Ben Cotton on lessons at the New York Times on growing digital subscriptions
In the second episode of the State of Local News Podcast, host Tim Franklin—Professor, John M. Mutz Chair in Local News, and founding director of the Medill Local News Initiative—speaks with Ben Cotton, General Manager for News at The New York Times.
They discuss how the Times has grown its digital audience through a subscription-first strategy, the rise of product bundles like games, cooking, and sports; and how video, creators, and shifting audience habits are shaping the future of journalism. They also explore what local news organizations can learn from the Times’ growth playbook—and why building direct relationships with readers matters more than ever.
This Q&A transcript captures their conversation on growth, product strategy and the evolving future of news.
Tim Franklin Hello everyone, and welcome to the second episode of the Medill State of Local News podcast. I’m your host, Tim Franklin, and I’m the John M. Mutz Chair in Local News at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the home of the Medill Local News Initiative. I’m joining you from the broadcast studio on our beautiful Evanston campus on the shores of Lake Michigan and I’m truly thrilled to be joined virtually today for this episode by Ben Cotton, the General Manager for News at the New York Times. Ben, welcome to the podcast. Great to have you.
Tim Franklin
Ben Cotton Thanks, Tim. It’s great to be here. I’m excited to be here with you.
Ben Cotton
Tim Franklin Yeah. Well, I’m excited to have you. So I recognize that some people listening or watching may be asking themselves right now, Franklin, this is the State of Local News podcast. Why do you have an executive from a national and international news juggernaut on this show? Okay, I get the question and here at least are a couple of reasons why I think this discussion is hugely relevant to anyone interested in local media. First, the Times has always been viewed as a trendsetter and as a place where innovation in the news industry takes root and second, I think there are important lessons for the entire media industry, including those in local news from the growth of the times in recent years. So stick with us and at the end of the next 25 or 30 minutes, I hope you’ll agree with that assessment. So we’re talking today with Ben, who’s been at the center of the Times Robust transformation over the past decade or so.
We’re going to talk about the ingredients of that growth and how some of the time strategies could translate at news organizations of all sizes. Before we do that, Ben though, I want to take just a couple of minutes to familiarize the audience with your background. You grew up in the Boston area.
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.