Latest news with #MattKelly
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
A U.K. News Venture Is Seeking To Buck The Global Trend Of Declining Sales
The New World, founder and Editor in Chief., Matt kelly says willingness to act on gut instinct is ... More part and parcel of being an entrepreneur Question: How do you make a small fortune? Punchline: Easy. You start with a large fortune and then invest in a newspaper business. As jokes go, it's not side-splittingly funny, but it does reflect the realities of the newspaper industry. Globally, sales of national, regional and local newspapers have been in decline for around two decades. To make matters worse, advertisers have long since moved a significant portion of their spending online, a trend that has made life even tougher for publishers that retain a commitment to printed media. Looking ahead, it seems likely that sales and circulation figures will continue to fall. So, on the face of it, this does not seem like a particularly opportune time to take an entrepreneurial bet on a news-focused publication that was born out of the turmoil caused by the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union. But that's what Matt Kelly, founder and Editor in Chief of The New World ( previously, The New European) is doing. With the backing of some high profile investors, he is rebranding the publication, with the aim of increasing its circulation and appeal at a time when the market tides seem to be running in the other direction. When I spoke to him, I was keen to get his view on the scope for entrepreneurship to flourish in a print media market that seems to be in continuing decline. Launched in 2016, The New European was intended to be a four-edition pop-up newspaper - a temporary exercise aimed at putting the pro-EU case and lobbying for a second referendum. Almost a decade later, it has achieved profitability on the back of about 33,000 paid sales per edition. Now rebranded as The New World, its focus has widened, and Kelly sees an opportunity to expand the subscriber base nationally and ultimately internationally. If the original brief was to counter the politics that drove Brexit, the new remit is to take a stance against what Kelly describes as global populism. As he acknowledges, changing a formula that is currently delivering a profit is an inherently risky undertaking. 'I feel this is an audacious thing to do,' he says. 'It gives me massive butterflies in my stomach. We have made the New European profitable, and now we are rolling the dice again. But it is a necessary boldness. Part and parcel of being an entrepreneur is a willingness to act on gut instinct and take a risk.' Standing still could be a bigger risk. While the publication found an audience, a continuing focus on reversing Brexit may not bring in new subscribers in the future, nor prevent existing readers from cancelling over time. The hope is that a rebrand will re-engage the existing audience and prove attractive to newcomers. If that kind of pivot makes sense, the move has to be seen against the realities of the U.K.'s newspaper market. According to a 2024 survey by media regulator Ofcom, 51% of British adults got most of their news from newspapers in 2018. By 2024, this had fallen to 34%, with only 22% using print and the rest favoring online editions. Meanwhile, there is also evidence that populations around the world are turning away from news. A global survey by the Reuters Institute for Journalism uncovered a trend towards disengagement, 39% of respondents sometimes or often avoided news. So, how do you counter that trend, particularly if you're a niche publisher, albeit one with a national reach. The short answer might be, you provide a product that resonates with the target audience. As Kelly recalls, there was no business plan for The New European until the first circulation figures came in. 'I would have been happy with six or seven thousand,' he says. 'The first week's total was 40,000. That showed there was a viable market for a niche magazine.' Initially, the title was owned by regional publisher Archant, which ran into financial problems and was bought out by private equity. At that point, Kelly sought investors to back his business plan and managed to attract some well-known names from tech and media. These included VCs Saul and Robin Klein, TransferWise founder Taavet Hinrikus and figures from the media, including CNN's Mark Thompson, former FT editor Lionel Barber and Ed Elliot of media firm Edelman. 'Some like Saul and Robin are VCs, but they are investing as angels,' says Kelly. 'We have also allocated 16,000 shares to people who have invested between £15 and £2,000. They are mostly readers.' The investors are aligned with the mission, so is this merely a good deed in wicked world rather than true investment? Kelly insists that is not the case. 'There is goodwill here, but this is a business. The investment isn't philanthropy,' he says. As he acknowledges, the investors probably won't see the 10x or 20x return demanded by VCs but if the time comes to sell the exit value could be driven by more than sales and revenues. 'I think any future buyer will be paying for influence,' Kelly says. The aim, therefore, is to ensure the publication becomes more influential.' Despite the pressures caused by the ongoing declining circulation trend, there has been a flurry of investment in the U.K. media market lately. A relative newcomer Tortoise Media has bought the venerable Observer newspaper from the Guardian for an undisclosed sum and political magazine, The Spectator has been purchased by Sir Paul Marshall for £100 million. Sir Paul was also an investor in right-leaning television startup GB News. So is this a good time for media entrepreneurship? Kelly is cautiously optimistic, arguing that after a period in which traditional publishing models were upended by the internet, business models are once again becoming clear. For its part, The New World sees subscription rather than advertising as the revenue driver. And the appetite of the audience is changing. So there is an opportunity for new entrants that can say we represent what you (the reader) are feeling.' And of course that's a principle that cuts in a lot of directions. While the The New World is designed to appeal to progressives, the GB News TV channel - another post-Brexit enterprise - is aimed at those who dress right. The common factor is giving a niche audience what it relates to . That's probably the space in which news media entrepreneurship can thrive in right now. From political YouTube channels to print and broadcast platforms, there are audience segments that are hungry for outlets that reflect their own outlook. For those who can keep costs down and clear focus, there can be money to be made, even if in the bigger media world, the commercial pressures are huge. I
New York Times
14-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Murray State's Dan Skirka and the unlikely rise from juco assistant to the College World Series
OMAHA, Neb. — Mired in a stretch of nine years without a winning season, the Murray State baseball community pondered its plight in 2018. The Racers were down. And to many constituents, little belief existed in their ability to get up. 'Over time, Murray State just kinda froze,' said Matt Kelly, an administrator in athletics at the school since 2004. 'People looked at the state of our athletic department — not just baseball — and they thought, 'We need so many things and we'll never be able to do that.' So they just didn't do any of it.' Advertisement Four years earlier, in 2014, Allen Ward, the Murray State athletic director at the time, had fired baseball coach Rob McDonald. One of McDonald's assistants, Dan Skirka, impressed the administration with his positive attitude and work ethic even in the darkest of times. Ward interviewed Skirka for the open head coaching job. He was 29. 'We just didn't feel like it was something we could do,' Ward said this week as Murray State and its coach, the 40-year-old Skirka, prepared for the first College World Series game in school history, Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET) against UCLA. 'It just wasn't the right time.' Omaha suits The Racers#MCWS x @RacersBaseball — NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2025 Ward hired Kevin Moulder. He lasted four seasons and won 44 percent of his games in charge of the middling Ohio Valley Conference program. Skirka, meanwhile, spent the same four years at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn., as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped WSCC win 81 percent of its games and finish as runner-up at the Junior College World Series in 2018. The next time, Murray State administrators did not hesitate. 'I've always said the big boys get to pick coaches,' Ward said. 'We have to find coaches.' Kelly encouraged Skirka to express an interest in the job when it came open in the spring of 2018. Friends in the coaching business told him they didn't think he had a shot. But Dave Shelton, the head coach at Walters State, believed in Skirka. In fact, Shelton said, observers around his junior college program often asked which big school was going to hire Skirka away. 'Probably the one who gives him an interview,' Shelton said. 'The reason is, he believes in what he does. And there's nothing fake about Dan Skirka.' Advertisement Skirka nailed the 2018 interview. 'With the questions they asked and my familiarity and my experience at Walters with recruiting and winning, I felt prepared,' Skirka said. 'I thought we could win at Murray. Murray's a place where we don't focus on what we don't have. We focus on what we have. 'And if we focus on great people and develop them on the field and off the field, we can do this.' Murray State went 24-30 in Skirka's first season and has not had a losing season since. This year, the Racers broke through by winning the Missouri Valley tournament in their third season in the league to reach the NCAA postseason for the fourth time in program history and first since 2003. They beat Ole Miss twice at the Oxford Regional — including a 12-11 victory in the decisive seventh game — as the fourth seed of four teams. In the Super Regional, hosted by Duke, the Racers lost Game 1 but bounced back to win the next two to secure their first trip to the College World Series, alongside two teams from the SEC and one apiece from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Sun Belt, plus independent Oregon State. Murray State's record is 44-15 as it takes the field at Charles Schwab Field on Saturday against the Bruins. UCLA won the national championship in its most recent trip here 12 years ago, one of 124 national titles that the Bruins claim in NCAA team sports. For Murray State, a university of slightly more than 8,000 undergraduate students in southwest Kentucky near the Tennessee border, that number is two — both in women's rifle. 'You can keep calling us the underdog,' senior third baseman Carson Garner said. 'I think that's what we like to be called. We like when people are doubting us.' At the center of their story is Skirka, the underdog himself who played shortstop at Division II Grand Valley State in Michigan and jumped from junior college assistant coach to Division I head coach at age 33. What the Racers have accomplished already this season in baseball, according to Ward, the former AD who's now retired and living in Murray, rates as 'maybe the greatest accomplishment in Murray State history.' Less than two weeks after Ward hired Skirka in July 2018, the athletic director left Murray State to take the same job at Abilene Christian. Skirka has worked for two interim ADs. In between, Kevin Saal, now the AD at Wichita State, spent four years in charge at Murray State. The rise in Skirka's baseball program came slowly. He won 24 games in 2019, 33 in 2021 after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and 30 in 2022. Advertisement In August 2022, the school hired Nico Yantko as AD. He came from the University of Louisiana, where he served as deputy AD. Yantko played quarterback at Murray State from 2007 to 2009. He and Skirka crossed paths briefly at Murray in 2010 as Yantko completed a Master's degree. More than a decade later, their reunion came with some difficult conversations. Skirka wanted to win. But his program was under-resourced. He had one paid assistant coach in 2018. Yantko listened to his concerns and took action. The AD asked all of his coaches to divide their needs into three categories — one thing they needed at that moment, one thing they needed in 24 months and one thing they needed long term but had never felt empowered to request. Yantko went to work. For baseball, the athletic department added $750,000 over two years to its operational budget. It hired two assistant coaches and updated the weight room. It repurposed space in the football stadium to provide a meeting area for Skirka and a team room for his players. The school provided access for baseball players to nutrition and recovery efforts. For years, Murray State players took batting practice outside at Johnny Reagan Field in the winter. When the temperature dipped below 30 degrees, the Racers piled on layers of clothing. Yantko and Skirka partnered to help deliver an indoor hitting facility. 'Is it what other teams here are hitting in?' Skirka said. 'No. But it's good enough for us to get better. Those little things go a long way. Little by little, every year, we just try to keep this thing rolling.' All of it, Yantko describes as a 'strategic investment.' 'We put Dan in a position to win,' Yantko said. 'He's the type of guy I want to invest in.' Yantko sees in Skirka a reflection of Murray State. 'We're going to be a place that punches above our weight class,' he said. No Murray State baseball players receive cash via NIL deals. They're eligible for cost-of-attendance stipends, capped at less than $6,000 per year, and academic financial aid through the NCAA v. Alston case. Few, if any, programs in the Missouri Valley will offer baseball players a cut of revenue-sharing dollars made possible by the House settlement. They do receive scholarships. And in upcoming years, Murray State aims to fund more than the previous limit of 11.7 — though nowhere close to the 34 scholarships now allowed under the settlement terms. Advertisement Still, the Racers flock to praise Skirka. Multiple players at Murray State said the coach saved their careers. Senior right fielder Dustin Mercer suffered a broken wrist early in his career. Senior center fielder Jonathan Hogart, who's hitting .339 with 22 home runs, endured an injury while at Louisiana Tech in 2023. Both players said they considered giving up baseball before they came to understand the faith that Skirka placed in them. 'That belief in me makes me rise to the occasion,' Mercer said. Shelton, the Walters State coach, learned everything he needed to know in a short time about Skirka. He recommended Skirka for the job at Murray State in 2018. Pick someone else at your own risk, Shelton warned. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, @dskirka 🏆#GoRacers🏇 | @NCBWA — Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball) June 13, 2025 'There's nothing you can say that's bad about him,' Shelton said. 'He's great with the players, great with the parents, he's a great evaluator. I don't know if I've ever met anyone who's met Dan who didn't like him.' Shelton plans to fly to Omaha to watch Skirka and the Racers on Monday in their second CWS game against Arkansas or LSU. Ward, the retired athletic director, has kept a close eye on Murray State through this postseason. He said he marvels at the composure shown by Skirka's players in intense moments. They never look rattled. At times during his ascension at Murray State, Skirka said he reached out via text message to Ward to offer a message of thanks for his faith seven years ago. 'You hired a juco assistant,' Skirka said he once reminded his old boss. 'You weren't a juco assistant,' Ward replied. 'But that's what I was,' Skirka reminded Ward. A juco assistant no more, he ranks as one of the best coaching stories ever on the biggest stage in college baseball.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Anti-Brexit newspaper changes name to reflect ‘reality' of global politics
The New European, a 'Remainer' magazine launched in response to the Brexit referendum, is being renamed to reflect the changing picture of global politics. The rebrand to The New World is a nod to the 'the global unravelling' which started with Britain leaving the EU but is now being seen worldwide in countries such as the US, according to founder and editor in chief Matt Kelly. 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of right wing populism that brought us Brexit,' said Mr Kelly. 'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality. 'We know there is enormous appetite for our style of journalism - vibrant, constructive, witty and full of ideas and great reads that make sense of this extraordinary moment in world politics and culture.' The New European, which has published more than 400 editions, had 35,000 paying subscribers and claim revenues have trebled since the business moved independent three years ago. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who is editor-at-large of The New European newspaper, said themes that underpinned Brexit are playing out around the world, including a political shift to the right in many nations. 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro internationalism, liberal democracy,' said Mr Campbell. 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at United States alone. You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened - it's a reflection of that.' Mr Campbell said he will 'never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves', but added: 'I'm hoping this will be the next chapter of a story that we're going to keep telling, which is that liberal democracy is the way forward, that nationalism is not the answer to the challenges that we face, that populism is doomed to fail, and there's a better way that involves people with an optimistic, internationalist outlook.' New contributing editors slated to join The New World include Sonia Sodha, formerly of The Observer, The Revenge of Power author Moises Naim and Tom Baldwin, Keir Starmer's biographer and former senior advisor to Labour.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Riggs Brewery partners with CU union to highlight veterans
URBANA, Ill (WCIA) — With Memorial Day weekend coming up fast, an Urbana brewery is highlighting a union's program for veterans. Riggs Brewery is partnering with UA Local 149 Plumbers and Pipefitters. They canned a limited-edition American lager with a design specially made for the union. The focus: Local 149's Veterans in Piping program. It provides service members with training and direct entry into the union's world-class apprenticeship program. 'Click it or Ticket' ahead of Memorial Day, Champaign Co. Sheriff says 'We love supporting our veterans in any way we can,' said Matt Kelly, Local 149 Business Manager. 'We have a lot of veterans who we've helped get really great careers after their service in the military. We love this partnership. We love what the United Association, our international union, does to support veterans. So this is just a little thing we can do to highlight that and kind of bring recognition to the program.' Kelly said Riggs made 1,500 cans which can be found at the brewery or select grocery stores. The Schnucks in both Savoy and Champaign will get them Friday as well as Harvest Market in Champaign. He also said they're looking for a veteran-focused organization to donate some of the proceeds to. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Encrypted messaging apps promise privacy. Government transparency is often the price
As a devastating wildfire burned through a Maui town, killing more than 100 people, emergency management employees traded dozens of text messages, creating a record that would later help investigators piece together the government's response to the 2023 tragedy. One text exchange hinted officials might also be using a second, untraceable messaging service. 'That's what Signal was supposed to be for,' then-Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya texted a colleague. Signal is one of many end-to-end encrypted messaging apps that include message auto-delete functions. While such apps promise increased security and privacy, they often skirt open records laws meant to increase transparency around and public awareness of government decision-making. Without special archiving software, the messages frequently aren't returned under public information requests. An Associated Press review in all 50 states found accounts on encrypted platforms registered to cellphone numbers for over 1,100 government workers and elected officials. It's unclear if Maui officials actually used the app or simply considered it — a county spokesperson did not respond to questions — but the situation highlights a growing challenge: How can government entities use technological advancements for added security while staying on the right side of public information laws? How common is governmental use of encryption apps? The AP found accounts for state, local and federal officials in nearly every state, including many legislators and their staff, but also staff for governors, state attorneys general, education departments and school board members. The AP is not naming the officials because having an account is neither against the rules in most states, nor proof they use the apps for government business. While many of those accounts were registered to government cellphone numbers, some were registered to personal numbers. The AP's list is likely incomplete because users can make accounts unsearchable. Improper use of the apps has been reported over the past decade in places like Missouri, Oregon, Oklahoma, Maryland and elsewhere, almost always because of leaked messages. What's the problem? Public officials and private citizens are consistently warned about hacking and data leaks, but technologies designed to increase privacy often decrease government transparency. Apps like Signal, WhatsApp, Confide, Telegram and others use encryption to scramble messages so only the intended end-user can read them, and they typically aren't stored on government servers. Some automatically delete messages, and some prevent users from screenshotting or sharing messages. 'The fundamental problem is that people do have a right to use encrypted apps for their personal communications, and have those on their personal devices. That's not against the law,' said Matt Kelly, editor of Radical Compliance, a newsletter that focuses on corporate compliance and governance issues. 'But how would an organization be able to distinguish how an employee is using it?' Are there acceptable government uses of end-to-end encryption apps? The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, has recommended that 'highly valued targets' — senior officials who handle sensitive information — use encryption apps for confidential communications. Those communications are not typically releasable under public record laws. CISA leaders also say encrypted communications could be a useful security measure for the public, but did not encourage government officials to use the apps to skirt public information laws. Journalists, including many at the AP, often use encrypted messages when talking to sources or whistleblowers. What are states doing? While some cities and states are grappling with how to stay transparent, public record laws aren't evolving as quickly as technology, said Smarsh general manager Lanika Mamac. The Portland, Oregon-based company helps governments and businesses archive digital communications. 'People are worried more about cybersecurity attacks. They're trying to make sure it's secure,' Mamac said. 'I think that they are really trying to figure out, 'How do I balance being secure and giving transparency?'' Mamac said Smarsh has seen an uptick in inquiries, mostly from local governments. But many others have done little to restrict the apps or clarify rules for their use. In 2020, the New Mexico Child, Youth and Families Department's new division director told employees to use the app Signal for internal communications and to delete messages after 24 hours. A 2021 investigation into the possible violation of New Mexico's document retention rules was followed by a court settlement with two whistleblowers and the division director's departure. But New Mexico still lacks regulations on using encrypted apps. The AP's review found at least three department or agency directors had Signal accounts as of December 2024. In Michigan, State Police leaders were found in 2021 to be using Signal on state-issued cellphones. Michigan lawmakers responded by banning the use of encrypted messaging apps on state employees' work-issued devices if they hinder public record requests. However, Michigan's law did not include penalties for violations, and monitoring the government-owned devices used by 48,000 executive branch employees is a monumental task. What's the solution? The best remedy is stronger public record laws, said David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida. Most state laws already make clear that the content of communication — not the method — is what makes something a public record, but many of those laws lack teeth, he said. 'They should only be using apps if they are able to report the communications and archive them like any other public record,' he said. Generally, Cuillier said, there's been a decrease in government transparency over the past few decades. To reverse that, governments could create independent enforcement agencies, add punishments for violations, and create a transparent culture that supports technology, he said. 'We used to be a beacon of light when it came to transparency. Now, we're not. We have lost our way,' Cuillier said. ___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Lauer reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press reporters at statehouses nationwide contributed to this report.
