CherryRoad® Media to Empower Local Communities with Hyper-Local AI Search Powered by Gist Answers

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Sep 11, 2025, 09:43 ET

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Media Division of CherryRoad^® is thrilled to announce that it will introduce hyper-local AI search functionality across its community newspapers leveraging ProRata's Gist Answers AI search platform.

ProRata plans to scale Gist Answers, an AI-as-a-service solution enabling publishers to embed custom AI-search, summarization, and recommendation tools directly on their websites. Gist Answers empowers publishers like CherryRoad to regain control of the search experience, opening the door to deeper reader engagement and entirely new revenue streams.

What this means for the readers and advertisers of CherryRoad owned newspapers:

Hyper-local AI-powered discovery: Readers can now search using AI across their community news – covering local politics, schools, events, businesses, and more –and receive accurate results directly sourced from trusted CherryRoad content to provide answers tailored to their specific needs and experiences.
Stronger reader engagement: AI-driven summaries and recommendations may keep readers on-site longer, enhancing interaction with the local journalism that's foundational to keeping communities informed and connected.
Ethical content monetization: Through Gist Answers, CherryRoad can embed targeted, native conversational ads adjacent to AI responses—i.e., Gist Ads—opening additional revenue opportunities while maintaining editorial integrity.
Expanded content reach: CherryRoad's reporting can be optionally licensed across broader networks via ProRata, extending the audience and generating additional revenue to help local news thrive.

"Our mission has always been to serve our communities through trusted, localized journalism," said CherryRoad^® CEO Jeremy Gulban.

"By integrating Gist Answers across our properties, we're not only enriching how readers discover the news that matters to them, but also charting a sustainable, ethical path forward for community journalism in the AI era by ensuring that we source from quality local publications to get them hyper-local answers they can actually use."

About CherryRoad Media

The Media Division of CherryRoad delivers award-winning, trusted community journalism in over 90 local newspapers across 19 states. Dedicated to empowering small-town voices and keeping communities informed and connected, CherryRoad embraces innovative technologies, utilizes robust digital infrastructure, and provides critical operational expertise to strengthen reader experience in service of securing the future of local news.

CherryRoad's flagship Technologies Division offers comprehensive organizational transformation services designed to help organizations navigate the complexities of modernizing their operations and technology infrastructure. With over 40 years of experience, they specialize in delivering tailored solutions that drive efficiency and innovation.

About ProRata

ProRataAI, Inc. builds AI search, advertising, and attribution solutions grounded in respect for content creators. Its monetization solutions redefine how search, contextual ads, and content attribution function in the generative AI era. ProRata is backed by leading investors that include Touring Capital, Mayfield Fund, MVP Ventures, Revolution Ventures, SBI Investment, Prime Mover Labs, BOLD Capital, XPV-Exponential Ventures, dmg media, Calibrate Ventures, and Idealab Studio.

For more information, visit www.prorata.ai and www.gist.ai.

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