Keeping the focus local, trust in local newsgathering practices, and hyper-local journalism are the keys to overall growth and success.
Without local news, our communities and our democracy are at stake. While living in Los Angeles, California, and working for Telemundo News, https://www.telemundo.com/ - the owner of Cablevision, Charles "Chuck" Dolan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dolan hired me to launch News12 The Bronx. A new 24-hour hyperlocal news channel centered in NYC’s majority Latino Borough.
I toured every corner of the only NYC county that is attached to the USA mainland and moved to City Island - A Slice of NYC Paradise. Located at the northeastern tip of The Bronx it is a quaint seaside island with a laid-back nautical vibe and coastal New England charm.
The 1.5 miles long and a half-mile wide, retains much of its character from its mid-1900 days as a shipbuilding hub and remains a center for recreational boating. It’s crammed full of colorful residential architecture, and its marinas, yacht clubs, and shorelines afford picturesque views of the Long Island Sound, Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, and, in the distance, the New York City skyline. Come to watch the swooping seagulls, take in the salty air, and sample fresh seafood—you’ll feel like you’ve escaped the City.
At that time, the racial makeup of The Bronx was 35.64% Black or African American, 29.87% White, 0.85% Native American, 3.01% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 24.74% from other races, and 5.78% from two or more races. 48.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.5%. were whites, not of Hispanic origins.
The Bronx is the northernmost NYC borough is the birthplace of hip-hop and home to the New York Yankees. Families can greet the animals of the world-famous Bronx Zoo or gaze at the plants of the lush New York Botanical Garden while social distancing. A stroll down Arthur Avenue, which is known as The Bronx’s Little Italy, offering culinary treats; The Grand Concourse, and South Bronx neighborhoods serve up art deco marvels.
When I took over what was to become the all news 24-hour news station management job, I vowed to hire a staff that would reflect The Bronx demographics. With the help of my newly recruited savvy multilingual news coordinator, Elsie Agosto, https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsie-lizzette-agosto-rivera-35347825/ we sifted through hundreds of resumes, interviewing dozens of young candidates and selecting the crime of the crop.
The major owned and operated local networks television stations may offer fancy-schmancy studios and fully flattering lighting, but News12 was going to be where Bronx viewers were going to learn about delays on the subway, the CrossBronx, or Major Degan as well as learning about all the local as they swigged their coffee. https://bronx.news12.com/
News 12 wasn’t polished, but it made good on its promise: hyperlocal news delivered by folks who could very well live in your own neighborhood. Young people like Natalie, Cynthia, Victoria, James, Joel and so many other talented journalists breaking into the largest TV news market in the nation. Several of the young journalists and newbie staff members that I hired went on to bigger and better jobs in the business. Two of them are, ladies first @NMoralesNBC and @JamesRosenTV