I read a very interesting column recently about local news. It was written by Perry Simon who writes about News/Talk Radio for AllAccess.com.
Basically he writes about an opportunity for radio right now—— NEWS.
A recent Associated Press article mentioned how a vast number of local newspapers have folded in the last 15 years. Over 1,400 cities have lost papers in the last 15 years and it’s left “news deserts” in its wake. There are large areas of the country that are going without effective local news coverage.
Many people now get their news on their phones, but who is there to provide local coverage? For many there is no more City Hall reporter and TV news doesn’t cover all local issues unless it’s a huge accident or a crime story that can be teased tabloid-style to get people to watch.
Simon points out that that leaves local government unchecked and important stories unreported.
While it’s not a good situation it is also an opportunity.
A radio station could become the authority for everyone, and then people would post and share your reporting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever else is out there.
Simon points out that it won’t be cheap, and it won’t be easy. But it is an opportunity.
I’ve had this discussion with many friends and former colleagues.
I think the Standard Times does the best they can but their staff has been reduced dramatically over the years and I don’t just mean their freelance writers like myself. They don’t have the number of reporters that they used to have.
Radio has seen a cutback too and I’ve heard that they don’t go out and cover as much news as they used to.
New Bedford Guide does a decent job but, again, they can’t be everywhere.
The way I see it, we all want to just go to our phones or tablets and get the news and we would preferably rather not pay for it. It’s the internet, it’s supposed to be free. However, the person covering the meeting or fire or crime story wants to, and deserves to, be paid.
If everyone wants to get their news for free, how do the people who report the stories make a living and feed their families?
What are we going to miss out on because there’s no one there to tell us? I’m not talking about the national news because that still seems to be financially healthy. I’m talking about what the local school boards or zoning committees are up to. How will we know what kind of job the city councillors or selectmen are doing? What’s the latest on a teacher contract?
There’s going to be a serious need there soon. I hope somebody steps in to fill that need but I also hope we all realize that that kind of coverage and reporting needs to be paid for and that those that do the work deserve to be paid. We can’t expect a free ride.
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