Tristan Loper joins The Lenfest Institute as Head of National Programs

The News Revenue Hub co-founder will lead The Lenfest Institute’s portfolio of efforts to develop and support sustainable local news organizations across the country. His first day is May 31.

April 25, 2024

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism today announced that News Revenue Hub co-founder Tristan Loper is joining the Institute as its new Head of National Programs.

Loper will lead a portfolio of efforts to develop and support sustainable local news organizations across the country and help them serve their cities, states, and communities with reliable, accessible journalism.

Loper co-founded News Revenue Hub, a nonprofit organization that helps news organizations build membership and crowdfunding programs. Loper served in several senior executive positions since its launch in 2016, including COO, executive vice president, vice president of technology, and most recently, chief product officer.

In these roles, he expanded the Hub by designing services and training opportunities, developing technology products, and working with newsroom professionals of all levels and job functions. Under his leadership, the Hub facilitated over $100 million in donations for newsrooms.

“Tristan is a deeply respected contributor to the sustainability of local news in America,” said Lenfest Institute Executive Director & CEO Jim Friedlich. “He has helped build services and technology in use at news organizations nationwide. Tristan is joining our team to continue to build solutions for the next era of local news here in Pennsylvania and around the United States.”

From its founding in Philadelphia in 2016, The Lenfest Institute has expanded into a national provider of programs, services, and convening focused on the business sustainability of local news. 

The Institute’s national work includes four Communities of Practice, which offer free support and resources for more than 3,000 journalism professionals; Beyond Print, a program to guide publishers away from print-centric revenue models toward a sustainable digital future; the Local News Summit, an annual gathering of industry executives; and the Lenfest Local News Infrastructure Fund, which subsidizes critical technology infrastructure and services for local news publishers in the United States 

A Pennsylvania native, Loper lives in Lancaster, Pa, and will also work to support news organizations throughout the commonwealth that can model transformative solutions for the news industry more broadly.

“It has been an incredible privilege to start and build the News Revenue Hub, where I’ve collaborated with countless newsroom leaders in support of a sustainable and equitable news ecosystem. I am thrilled to now join The Lenfest Institute, where I will continue a natural progression of this work addressing some of the industry’s most pressing challenges,” Loper said. “I am also excited to have an opportunity to focus on my home state of Pennsylvania, which I believe is one of the most interesting places in the nation for journalism. I can’t wait to get started!”

Prior to co-founding News Revenue Hub, Loper began his career providing digital expertise at the local level. He was the Voice of San Diego’s first full-time lead technologist, where he helped the nonprofit news site increase revenue, produce audience-centered products, and undergo two website redesigns. He also served as a program manager at University of California, San Diego where he ran programs in digital media and user experience.

Loper’s first day with the Institute is May 31.