Since 1981, my start in broadcasting and the news world, I am amazed at the change in the flow of information. It's both exciting and scary. Currently, there are two faces of Wellsville Regional News. First, there is the site www.wellsvilleregionalnews.com, which cleverly sends you to the site http://wellsvilleregionalnews.blogspot.com/. The BlogSpot address was just too long. It is, however, a free and ad-free site. The money side comes from writing, producing and anchoring news for more than 12 radio stations in four states, from Olean and Bath in New York to Fort Bragg, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC, and beyond. That's...what pays the bills.
So back to the blog/news site. It's clear this site has made an impact, I think. County leaders respond to questions - heck, four lawmakers replied to a question since Friday. I have to believe, if they didn't take the site seriously, they'd just hit delete to my emails. Members of Congress take questions from WRN, as do District Attorney's, law enforcement, non profits and politicians. I'm glad they do. As of this posting, nearly 98,000 in the last seven days have checked out the stories.
This site has no agenda (followed by laughter)...but it really doesn't. I report regional news. Sometimes I am ahead of tradition media, sometimes lagging behind. Opinion pieces are clearly labeled. I provide plenty of original reporting. After 37 years, you develop contacts. I utilize them...as they do me.
Yet, there are still plenty of people that have never heard of the site. A small nudge from readers wouldn't help. Again, I have nothing to gain - this is a free site - I just enjoy delivering news.
Having said that, I would always encourage people to continue to respect and support local print and broadcast. They have a staff and can grab stories beyond my reach. They continue to matter...but so do bloggers. Not all blog sites are reputable. You get to decide if I am real or fake. 19/7 (yeah, I do try and sleep) I provide regional news...it's what I do...it's what I enjoy. I plan to continue. I plan to deliver. People in power seem to agree. Local news matters. Heck, most of the time, it impacts your daily routine more than what happens in Washington, D.C.
