Does hyperlocal news flourish from a top-down or bottom-up approach? The BBC, remember, wanted to do it top down, until local newspaper editors kicked up a fuss (and saved the corporation from having to cut something it had just started). But consider top down on an even grander scale, this time from AOL, proud new owners of the Huffington Post and founders of the Patch.com network – dozens of hyperlocal news websites in 23 US states employing 800 editors and innumerable sales and technical people (not to mention advice from luminaries like Professor Jeff Jarvis).
Patch needs $120m (£74m) investment year after year, a punt much bigger than Huff and her Post. Is it succeeding? Early figures, as always, are mysteries wrapped up in enigmas, but leaked accounts from California show early struggles availing very little (if not almost nothing); meanwhile, the management reshuffles begin to make Chelsea FC seem a harbour of tranquillity.
Bottom up, there's the Chingford Times, yet another new newspaper from Sir Ray Tindle's local group: a midsummer launch attracting much favourable mention. What do you say about a fortnightly costing 30p, that vows to "reflect what's happening across the E4 post code in schools, workplaces, pubs and clubs"?
That Chingford stories and Chingford pictures clearly mean more to Chingford high-street advertisers than a mere three pages of Chingford in the rival Walthamstow Guardian – and that the profit per issue had moved from £1,000 at launch to £2,000 and 44 pages by edition two.
Watch the sneers break out on high, of course: £2,000 is very small potatoes to big stock exchange-listed newspaper groups. But then, the Chingford Times is good on new potatoes and good where local news is grown. Who fancies ploughing in $120m time and again without very much coming back?
Answer: our media secretary Jeremy Hunt, among others. He wanted to establish his local TV vision top down through Channel 6 and a "national spine": now he's an avowed bottom-up convert. If you, or your local university down the road, can raise £250,000 to start a truly local TV station, then call him fast for still faster blessing.