Clear Channel-owned TV50 KFTY Santa Rosa axed it's fledgling news operation on January 26th, in favor of an all citizen journalist format. What does this mean for Bay Area news stations? Another news experiment that will ultimately fail.
Citizen journalism is a recent trend in network news, asking viewers to send in their own footage or report on news that affects them. The idea is that local news can become more localized when the viewers generate the content rather than someone sitting at a news desk for eight hours a day (a la YouTube). Proponents of citizen journalism point to falling advertising revenue and viewership necessitating the need to turn the traditional news making model upside down.
What does this mean for viewers of TV50? News with low journalistic standards and inconsistent coverage of news in the Santa Rosa region. In fact, KFTY's station manager admits that the quality of news will suffer. When will corporate-owned media wake up? TV is no longer the primary medium in which people will receive their news.
The Internet and blogs has become the main source for writing, viewing and reporting news. In my opinion, TV, radio, print will take a back seat to the Internet, but will never fade into oblivion, as some have suggested.
If I were to generate a new model for news, I would offer up the idea of "super-regional news." For example, in the Bay Area, there would be nine news bureaus in each of the nine Bay Area counties. News would be constantly updated online and through various channels (mobile phones, SMS text message, etc). Twice a day, there would be a half-hour local newscast focusing on news from your county, tossing to a super-regional newscast which cherry picks the most important news happening in each county and combines it with state, national, and international news.
What are the benifits of this model? The majority of the resources will be focused online, rather than producing multiple TV newscasts. But those who still choose to view the news on the boob tube will get a newscast that's more relevant to them. More viewers, more advertising revenue, happier people. You heard it here first...let's see if anyone actually gives the super-regional news model a try!
Feel free to add your comments on this idea. Also below, you'll find a link to the KFTY story. Don't forget to tune into USF-TV News 35!
-Bobby
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