The QCity Metro team is thrilled to announce that one of our own has received national recognition.
Bethany Lane, our revenue strategist, was named 2025 Innovator of the Year by the Local Media Association (LMA), a national trade association that focuses on the business side of local media. Its annual innovator award recognizes “a digital media leader delivering fantastic results by pioneering new concepts and experimenting in new and creative ways.”
LMA specifically noted Bethany’s success in creating a reader-revenue campaign that aligned with QCity Metro’s 16th birthday. The campaign began last November and included a series of short videos and a Sweet 16th birthday party at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture.
Bethany has also taken the lead in producing a series of events that allow QCity Metro to connect more closely with its audiences. Among them are our Great 28 celebration, our Low Country Food & Culture Festival and our annual conference for local entrepreneurs. QCity Metro also co-hosts a series of Black Trivia Night events in partnership with Charlotte Black Owned.
In announcing Bethany’s award, LMA said her “focus on audience engagement has significantly benefited QCity Metro, a digital-only publication dedicated to the Black community in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
Bethany joined QCity Metro in 2020 after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in advertising.
QCity Metro Publisher Glenn H. Burkins called her a “fantastic co-worker and collaborator.”
“It would be hard to overstate her importance to QCity Metro,’ he said.
Here’s what Bethany had to say
Q. What does this award mean to you?
I guess it means that people are noticing the good work that QCity Metro is doing, that the Black media serves an important purpose, and that people care.
Q. What is your biggest challenge as revenue strategist?
If I’m being very honest, we don’t make enough money to do all the things we want to do for our readers and our audience. A big part of my job is showcasing the value of QCity Metro, helping local advertisers understand that Black audiences are key to their business success and should not be overlooked or written off. That’s really the challenge for all Black media, especially in this current era where “diversity” has suddenly become a bad word.
Q. What do you find most satisfying about your work?
I guess wearing a billion hats. I’m proud of that. I feel like I get to do a bunch of different things. I get to create a festival and then also sell event ads. From the most mundane to the most crazy – I can do a bunch of different stuff.
Q. Where do you see QCity Metro going?
I see it becoming more ingrained in the Black community in Charlotte. I see it becoming a go-to resource for the Black community, no matter a reader’s age or interests. We have so many plans and dreams for QCity Metro, but they all require financial resources. If I had one wish related to my job and journalism, it would be that we had the resources to make those dreams a reality. As Glenn often says, “Good journalism isn’t cheap, and cheap journalism isn’t good.”
