KWBU-FM | NPR for Central Texas
In Waco exist the four basic television news outlets (NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox affiliates), one daily newspaper (Waco Tribune-Herald), and one NPR affiliate. Two years ago, our NBC affiliate was proud to be “first in high definition” while the CBS location was equally as proud with their slogan, “first online,” (and was trying very hard to become the second in HD). Around the same time, the Trib chose to place all of its content behind a pay wall. Just recently, the president of KWBU announced that its current funding goal is far from being met (they will begin the winter pledge drive tomorrow).
Everyday when I partake in these three media types, I wonder similarly to all of Robin Scherbatsky‘s friends in the CBS show “How I Met Your Mother” – is anyone out there actually watching/listening to/reading this?
If we buy in to the rumor that media are dying, especially in locales where subscriptions or funding are difficult to come by, why not think forward toward greater collaboration among outlets?*
There are reasons beyond funding that the major newspapers, for example, are able to offer at least some free content online. If this is a contentious statement to you, notice that the major papers all operate on some kind of online subscription or pay wall method now. Major outlets have the ability to produce truly unique content for featuring online. This, of course, is done in the hopes of drawing more visitors and increasing possible advertising revenue.
Smaller, local papers don’t have human or technological resources to achieve this kind of content creation, in the way of video and audio additions. If a merger were created, new content opportunities would be available to each outlet, and some costs, such as operating independent websites, would be eliminated.
This may not work in all situations and is an extremely ideological suggestion (ideological in that I fully believe all these media should survive and flourish), but it’s certainly worth meeting about.
*Caveat: I’m not trained as a business man. This means that I have not thought out the full financial implications of this suggestion, though it does seem to make logical sense.
Billy W Collins 