Like a windstorm, a social media storm has blown up the I-80 from Silicon Valley and is successfully overtaking our small community.
It was inevitable, and those who were prepared are doing just fine. Facebook posts by local residents are on fire. I get more and more of my news from Facebook “shares” and other posts. I enjoy interacting with locals on Facebook, “liking” and “sharing” content — for free.
Yubanet.com, the free online service was ahead of its time, at least in the foothills, is chugging along, raising some voluntary contributions, no less. It also is part of the Sacramento Bee’s blogging network, gaining added visibility. KVMR, our “community” radio station, is doing very well with its cadre of volunteers. It is in an expansion mode.
Sierra Foothills Report — an avocation, not a vocation — is doing well, generating more reader comments and providing some “scoops” and commentary. I notice The Union routinely follows stories that appear here first. They are too “proud” to give credit where credit is due, but the community increasingly is noticing.
The “dinosaur” political blogs — once the community’s blogging pioneers — are looking pretty feeble lately — marked by name-calling and personal attacks. They are rapidly marginalizing themselves.
The world is getting tougher for our longtime dominant media, which have enjoyed a comfortable “oligopy” in a “cul de sac” media market for years.
The 150-year-old Union newspaper is receiving a lot of community criticism for its new “paywall.” The strategy was crudely implemented, right down to the “keys” on the front door that – literally – lock you out.
Many newspapers are putting up paywalls but with more reasonable “metered” service. The Union’s approach is unsophisticated and “in your face.” It’s “too little, too late” amid mounting competition.
The other day somebody tried to share a story on Facebook — a profile of Howard Levine, retiring from the Grass Valley Downtown Association — that was free in the newspaper’s “Sunday Express” but required a paid subscription to read it online. On Facebook you could only read the first sentence — a silly irony.
The Union ought to re-think its “paywall” plan and modify it. But it’s not locally owned, so it’s subject to a “cookie-cutter” out-of-town strategy.
KNCO
For its part, KNCO is now in a firestorm of controversy for running the Rush Limbaugh show. Rush called a college student a “slut” and a “prostitute” and joked about posting sex videos of her. He clearly crossed a line and offered a half-hearted apology.
Rush’s sympathizers are couching this as a “free speech” issue, and the local hard-right bloggers have resorted to name calling and personal attacks (again).
They also cite Bill Maher’s crude attacks on Sarah Palin. But unlike Limbaugh, Maher’s show is on a subscription service, not the free public airwaves with paying sponsors. It doesn’t make it right, but it sure protects Maher against losing ad revenue when he mouths off.
In short, the Rush Limbaugh debacle is not a “free speech” issue; it is a business issue. Rush insulted women, and many of his shows’s sponsors are pulling their advertising because their customers are objecting. It’s simple “free market” economics — something Rush’s right-wing defenders should understand.
KNCO is no doubt hoping the criticism will blow over. It depends on Rush’s revenue stream to help pay the bills.
But it ought to be thinking more strategically about the future: Is Rush still the right commentator for its listners? After all, our county is becoming more “purple” politically. Moreover, there are plenty of conservative voices who don’t resort to name calling and personal attacks to make a point.
By contrast, KVMR has been very successful with its “community radio” approach.
I also think KNCO should be more transparent to the community about its ownership. Unlike The Union, it is locally owned by a number of families. I’d like to hear their views about Rush Limbaugh in a “management” memo.
I wish our local media the best. But I’ve been in this business for a long time — both print and online — and I could see how social media was going to reshape our local media landscape.
The dominant players should have been better prepared for the inevitable change. But they were stuck in an Alfred E. Neuman “what me worry” mindset. Now they’re paying for it.
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I think the Union is hastening it’s demise with it’s paywall strategy.
Call into KNCO.this Wednesday morning. Tom FitzSimmons has preempted Rush to get listener opinions. The switchboards are jammed, but this morning is a chance to keep Rush Limbaugh off the air for at least the entire three hours today. You have to pay for Bill Maher, so Rush and Bill are not comparable. Rush is no more “just an entertainer” than the Tea Party is “just a group of like minded people.” Post anti-Rush Limbaugh (using full name) anywhere you can. It is not a free speech issue, or we’d all have a 3 hour show. Rush can go to 6th and Mission and spout off all he wants, he’d fit right in.
I can’t find reference to ownership of KNCO on their website. Who are they?
The alls in are dominated by Pro-Rush, but Facebook shows and entirely different side, do a search for KNCO, and click on everyone. Obviously the younger generation doesn’t like Rush.
I’m listening, and station manager Tom confirmed as much with the emails and other correspondence being “anti-Rush.” There’s also a petition going around with hundreds of signatures.
The switchboards are jammed, and the on-air reaction is mixed. On the air, I just heard a former longtime KNCO advertiser (Rita Burns, the former owner of Tess’) state that she never wanted her ads to air on Rush and said as much to management. It was a poignant comment.
There’s also some real misinformation going on about what Fluke said during that hearing. She never talked about her own sex life. It’s a matter of public record. Tom has not corrected that impression and should be doing so.
I don’t think Tom and KNCO’s management can afford to ignore this issue going forward. KNCO management/ownership has some real decisions to make. And they really should identify themselves to the community. They are our neighbors.
I read over on the Union’s Town Talk that Tom is basically mollycoddling Rush. Is it me or doesn’t Tom think this reaction isn’t very complimentary of his character? If KNCO had a woman taking care of the comments this morning does anyone think the results would be different?
I listened and that’s accurate — though to his credit, Tom said a KNCO staffer would be fired for calling someone a “slut” on air.
Tom is a cautious manager, but he might find that some of KNCO’s owners might be open to a change. KNCO’s owners need to step into the public discussion about this.
I heard at least two callers who are regular advertisers say they don’t want to air their ads during Rush.
http://signon.org/sign/take-rush-limbaugh-off?source=c.url&r_by=2927623
KNCO did a good thing with their 2-way radio this morning but was close to impossible to get through. If you want to see Rush go, please sign this petition and spread it around.
Jeff I agree with you as to this is not a matter of freedom of speech. It was sad to hear the people calling in supporting Rush just using his words as if they were true. This is what worries me. We have a spokesperson that reaches millions that distorts the facts. Replace him with another right wing conservative talk person. Just replace him with one that does his homework and is not so vile.
I heard many of the pro Rush callers say they they hear things on Rush that they don’t hear anywhere else. Hmmmm, I think there is a reason for that. It is scary to hear people call him an entertainer (held to a lower standard) and at the same time hear them take whatever Rush says as fact.
RE: Facebook becoming a primary news source? I embrace new technology and consider myself pretty technically proficient…however…I do not embrace Facebook primarily for privacy issues and the millions of usless posts it contains. I have 3 computers, 3 IPods, 2 book readers including a Kindle Fire that is iPadesk and am a member of 2 online forums. Since I have no interest in Facebook am I out of it? Can I survive in the future without it? Will e-mail soon be obsolete? Will there be something like “The Facebook Nightly News” in the near future? Will all of my current news and information sources be replaced by Facebook? Am I an old curmudgeon?
BTW – I tried Linkedin and found it invasive with constant e-mails to me and also to my employer, which really ticked me off. I opted out immediately.
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