We want to ensure every resident of Ohio has the local news they need.

Signal Ohio, formerly known as the Ohio Local News Initiative, is a network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project. It’s one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, with newsrooms in Akron, Cleveland, the Statehouse, and Cincinnati later this year, a staff of more than 30 and more than $15 million raised so far. The newsrooms produce high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting that is free to access and available for republishing.

The organization is governed by a board that is representative of Ohio’s diverse communities and is an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

Signal Ohio BUsiness Team

Michael DeAloia

Northeast Ohio General Manager

Michelle Everhart Sullivan

Chief Audience Officer

Board

Doug Ulman

Board Chair

Vice Chair, Pelotonia

Henry J. Gomez

Vice Chair

Senior National Political Reporter, NBC News

Debra Adams Simmons

Board Member

Senior director of editorial projects at GBH

Dale Anglin

Board Member

Director, Press Forward

Delores Hargrove-Young

Board Member

Vice Chairwoman of d.e. Foxx & Associates

Collette A. Laisure

Board Member

Civic Activist

Michael Ouimette

Board Member

Chief Investment Officer at the American Journalism Project

Signal Cleveland

Signal Akron

Signal Statewide

“Those who control the narratives have significant influence on decisions, and therefore have impact on outcomes. A community-driven newsroom, operating at high journalistic standards, can serve as a vehicle for everyday people to develop the power to shape their own narratives.”

—Tim Tramble, President & CEO of Saint Luke’s Foundation

“Signal Ohio is our state’s most promising opportunity to serve communities and their residents with high-quality local news. Informed residents – essential for a healthy democracy – depend on newsrooms covering public affairs in all of our communities. The future of quality, local journalism depends on nonprofit organizations”

—Michael F. Curtin, Former Editor and Associate Publisher, Columbus Dispatch

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen a decline in civic engagement: people are not voting, people are not filling out the Census, people are not engaging…local journalism is so critical, because it brings attention to the diversity of stories that are out there, and it validates people’s experiences.”

—Victor Ruiz, Executive Director, Esperanza

“We are deeply passionate about the transformative potential of local journalism, and Signal Ohio represents a pioneering effort to revitalize community engagement and information access. By supporting Signal Ohio, we empower communities, amplify diverse voices, and lay the groundwork for a robust, independent news ecosystem that fosters civic participation and holds power accountable.”

—Sarabeth Berman, American Journalism Project


Past Search committee members

In addition to our board members, we’re grateful to our search committee for helping us hire our CEO.


Dale Anglin

VP, Program, Cleveland Foundation, and Signal Ohio board observer

Eddith Dashiell

Director, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University

Henry Gomez

Ohio native, longtime Cleveland-area resident, national politics reporter at NBC, Signal Ohio board vice chair

Tom Katzenmeyer

CEO, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Signal Ohio board chair

Michael Ouimette

Senior Vice President, Strategy & Startups, American Journalism Project, Signal Ohio board member

Richard Tofel

Principal, Gallatin Advisory LLC and former President of ProPublica

Tim Tramble

President & CEO of the Saint Luke’s Foundation and founder of WOVU

Doug Ulman

CEO of Pelotonia, Signal Ohio board member

Why Local News

Local news is in crisis. Across the country, including here in Ohio, the commercial news industry has been on the decline, leading to the loss of more than half of journalism jobs since 2008, leading to less accountability, more polarization, and more government waste. With the volume of original reporting in Ohio communities reduced to a small fraction of what it once was, nonprofit news offers a path forward.

Signal Timeline

November 2021

 Launched searches for founding executive team

2022

Hired founding team and launched first newsroom in November, dramatically increasing original reporting in Greater Cleveland.

2023

Hired founding team and launched second newsroom in Akron in December.

2024

Launched the Documenters program in Cincinnati in July and the Statehouse news bureau in October.

Beyond

The Signal Ohio network will continue to grow and expand across the state.

Support Signal

Join the movement to ensure all residents of Ohio have access to the unbiased local news and information they need.