New Hope for Local News? Thanks Spectrum!

Speaking of Positive?Change…

A hint of a smile on my face this morning as I type four words I haven't put together in a very long time - Hope for Local News? Sorry for the pesky question mark but it stands as a reminder of how adept the culture of our business is at extinguishing innovation outside the comfort zone. That said, the glimmer of optimism comes courtesy the work of Spectrum News in Southern California and Texas which has taken a bold step towards throwing out the obsolete playbook of old in favor of a much more relevant march towards true hyper-localism.

As has been well documented in this space, I believe — without caveat — that local news is an absolute cornerstone of our way of life in this country. I also believe it’s facing the most perilous time in its history and very much at a crossroads. One path is ugly and leads to continued decline, complete loss of relevance and, eventually, extinction. The other, to a redefinition, revolution, and resurgence that, quite literally, could change the outlook of the country on the whole.

Frankly, too few of those in positions of power in the industry have taken steps that would indicate they understand both the importance and extreme urgency, choosing to conduct business as usual in hopes of, well frankly, I don’t know what. It’s why, whenever possible, I try to highlight those people and places doing things indicative of innovation and an openness to radical change. Sadly, so far, the examples have been few and far between. Today…one of the few.

Over the past couple of years, Spectrum News outlets in Southern California and Texas have taken the time to, not only, learn who their audiences are, but get this, they’ve actually listened to what they had to say about their news coverage needs and acted accordingly. Go figure! One of the most impressive changes made as a result — a whole new level of dedication to the old local news truism that “your team should reflect the community it serves.” In fact, Spectrum’s rewrite of the sentiment would be “your team should be from the community it serves.”

With that, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Cater Lee, Spectrum’s VP of News & Content for SoCal and Texas who graciously agreed to share some of the thought process that motivated a radical shift in who they choose to report the news.

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Cater, explain Spectrum’s approach in SoCal and Texas of hiring people who actually live in the communities served to report the news?

In order to do proactive, enterprise reporting well, it takes a community expert to understand the issues, and have the sources at hand, to build stories upon. The traditional way of recruiting journalists from smaller markets — often out of state- doesn’t work if you’re trying to do that kind of hyperlocal coverage. We know that by hiring people from Southern California and Texas to cover their own hometowns, we would build a team of community experts. It also makes a big difference in terms of retention. Many of our staffers say it was a dream come true to get to come home and report on their own communities.

What sort of compromises or re-definitions were necessary to achieve this stereotype-busting approach?

We often recruited from outside the traditional broadcast journalism pool, and hired people from print, digital and radio backgrounds, as well as hiring former broadcast producers and photographers to get in front of the camera. While we had to do some additional training to help them with things like shooting, editing, live shots and stand ups, the reward was building a team of great storytellers.

Have you seen any tangible benefits as a result?

One of the most rewarding has been in audience feedback. We regularly hear from our audiences that our journalists, and our news coverage and storytelling is relatable, fact-based, and authentic. The audience can tell the difference and they appreciate it.

How has it changed the recruiting and interviewing process?

We tell candidates up front that we are looking for local connections. We value community and subject matter expertise over on-camera experience. And we spend a lot of time interviewing our candidates on their passions for a local beat. That’s helped us to build a team of specialized journalists who focus on everything from social justice, climate, education, and local politics, to food, sports, arts, and culture.

What concerns you about the future of local news? What excites you about the future of local news?

We know that local news is critical to democracy; people need local news to tell them what’s going on inside their city halls, their school boards, their businesses, and their towns. And, when there is a local emergency like a wildfire, an earthquake, or a hurricane, for example, we provide important life-saving information. That also is what excites me about the future of local news — our investment and commitment to providing communities with objective, relevant, and trusted local news.

Three cheers for Spectrum. Now, who's next?