Happy Thursday! This edition of the Media Roundup is brought to you by Chris.

How premium, ad-free subscriptions are working in local news — www.poynter.org

Outside of Scandinavia local news subscriptions are far from a certain bet. Despite a growing number of local paywall trials, the received wisdom is that every block in the funnel from occasional reader to regular subscriber is magnified for local titles. In the UK, even the local papers that are doing well through subscriptions are having to push harder for more subscribers.

That's why this piece on Poynter is so encouraging. Ryan Nakashima - the product manager for digital subscriptions at the Bay Area News Group - looks back on the lessons The Mercury News is now applying across its portfolio. He argues that: "I think we can never go wrong when we invest in a better experience for subscribers and charge what we can. Along the way, even non-payers will get a better deal (take our commenting improvements and location-aware features, for example)."

There are some fantastic stats in there, figures that suggest people are willing to pay for local news when it's done well and in a way that meets their needs. It's difficult to say whether that approach will work elsewhere in America, let alone a different country, but if you need a pick-me-up today, this is it.

Newsletters could be the next (and only) hope to save the media — www.wired.co.uk

For Wired, Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes a look at the economics of producing newsletter bundles, at the need for direct engagement with audiences, and the growing ease of launching paid-for newsletters. He concludes that newsletters are the next big target for publisher pivots (we agree they're great, but the idea of putting all your eggs in the newsletter basket scares the hell out of us).

Time Out chief Julio Bruno explains how title survived lockdown and reveals regular return to print — www.pressgazette.co.uk

Ignore the spelling error in the URL and concentrate on the content of this article. Bruno explains how Covid was a 'slap in the face' - and hints about what might be next for the listings-based magazine.

Why papers are toeing the government line — www.inpublishing.co.uk

The relationship between politicians and papers is incredibly complex. For InPublishing, Liz Gerard investigates why the scales have tipped towards politicians in the UK, and makes the case for why this is different from the spin doctor-based relationships of previous governments.

Thursday throwback:

WIRED Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson on lessons from a year behind a paywall — voices.media

Speaking of subscriptions and Wired, this episode from May last year sees Thompson describe his 'dream paywall' - does it remind you of any launched recently?

Coffee coffee coffee coffee — ko-fi.com

We're hard at work on everything from the return of the podcast to special episodes to the next Publisher Podcast Awards - and we're flagging. Help us deliver those dream projects by kicking in a pound or two for some caffeine boosts.