By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msaysles@afro.com
When people think about jobs in news, they may picture reporters pursuing leads or editors shaping headlines. But, behind every article published or broadcast aired, there’s a business operation keeping the newsroom afloat.
Rhonda Pringle, former director of diverse business initiatives for the American City Business Journals (ACBJ), built her career in boardrooms–not on bylines. Notably, she doubled as the market president and publisher of the Baltimore Business Journal for nearly seven years.
But, sitting in these boardrooms wasn’t always the plan.
“I pursued journalism, and I thought I would be in the newsroom,” said Pringle. “It just so happens that there ended up being a position in sales that came up because somebody was on maternity leave and decided not to return. I ended up moving to the sales side after initially being interested in being a reporter.”
Her first gig was in 1998 with the Florida Times-Union, a local paper in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., as a retail sales manager. In her first few months, she said she felt like she was thrown into the deep end. Walking into businesses and asking them to buy an advertisement was unfamiliar territory for her. She even experienced self-doubt, but once she settled in, she started to build up a rhythm.
“I ended up really enjoying it, and I really felt like I had a lot more freedom in terms of the types of clients that I was able to work with,” said Pringle. “I also enjoyed that I got to sit down with the client, talk about their business and learn about them, which is what I love from a reporter perspective.”
Fast-forward to 2025 and Pringle has held a string of positions leading advertising, sales, project management and new business development at media organizations, like the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Arizona Republic and Phoenix Business Journal.
Even in the age of paywalls and subscriptions, advertising has remained a core element of media organization’s profits, according to Pringle. But, she noted that’s something the industry is looking to change.
“Most traditional media derive about 60 to 70 percent of their revenue from advertising, and then the rest of their revenue is primarily made up of subscriptions or memberships. It’s a very important piece of being able to provide for operations,” said Pringle. “As advertising is always cooperating with the economy, most media companies have found that they have to diversify.”
Rather than rely on advertising for a majority of their earnings, Pringle said news organizations are trying to shift to an even split between advertising and membership revenue.
Events have also emerged as a revenue stream for media outlets. These could be award shows, networking functions or panel discussions. According to Pringle, they can serve as a means of attracting different audiences that may not otherwise subscribe to a newspaper.
However, in a world where there are dozens of events happening across communities, Pringle said media outlets should ensure their events are designed to improve people’s lives. They should leave better educated or more connected.
As a Black woman navigating the business side of the news industry, Pringle admitted it hasn’t come without its challenges.
“When you walk into most of the rooms with those decision makers, it is still 70 percent White men,” said Pringle. “You always feel this need to quickly establish you’re ‘bona fide’ and that you know more than the next guy.”
She’s felt pressure to defend her qualifications and to justify how she achieved her role. The critical rhetoric surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has not helped, according to Pringle.
“There’s this sort of question mark when you walk in as a person of color, particularly as a Black woman. There’s the question of, ‘Did you earn the job?’” said Pringle. “I always went in more prepared than I thought anybody else would be. I always did my homework. I always brought my case studies. I always walked in and felt like I had to own the conversation in a way that I don’t know that a White man would have to do.”
However, having Black women and other underrepresented groups in the room may be the key to unlocking audience growth, according to Pringle. She explained that in its current state, the leading demographic who consumes news are older, White men.
“We have to find a way to resonate with different audiences,” said Pringle. Her hope is that more Black women will take the same path she did in media.
“I just wish that there are more Black women and people of color who explore the business side. It is not the most glamorous side. I mean, when you think about media companies, you’re more likely to know who the editor is than the publisher,” said Pringle. “But, there’s so much more opportunity to actually drive the narrative on the business side.”
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