Results tagged “television” from Raincross Square

What if, one day, there was no Riverside Press-Enterprise? No San Bernardino County Sun? Or no Inland Valley Daily Bulletin? For longtime residents, this scenario may be difficult to imagine. But in today's dire economic climate, particularly within the newspaper industry, such an outcome is indeed possible. And in a region without a major locally-based TV station, as is Inland Southern California, such could also prove costly.

Recently, long-standing newspapers in Denver, Seattle, Detroit and San Francisco have either shut down completely, are close to doing so, cut back daily delivery, or are on the verge of disappearing. Almost all papers nationwide are suffering from stagnant or falling circulation (some more so than others, including neighboring Orange County Register). While others, including the parent owner of the Los Angeles Times, are struggling under the weight of large amounts of debt.

Likewise, practically every newspaper across the nation, including Southern California's major dailies, have reduced staff and cut newsprint in recent years. Without a doubt, some of this reduction started several years back as readers began slowly migrating to the Internet. However, the recent economic downturn nationwide, and in particular the real estate bust locally, have severely impacted the newspaper industry. Add to this the significant decrease in advertising revenues, the growing popularity of such classified-type sites like Craigslist, the dwindling circulation -- and you have a recipe for financial disaster.

Now, many long-time detractors of their local newspaper (typically on account of political leanings) as well as younger, Internet-savvy (and less loyal) generations may say, "Good riddance" and/or "Oh well." But what both likely fail to fully realize is the importance that newspapers have played in essentially recording the history of their local communities. They also may not realize the amount -- and depth -- of local content produced by newspapers.

Thus, if one or more of the three major "Inland" newspapers (P-E, Bulletin, Sun) vanish, where would residents of Inland Southern California get their local news? From the LA-based television stations? Again, not likely. From a reorganized and/or regionally-minded Los Angeles Times? Maybe, but highly unlikely. From a merged P-E/Bulletin/Sun "super regional paper"? Possibly, but doubtful. From local blogs? Um, no. At least not anytime soon, that is. And let's be honest, blogs such as this one, which typically offer opinions and/or aggregate news from existing local media sources, simply cannot -- and will not -- replace dozens, even hundreds of local reporters and editors, not only in the breadth of content provided, but in journalistic quality, standards and accountability.

So then, where?

One possibility may very well be sites such as InstantRiverside.com. But this concept is still in its infancy and still does not yet offer the same depth and breadth of content as do newspapers. (Personally, we'd like to see a hybrid version of InstantRiverside with the depth of a newspaper -- or vice versa.)

Thus, assuming the local daily papers weather the economic and industry turbulence and survive long-term, the answer to this question is likely to be the same places where the blogs themselves are linking to -- the newspaper Web sites. But there's three major adjustments that will need to be made in order for newspapers to remain viable in the long run on the Internet as they have been in print. And, of course, at least two of these involve money.

First, newspapers will need to better incorporate the capabilities (and 24-hour aspect) of the Internet into their news gathering (and delivery) structures. Everything from blogs and videos for instant reporting to interactive graphics and searchable databases for in-depth projects. They will also need to better understand the hows and whys of online community networking features, such as commenting systems and external aggregating methods. And they'll need to allow for delivery on a number of devices -- computers, cellphones, electronic readers, etc. Fortunately, most newspapers are already making great strides in these regards.

Second, Internet advertising will need to ramp up considerably to make up the difference between newsprint rates and online rates. Dollar for dollar, current online rates pale in comparison to those in newsprint. Certainly, reorganization of the news staff will still be necessary as the full gap will not likely be closed any time soon, but online rates and revenues will no doubt need to increase.

Third, newspapers will need to develop new online revenue streams, including an online format for subscriber and/or "paid" content -- a very foreign concept to most online readers (yet, many think nothing of paying for a print version). Such subscriptions could include daily, weekly and/or monthly charges. But in order to be truly successful, it will need to incorporate nominal, one-time or short-term fees (such as per article), which, in today's online "news aggregating" world, is indeed important. How many folks would be willing to pay full subscription rates simply to view an article clicked on from another Website or blog? None. Especially those from outside the region. But many might be willing to be charged a dime or a quarter via a PayPal type system (a concept promoted recently by former TIME editor and CNN executive Walter Isaacson).

Simply put, newspapers will need to find a way to eventually transfer many, if not all, of their "paid" subscribers from print to the electronic format. But more importantly, they will also need to pick up the younger generations, many of whom are not likely receiving -- nor currently paying for -- the newspaper.

But many questions remain.

Can newspapers survive the current turbulence long enough to make necessary changes to their online delivery systems? Will they (can they?) reorganize into a 24-hour news gathering/reporting cycle with better use of video/multimedia while still maintaining some sense of "daily" record and/or archiving? Will the industry as a whole begin shifting to some form of online subscriptions? And will new revenue streams even allow all this to happen (and help keep them viable)?

Likewise, will longtime readers -- and detractors -- understand the value of supporting these outfits as they struggle to reorganize toward a more electronic-oriented future? Will future generations, including today's twenty- and thirty-somethings, understand the importance newspapers have played in being the "record" of history for a city, county and region? Moreover, will both groups be willing to pay for at least some content online?

Bottom line, if residents understand the value of local news and the importance of their local newspaper, they'll likely understand the need to begin paying for some or all of the content in an electronic format -- just as they do now for print. This may not happen next month nor maybe within the next year or two. But it's likely inevitable. Yet, will the current economic climate allow newspapers to survive long enough for such a major transformation to even happen?

Pew Research Center

• Journalism.org - State of the News Media: 2009 | Newspapers | Online | Local TV

Related

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Seattle P-I to publish last edition (March 16)


• Rocky Mountain News - Goodbye Colorado (Feb. 27)

Local Media

• InstantRiverside.com


• Riverside Press-Enterprise


• San Bernardino County Sun


• Ontario Inland Valley Daily Bulletin


• Los Angeles Times


• Orange County Register

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Filling the local TV void (Sept. 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - Instant Riverside (April 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - Local TV?? (June 2005)

Los Angeles-based KNBC-TV wrapped up a week-long "Road Trip" this past Friday in downtown Riverside. The NBC-owned station spent the entire week broadcasting a large portion of its 5 p.m. newscast from 5 different locales within Inland Southern California.

Paul Moyer and Colleen Williams
KNBC-TV


LA/Ontario Int'l Airport
KNBC-TV


Live from the Mission Inn
KNBC-TV

The week kicked off with Monday's live remote from the California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside, and included a look at the area's citrus history as well as the region's recent explosive growth.

Tuesday was spent in San Bernardino, visiting an outreach center of the city's "Operation Phoenix" program as well as spotlighting efforts at the city's fledgling San Bernardino International Airport.

Wednesday saw the crew spend time in Temecula, reporting on the area's highly-regarded schools and exploring the city's old town and wine country districts.

Thursday was Ontario's day as the newscast setup shop at LA/Ontario International Airport, reporting on the region's rise as the distribution hub for Greater Los Angeles.

Friday closed out the road trip back in Riverside, this time with the historic Mission Inn serving as the backdrop for reports on the eclectic hotel's Festival of Lights, its "Famous Fliers' Wall" as well as a revered look at nearby Riverside National Cemetery.

Although our first reaction in hearing about the remote broadcasts was one of curiosity mixed with trepidation, we must acknowledge the station went above and beyond what was expected. The daily broadcast was not simply a case of moving the anchor desk outside the studio and reporting the news. Not at all. In fact, the news team tailored large portions of the hour-long newscasts with local informational pieces -- something rarely seen on LA television, particularly with regards to Inland Southern California.

So, what does this mean? Probably nothing, as indeed next week will likely be business as usual. But, based upon the quality and type of reports we saw this past week, we hope KNBC is wising up to the need at better serving the entire metropolitan region. Although 10 million people do in fact live in LA County, the phenomenal growth within Greater Los Angeles over the past 20-30 years has pushed the outlying population within the adjacent 4 counties to 8 million (of which, 4 million reside within Inland Southern California alone). That's a rather large -- and growing -- chunk of the overall viewing audience.

However, we should clarify exactly what it is we're seeking. Indeed, it would be nice to have a nightly newscast tailored more for the residents of Inland Southern California. Yes, this would include the typical news, weather, sports and traffic. But beyond that, we're not asking for more Hollywood-influenced, "sensationalized" local news reporting. Instead, we're asking for more community-focused news -- insightful reporting on local politics, in-depth analysis of the Inland region's rising economic power and demographics or simply previewing an upcoming weekend festival or even a quick history lesson about the area. Indeed, that's what we're seeking.

Truth be told, the only chance of ever getting this will likely depend upon the Inland region securing its own major television station. But, for one week at least, that's what we got. Kudos, KNBC.

Related

• KNBC.com - On The Road: Inland Empire

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Filling the local TV void (Sept. 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - InstantRiverside.com (April 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - Local TV?? (June 2005)

In a region without a major, locally-based over-the-air television station, getting worthwhile news reports on TV is often a lost cause. The Los Angeles-based stations are simply too busy trying to cover their own immediate environs to warrant divvying up already limited resources for Inland Southern California. And, quite frankly, when they do venture outside Los Angeles proper, they often do so with indifference.

U.S. Television DMA's
Echostar Knowledge Base

Fortunately, technology is beginning to lend a hand in changing the face of news coverage for Inland Southern California.

As with many newspapers across the nation, Riverside's Press-Enterprise has embraced the possibilities of serving locally-produced video via the Internet. Likewise, so too have its chief competitors, the San Bernardino Sun and Ontario-based Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Though indeed such is likely to play an important role in the future of newspaper Internet sites, the process is still relatively in the infant stages and could use both focus and consistency, particularly in terms of quality.

A few months back, InstantRiverside.com began covering what can best be termed as "hyper-local" news, mostly for Riverside, but also for the Inland region in general. Although not an actual television station, InstantRiverside.com has taken a revolutionary approach in using Internet-based technology to produce both quick-hit and in-depth, TV-style news reports for an area long ignored by the Los Angeles media giants. As such, IR can provide quick and nimble reporting at a fraction of the overhead. And, not only is it free, but it can be watched via the Internet by anyone, at anytime from anywhere.

Though a relatively new concept, IR has great potential. It also has a veteran TV news journalist in Craig Fiegener, who happens to have grown up in Riverside. Fiegener has spent nearly 20 years honing his skills in both radio and television, most recently at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. Although we have great hopes for IR and fully expect it to survive and grow, where the concept will be 5 five years from now is anybody's guess. At the very least, it has opened the door -- and raised a few eyebrows -- with regards to local, television-style news coverage.

About 30 miles to the south of Riverside, a small UHF station has also been taking on the "big dogs" of both LA and San Diego:

Operating as a low-powered television station (LPTV), KZSW-TV began producing a weeknight local newscast approximately 2 years ago. But, up until recently, its reach has been relatively limited to a confined area of southwestern Riverside County. Yet, with the recent addition to Charter Communications cable systems in Riverside, Norco and Rancho Cucamonga, as well as local Verizon systems, KZSW's footprint has grown considerably (upwards of 120,000 households). However, the fact remains that it cannot be picked up over-the-air in a wide area, nor is it carried by satellite carriers, such as DirecTV.

Although these examples of trying to fill the local TV void and are worthy, crafty and even innovative, and are indeed providing a much needed service, the fact remains that Inland Southern California is unlikely to ever receive proper, locally-based television service without first becoming separated from the Los Angeles television DMA (Designated Market Area). However, due to the power and influence of the network-owned stations in Los Angeles -- whom are not likely to easily forfeit approximately 25% of their market -- the creation of an Inland DMA is likely to require something on the order of Congressional authority.

Yet, in light of huge population growth (and future projections), particularly out west in the days long since TV markets were first established, we think it's not only worth the effort, but long overdue.

Moreover, if countless stations and markets, particularly in areas on the east coast, can co-exist within close proximity -- including several neighboring, metropolitan DMA's such as Washington D.C. and Baltimore (38 miles), Boston and Providence (50 miles), Cincinnati and Dayton (52 miles), Kansas City and Topeka (61 miles), Detroit and Toledo (62 miles), Buffalo and Rochester (78 miles) -- then surely, Inland Southern California, with a population of 4 million, deserves the opportunity to have its own local market adjacent to Los Angeles (60 miles), Palm Springs (60 miles) and San Diego (90 miles).

Finally, we say that in a nation with 210 TV DMA's, a strong case for a 211th could easily be made. Indeed, if Inland Southern California is large and expansive enough to have its own radio DMA, which it does, then why cannot the same be said for television?

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Low-power station KZSW covers Inland life


• InstantRiverside.com


• KZSW-TV


• U.S. Television Designated Market Areas

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - InstantRiverside.com (May 2007)


• RaincrossSquare.com - Local TV?? (June 2005)

A new day is about to begin for local news within Inland Southern California as a new venture -- one which may very well change how we receive local news in the future -- is about to debut. It's called: InstantRiverside.com and it's set to launch May 4th.

Managed by veteran journalist Craig Fiegener -- formerly of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles -- Instant Riverside is likely to raise a number of eyebrows and maybe even create a few waves within the greater Los Angeles television news market. Although not an actual TV station nor even full-fledged newscast (at least not yet, anyhow), IR will offer traditional online news headlines as well as high-quality video reports via the Internet.

More importantly for Inland Southern California -- a region without a major, locally-based TV station -- IR will offer "intelligent" TV-style news reports, including sorely lacking civic-oriented news and in-depth local reports, items rarely seen on the Hollywood-infused LA television newscasts. As such, IR has the potential to fill a tremendous void locally, and do so from a very nimble standpoint with zero of the bureaucracy and absolutely none of the news bias/apathy forced upon the Inland region by the Los Angeles-based media giants. In other words, it will be real. It will be useful. And, it will be local.

No one is probably better suited to lead this venture than Craig himself. He's a well-respected, Emmy award-winning journalist who has spent nearly 20 years covering news, beginning first with local radio while still attending North High School in Riverside. At one point, fresh out of high school, Craig even produced a local cable newscast for Riverside. His first big break came with LA-based news powerhouse, KFI-AM. From there, Craig made the jump to television, spending the past decade reporting for ABC and CBS affiliates in California until December 2006.

Needless to say, news is in Craig's blood. And now he's leveraging his resources -- and his passion -- and turning his focus exclusively toward Inland Southern California. So, mark your calendars -- and your bookmarks. But more importantly, stay tuned, as this venture is likely to grow and maybe even change the local news arena.

Related

• InstantRiverside.com

Previous

• RaincrossSquare.com - Local TV?? (June 2005)

Ok, so living within the second largest TV market in the nation (Los Angeles) has both its advantages and disadvantages. Indeed, the number and variety of local channels is difficult to match. And for the most part, the Los Angeles news outfits all have very high production standards (though, high production standards does not always translate into high news value).

However, in a market so diverse, so large (geographically speaking) and increasingly more and more dynamic, what is it going to take to obtain bonafide local TV coverage? Specifically, what has to happen before Inland Southern California (population 3+ million) actually gets its own local, major-network television station?

In the United States, there are over 200 DMAs (Designated Market Area) that define the geographic boundaries for over-the-air television stations. Most of these boundaries -- established during the infancy of television and radio in the mid 1900s -- follow already existing county lines, which themselves are the primary boundaries used for Census tracts.

On the east coast, such markets -- and counties -- tend to be smaller geographical entities. However, on the west coast, where many counties are as large as some eastern states, the geographical service area can be extremely large. No where else is this disparity more apparent than within the Los Angeles DMA.

With each passing year as the suburban areas around Los Angeles proper continue to expand, more and more of the local TV audience is simply being underserved by the LA-based TV stations. Moreover, many of the suburban cities within Greater Los Angeles have far larger population bases than a number of cities across the U.S. that have their own DMA (and 1 or more local TV stations). Furthermore, some cities within the LA DMA are as far away from Los Angeles proper as Philadelphia is from Baltimore. And yet, the LA-based stations are still entrusted to service these areas with local programming. To no one's surprise, they don't (unless of course, there's some over-the-top, bizarre news story).

To make matters worse, most LA-based stations continue to remain ignorant, apathetic -- even egocentric -- towards the changing dynamics shaping the Greater Los Angeles market.

For example, a few years ago, an ABC affiliate based in Palm Springs was looking to move its transmitter to a higher elevation within the nearby San Jacinto Mountains (the 10,000-foot-high mountain range essentially separates the LA and Palm Springs television DMAs). However, such a move -- which could have provided Inland Southern California with the potential for better localized TV programming -- would have meant signal-bleed into the eastern portions of the Los Angeles DMA. Thus, the network-owned Los Angeles ABC station voiced opposition to the potential market infringement and the transmitter move was never made (admittedly, the environmental impact of such a move played a factor as well).

Which made us wonder. If the LA stations are concerned about signal-bleed from a transmitter that's 100 miles away, then how in the world do the Baltimore and Washington D.C. television DMAs coexist? After all, the two cities lie within 38 miles of each other, and yet, each have separate and distinct DMAs. Or, what about the Boston and Providence DMAs? Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro-WinstonSalem? Or even Buffalo and Rochester and Rochester and Syracuse DMAs respectively? Some of these markets are as tight -- or tighter -- in proximity than Riverside is to Los Angeles. And yet, Inland Southern California is apparently unable to have a local, major network TV station -- why?

Obviously the separate Baltimore and Washington D.C. DMAs have more to do with historical precedence than anything else. Which is fine. But, does that mean that high-growth regions -- particularly those out west, many of which have "come of age" just within the past 25 years -- need forever remain within old, static and outdated DMAs?

Of course not.

Thus, since much of the nation's growth the past 25+ years has in fact taken place out west in the years following the establishment of the DMAs, it brings to reason that a reexamination of these market boundaries is indeed appropriate.

PS...the few UHF channels originally assigned to Inland Southern California (e.g., channels 18, 46, 52 and 62) have each been essentially hijacked by Los Angeles-based special interest programming entities (mostly foreign language). With few exceptions, their studios, offices and administration all have Los Angeles County locations. And, of course, none of these stations offer any substantial amount of local "Inland" programming. To be fair, there is one surviving locally-based channel (KVCR-TV 24). But as a PBS station, it simply does not have the resources -- nor the clout -- to battle the dominant LA networks.

Related

• Riverside Press-Enterprise - Battle for TV coverage
• Designated Market Area rankings
• 02 - KCBS-TV
• 04 - KNBC-TV
• 05 - KTLA-TV (WB)
• 07 - KABC-TV
• 09 - KCAL-TV
• 11 - KTTV-TV (Fox)
• 13 - KCOP-TV (UPN)
• 18 - KSCI-TV (San Bernardino/Los Angeles)
• 24 - KVCR-TV (PBS)
• 28 - KCET-TV (PBS)
• 34 - KMEX-TV (Univision)
• 46 - KHSC-TV (Ontario - Home Shopping Channel)
• 52 - KVEA-TV (Corona/Los Angeles - Telemundo)
• 56 - KDOC-TV (Anaheim/Los Angeles)
• 62 - KRCA-TV (Riverside/Los Angeles)