Interview Only w/ Ashley Trice & Rob Holbert - How a Free Alt-Weekly Became Alabama's Best Investigative Paper

Ashley Trice and Rob Holbert — co-publishers of Lagniappe, the alt-weekly turned investigative newspaper covering Mobile and Alabama's Gulf Coast — join the Chuck Toddcast to share the origin story of how their independent publication has grown into the region's premier investigative voice. They explain how Lagniappe started as a free paper and has now transitioned to a subscription model behind a paywall, why most newspapers won't even print these days unless they're certain it won't cost them money (and the surprising fact that there's a national shortage of available printers), and how the paper has built its reputation by covering everything from Mobile's local government to scandals in the wealthy parts of town and irresistible animal stories — both of which they say reliably grow audience faster than anything else. Trice and Holbert preview the upcoming Tuberville-Jones gubernatorial race, which they expect to be surprisingly close, and offer a withering assessment of outgoing Governor Kay Ivey's "very inactive" tenure. They walk through the political divide in Alabama where coastal Mobile often feels left out of the conversation, the surprising audience appeal of youth and high school sports coverage, and the looming threat of the Nexstar-Tegna merger gutting even more local newsrooms across the country. The conversation broadens into the practical realities of running a sustainable local newsroom in 2026. Trice and Holbert explain that the public has been trained to expect news for free, that reaching younger audiences now requires aggressive use of social media platforms and video content, and that live events have become an increasingly important revenue stream for papers like theirs. Trice and Holbert observe that small businesses are still reaching out about advertising — proof that print journalism continues to have a market — and close with a fascinating observation about how coastal Southern cities like Mobile tend to be less polarized than the rest of the South, with a genuine sense of community that gets lost in the national conversation about red-state politics. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, No credit card needed! Go to https://ShipStation.com and use code TODDCAST for 60 days for free! Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Ashley Trice & Rob Holbert (Lagniappe) join the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 Origin story of Lagniappe  03:45 The paper started off free, now is a subscription model behind paywall 05:30 Most papers wait to print unless they know it won’t cost them money 07:00 There’s a shortage of printers available for publications 09:15 Striving to be Alabama’s best investigative newspaper 11:15 Governor’s race between Tuberville & Jones will be close 13:00 Kay Ivey has been a very inactive governor  14:30 When did local governments understand you were going to cover them? 18:00 There’s a big political divide in Alabama, and Mobile feels left out 19:00 Is youth & high school sports an audience builder? 20:00 Scandals in the rich part of town & animal stories really grow audience 21:00 Nexstar & Tegna merger will gut more local newsrooms 22:45 People have been trained that they don’t have to pay for news 23:15 Have to use social media platforms & video to reach younger audience 25:00 What do you do in the live event space and are those money makers? 27:30 It takes more reporters for coverage that creates dedicated subscribers 29:30 Airbus & shipbuilding have been big economic growth drivers in Mobile 31:00 The “commuter schools” have really grown in recent years in Alabama 33:30 Are there formalized local news networks regionally that could help you? 35:00 No time to create networks, in a constant state of “news triage” 35:30 Small businesses still reach out about advertising 37:30 Print journalism still has a market 40:00 Coastal southern cities tend to be less polarized 40:45 There’s a real sense of community in southern coastal cities 42:00 Where can people find your work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.