Bloq is a local magazine for the Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Ludwigshafen region. Bloq looks great, feels great, and delivers excellent local journalism.

So far, two issues have been published. In our last beabee Lunchbreak in mid-October, the Bloq team joined us and explained why they approach local journalism the way they do. This newsletter edition covers that discussion.

About Bloq:

• Bloq is a society magazine for Mannheim, Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen, and the surrounding region, founded around three years ago.

• Bloq is published exclusively in print; so far, two issues have been released.

• The magazine is run by a non-profit association, making it a non-profit publication. The association’s charitable purposes include education and the promotion of art and culture.

• Bloq is ad-free and so far has been funded solely through magazine sales and an initial crowdfunding campaign.

• The founding team works voluntarily, while all freelance contributors are paid.

Slowing Down as a Concept:

• Not only Bloq, but also media outlets like Tortoise in the UK and Krautreporter have made slowing down a core principle.

• The goal is to avoid participating in the constant barrage of breaking news and instead provide in-depth background and context for news topics.

• This approach is increasingly taking hold at the local level as well, for example at RUMS in Münster and Karla in Konstanz.

How Bloq Slows Down:

• Bloq slows down by producing local journalism in magazine format.

• “What you often get from local newspapers is fragmented reporting stretched over weeks,” says Bloq co-founder Sarah Weik. “We want to cover topics from start to finish and take our time with research and writing – moving away from the rushed, deadline-driven journalism typical of daily newspapers.”

• The magazine primarily contains long-form, carefully researched reports and background articles, designed with high-quality layouts and printed on premium paper. “We give local topics a proper magazine presentation,” says Sarah Weik.

• One example covers gentrification in two Mannheim neighborhoods.

• The magazine costs €9 (or €15 for the solidarity price) and can be ordered via their online shop or purchased in select bookstores in the region.

• Bloq does not yet have a regular publishing schedule. The first issue appeared in fall 2021, the second in summer 2022. The next issue will be published once funding is secured.

• For now, the team wants to establish a consistent structure to avoid working only episodically on the next issue, which includes exploring additional revenue streams.

This case study was first published in our beabee newsletter, where we share hands-on tips and guidance on community journalism every month. Subscribe here: Sign up

Do you have your own experiences or use cases that we should include? Just send an email to svenja.schilling@correctiv.org.