV and online content
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 2,000,000
What is it for: Boost audiovisual producers' capacity to develop projects
How long: Up to 36 months
Deadline: December 5th, 2024
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
EDMO: Accelerating the best use of technologies
Who: European Commission
How much: EUR 1,000,000 - 1,300,000
What is it for: Media literacy, anti-disinformation, fact-checking
How long: 30 – 36 months
Deadline: November 21st, 2024
Eligible countries: European countries
Internet Freedom Fund
Who: Open Technology Fund (OTF)
How much: USD 10,000 – 900,000
What is it for: Support innovative internet freedom projects
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: Rolling applications
Eligible countries: Global, except those subject to U.S. trade restrictions or export sanctions
Media Literacy
Who: European Commission
How much: Up to EUR 500,000
What is it for: Media literacy
How long: Up to 24 months
Deadline: March 6th, 2025
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
Boosting Fact-Checking Activities in Europe - NEW
Who: European Media and Information Fund
How much: Up to EUR 55,000
What is it for: Combat mis- and disinformation
How long: Up to 6 months
Deadline: February 28th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU, EFTA and UK
NED grants for media projects - NEW
Who: NED
How much: Around USD 50,000
What is it for: Promote democracy and strengthen institutions
How long: Around 12 months
Deadline: January 7th, 2025
Eligible countries: Global
MVA Forward
Who: MVA
How much: Up to USD 25,000
What is it for: Media support
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: June 4th, 2025 - Rolling applications
Eligible countries: Global (low- and middle-income countries preferred)
NATO Co-sponsorship grants - NEW
Who: NATO
How much: Up to EUR 25,000
What is it for: Counter information threats, support independent media
Deadline: January 8th, 2025
Eligible countries: NATO member and partner countries
Central Europe Program – Rule of Law Activity
Funder: Dexis
How much: USD 5,000 – 25,000
What is it for: Social media content around Rule of Law issues
How long: 12 months
Deadline: December 31st, 2024 - Rolling applications
Eligible countries: Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary
Professional Development Grants for Environmental Journalism
Who: Journalismfund Europe
How much: Up to EUR 20,000
What is it for: Capacity building of environmental investigative journalists
How long: Up to 12 months
Deadline: February 13th, 2025
Eligible countries: European countries
European Cross-Border Grants Programme -NEW
Who: Journalismfund Europe
How much: Unclear, but likely up to EUR 14,000
What is it for: Cross-border investigative content
Deadline: January 23rd, 2025
Eligible countries: At least 80% of the requested budget should go to local journalists/media from EU countries
Society Against Corruption in Montenegro - NEW
Who: BIRN and Civic Alliance
How much: Up to EUR 12,430
What is it for: Strengthen media's ability to report corruption in education
Deadline: November 30th, 2024
Eligible countries: Montenegro
European Local Cross-Border Grants Programme -NEW
Who: Journalismfund Europe
How much: Unclear, but likely up to EUR 10,000
What is it for: Local cross-border investigative content
Deadline: January 23rd, 2025
Eligible countries: EU countries
Audience-Engaged Journalism Grants
Who: BIRN
How much: EUR 4,000 – 8,000
What is it for: Report and investigate underreported issues
How long: Up to 8 months
Deadline: November 27th, 2024
Eligible countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia.
Microgrants for Small Newsrooms
Who: Journalismfund Europe
How much: Up to EUR 5,000
What is it for: Capacity building for small news outlets
Deadline: December 17th, 2024
Eligible countries: Creative Europe participating countries (EU member states and non-EU countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme)
Pluralistic Media for Democracy - NEW
Who: Journalismfund Europe and IMS
How much: Unclear (call amount: EUR 700,000)
What is it for: Support media in "news deserts"
Deadline: February 13th, 2025
Eligible countries: EU 27 countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Until the next issue, thanks for reading and take care.
Peter Erdelyi and the rest of the Center for Sustainable Media team