Signal interruption in Baldwin City: Filling a communication vacuum in a small town "news desert".

This research sought to understand how the loss of a local newspaper impacts the community. Focus groups were conducted among a purposive sample of community leaders. The overall consensus was that residents miss having a single community information platform. Business owners lack an effective way to advertise. Respondents' perception of the emerging communication platforms trying to fill the information void depends on the consumers' technical proficiency and prior use of such platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]