After years of struggle, this small newspaper company finally cracked ‘digital ad sales’

By David Arkin
March 14, 2026

At the start of 2025, New Jersey Hills Media Group was struggling to sell anything digital.

The story isn’t new to the local media publishing business. Many print-focused newsrooms are reluctant to commit to digital, even as print revenue dwindles. When attempts are eventually made towards a digital future, they often run into clunky ad tech, low profits and frustrated advertisers. 

In July 2025, Broadstreet, a company dedicated to the transformation of small, independent publishers, came to New Jersey Hills Media Group with a new approach. The plan was simple: streamline digital ad products, rethink pricing and give the sales team tools they could sell with confidence.

“I fundamentally believe that well-informed communities, both local and in business, are the rock on which democracy is built — and that our work is important and necessary not just from a commercial standpoint, but from a more idealistic standpoint as well,” said Kenny Katzgrau, CEO of Broadstreet.

By January 2026, the local media company boosted its digital ad revenue almost tenfold: from $9,000 at the end of 2024 to $80,000, through their unique collaboration with Broadstreet.

A struggle with digital early on

Primarily focused on print, New Jersey Hills was once one of the leading news groups in its area, with a chain of 13 newspapers. Though traditional print was still standing strong, digital media began to pick up in the early 2000s. Facing limited digital resources and looming legal notice changes, the future revenue of the company was in jeopardy.

Jerry O’Donnell, Chief Operating Officer for New Jersey Hills, recalled how failed attempts with programmatic advertising and other partnerships dragged sales down. 

“The way it made the site look, it slowed it down with the feedback from the customers, the interruption of the experience for the minimal amount of dollars we were getting,” said O’Donnell.

No matter how many digital ad reps were hired or new programs were adopted, ad leaderboards and sidebars couldn’t surpass $500 a month. O’Donnell began to lose hope.

A moment of doubt — and a new approach

The Broadstreet and New Jersey Hills partnership began in July of 2025. With prior experience working alongside small New Jersey publications, the Broadstreet team understood the importance of protecting the trust, relationships and local focus that define strong community news organizations.

What followed was a shift in how digital advertising was packaged, priced and sold. But it took some convincing. 

“The numbers (they) were tossing around, I thought were pie in the sky…there’s no way you’re going to be able to do this,” said O’Donnell. 

Quickly, he realized that ambition was going to make a huge difference at New Jersey Hills. Within the first month of the partnership, the once-scrambling news group closed its first sale at $1,200/month — over double its previous ad revenue.

The secret weapon: product that performs

That first sale, Hunterdon Review’s Local Authority ad space, was executed by a brand-new sales team member who had yet to close an ad sale. Adding Broadstreet’s support and experience to the New Jersey Hills team resulted in over 16 times the industry click-through rate benchmark of .06% within the first two months, leading to a renewal agreement through June 2026 and a total revenue of $12,000.

The momentum continued at the Madison Eagle, with a $1,300/month sale at the two-month mark of the partnership. The product, called the Amazing Cube, features an interactive cube of photos that revolves at the user’s click. 

This cube format is one of Broadstreet’s secret weapons. Not long ago, New Jersey Hills was making little profit from ad sales, let alone receiving sufficient interactions from its readers. By introducing the Amazing Cube, the graphic appeal alone was enough to have a meaningful impact on their analytics.

From August to September, the click-through rate reached 0.917%, securing New Jersey Hills its first-ever annual ad renewal and projecting a total revenue of $30,000.

Reflecting on the period before the partnership, O’Donnell recalled how programmatic ads and digital trainers were failing to bounce back from steep declines in engagement. “Every one of them would go (up) and then right (back down) again,” said O’Donnell. “I can’t do this, and that’s a steep hill (to recover from).”

Compared to original attempts at digitization, the post-partnership results are dramatic. Driven by a transition from automatic ad sales to tailored digital ad products, Broadstreet and New Jersey Hills embraced the digital era of advertising.

“It’s looking really good. Now we’re ahead of our goals and where we wanted to be right now,” said O’Donnell.

“The deal is, if you are looking to increase your digital sales, talk to Broad Street,” O’Donnell added.

Confidence, culture and what comes next

From the start, O’Donnell knew that New Jersey Hills needed to change its digital approach; what it lacked was the experience needed to transform effort into measurable results. 

With professional guidance, the local news group moved beyond print, formed lasting, profitable relationships and built a more confident sales team.

In five months, the team booked $80,000 in sales through 2027, and they continue to close business weekly. But beyond the numbers, O’Donnell noticed changes in his sales team. 

“They’re not scared of the price, and they’re not scared of the process,” said O’Donnell. “They’re excited.”

As New Jersey Hills continues its partnership with Broadstreet, O’Donnell is optimistic about what else his team may learn to advance the news group in the new year. 

“They’re seeing that they can not only use what we’re learning for the digital sales, but also their print sales, and they see that they can do it,” said O’Donnell. “And that’s the biggest hurdle in anything that you’re going to do with any kind of Salesforce.”