Leo Cusimano on Building Trust, Revenue and Sustainable Local Media

What makes a local media company valuable to its community — and sustainable as a business?

Leo Cusimano has spent 34 years with Dallas Voice, including the past 13 as publisher. He joins Keep It Local host Ryan Welton at Local Media Fest 2026 to explain how his background in marketing and advertising shapes the way he runs one of the country’s most established LGBTQ+ media organizations.

Cusimano argues that publishers should stop thinking about simply “selling an ad” and instead build genuine relationships with advertisers, understand their marketing goals, and become long-term media partners.

He also discusses philanthropic funding, lessons from the Lab for Journalism Funding, expanding Dallas Voice journalism into an underserved community, and the powerful story of a reader who said discovering Dallas Voice helped save his life.

Plus, Cusimano shares what he teaches small and independent publishers about sales: You don’t necessarily have to become a salesperson. You have to learn how to build relationships and partnerships.

Keep It Local is a podcast from Local Media Association.

If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast or sponsor it and reach news organizations across North America, reach out to Lindsey Estes (lindsey.estes@localmedia.org) and Ryan Welton (ryan.welton@localmedia.org).