Too often in news today, “joining forces” becomes necessary because of austerity and doing more with less. Conversely, in the case of the newly-formed strategic partnership between the Local Media Association (LMA) and the Local Media Consortium (LMC), it’s about broadening the opportunity for innovation and exploring new, sustainable economic and business models.

The LMA supports more than 3,000 local media organizations with research, training and experiential learning. The LMC represents an alliance of local media businesses that helps its members negotiate partnerships with tech and advertising platforms.

“This will be game-changing for the industry because it combines the negotiating power of the LMC with the research and educational expertise of the LMA,” Chris Loretto, chairman of the LMC board of directors, said in a press release that announced the collaboration.