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.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.