ST. HELENA — The crowd that packed the Cameo Cinema came not for a “Barbenheimer” double feature or another Hollywood blockbuster, but for a discussion of “the future of local news in St. Helena.”

Napa County is becoming an increasingly competitive space in the news business, with the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa recently launching a Napa-focused section. In addition, Highway 29 Media’s chief executive Marc Hand said Monday night his company is looking into starting a competitor to the St. Helena Star.

Hand spoke during the panel discussion, along with Dan Evans, the executive editor of the Napa Valley Register and Star; Terence Mulligan, president of the Napa Valley Community Foundation; and Joaquin Alvarado, formerly with the Center for Investigative Reporting and an expert on local news business models. The discussion was moderated by Dana Cronin, a freelance radio journalist.

Highway 29 Media formed last year to save two Upvalley weeklies, the Calistoga Tribune and the Yountville Sun, from the threat of closure when their owners retired. The Community Foundation, as part of its Media and Democracy fund, has contributed $500,000 to help the Tribune and Sun gain their footing under the new owners and upgrade their digital presence.

Mulligan said he was particularly concerned about the financial health of the Register and Star, both founded in the 19th century. He noted said the Star had 13 employees when he moved to the Napa Valley 19 years ago. Now the Star has only one, Jesse Duarte, the editor/reporter.

Just like fire protection and health care, robust journalism is vital for a healthy community, he said.

For advice on how to channel additional philanthropic dollars into local papers, the Community Foundation has commissioned Alvarado to assess local needs.

When he delivers his report later this summer, Alvarado said he will suggest that the foundation fund additional reporters to broaden new coverage, including greater focus on the Latino community.

Traditional newspaper chains are an endangered species, he said. Much of the advertising revenue needed to support them has been siphoned off by the likes of Facebook and Google.

“Everything is hard about newspapers,” Alvarado said. “Printing costs have gone up 40% this year.”

A more sustainable model, he said, are public-private partnerships, with philanthropy helping to provide essential funding for expanding journalism.

Alvarado envisioned a day when the Community Foundation funds four or five reporters at local news organizations that would otherwise be strapped to do more than cover the basics. A $10 million endowment might generate enough income to pay for these reporters, he said.

Evans acknowledged the challenges, but said the Register and Star remain the largest news-gathering operations in the county. He stressed there are no plans to change the focus or staff of the Star, praising Duarte for his incredible work over the years.

Three weeks ago, the Register began printing the paper three days a week instead of seven, with delivery through the U.S. Postal Service, while continuing to maintain a website that is updated throughout the day.

Evans said the one consistent comment he has heard in his year-and-a-half tenure at the editorial helm is that readers want to see more local news, written by local reporters, in the paper. The benefit of the three-day-a-week schedule, he said, is that the Register is now overwhelmingly local in print.

Although Duarte is the Star’s only full-time employee, Evans said he is supported by the news team at the Register, which contributes stories of Upvalley interest to the weekly.

The Star has about 900 subscribers, a “remarkable” number for a small town of 5,800 people, he said.

There is an upside to having more news competition in the valley, Evans said. “It makes us sharper. It makes us responsive.”