Ten years ago, Barry Friedman launched LkldNow. Since then, we’ve published over 9,100 posts with Lakeland front and center.
Friedman often worked out of local coffee shops, connecting with readers, community members, and supporting other local businesses. He wanted readers to understand: “We are local, our focus was local, everything about us was Lakeland.”
“Whether it’s about new businesses or what’s going on in politics and government,” said Friedman, “our focus is on community improvement. And that’s really guided our coverage.”
Where it started
Friedman worked at a reporter and editor in Tampa before moving to Lakeland and becoming an editor at the Ledger. He was an early explorer of the internet (we’re talking 1989 and Prodigy) and combined his interest in journalism and computers by founding theledger.com, bringing the print-only newspaper into the digital space…