The sirens of police and fire trucks and the loud humming of the helicopter abruptly interrupt the night's sleep. Something must have happened in that January night in the northern part of Frankfurt. Anxiously, the hand reaches for the smartphone. Is there any information available on the internet about the post-midnight unrest? A look at the websites of the relevant local newspapers reveals: nothing.

The answer eventually comes, just a little later, from Instagram: Teenagers had attempted to blow up an ATM using New Year's fireworks, causing havoc at a bank branch, and are now on the run. Also, the first images from the crime scene can be found on the network – curated and explained on an account that has taken on the task of providing local and sub-local reporting from the everyday life of the Main metropolis.

200,000 people now follow the Instagram account @ffm.aktuell. They receive news and pictures around the clock on the simple question: „What's happening over there?“ Fed from images, videos, and information from eyewitnesses, journalists, and sometimes even authorities and organizers, the Insta channel has established itself as an information source and navigator through the daily life of the city, reaching about a quarter of Frankfurt's population. Certainly, there is a fine line between valuable information and voyeurism, with a noticeable focus on incidents involving emergency services in the news – but in its appearance it remains sober and restrained. However, what is truly remarkable is that the sender of the Insta account is not one of the established local media houses.

Ffm.aktuell is not the only digital channel where Frankfurters can follow with high currentness why they are stuck in traffic again, which disruption is paralyzing the S-Bahn traffic, or where the smoke column in the city sky comes from. Because none of the local media establishments promptly address what is currently happening in the immediate vicinity and could impact personal daily schedules, new providers are stepping in to address this void. They use platforms that are also available to established local newspapers but are not used to a comparable extent. For example, the Frankfurter Rundschau has 35,000 followers on Instagram, while the FNP has 5,500 followers – both of which focus significantly less on local topics.

The fight of local newspapers against falling circulation, diminishing budgets, and the declining attention of young readers often occurs far from the topics where they could truly capitalize on their inherent advantages: They have long since lost the continuous and precise view into the immediate living environment of the readers to digital newbies in many places. The principle is as simple as it is universally valid: Where existing demand is not met, new offers emerge.