A North Bay View on the Changing Media Landscape
It's here. For months I'd been thinking about starting a blog on Cuclis PR.com. Friends, colleagues, clients and family have heard me talk about it. But with so many PR blogs out there — many talking about the same thing and providing similar advice — I didn't want to do more of the same.
My particular interest is my part of the world, the North Bay. If you don't know where that is, then you probably wouldn't be interested in this blog. I plan to focus on what is happening with media in this region, and discuss how businesses, local government and community leaders are communicating in this changing environment. I'll provide commentary on who I think is doing it right, and who I think still has a lot to learn. Because the standard rules of sound communication strategy don't change: know your audience, know your message, before you start to speak.
I'll also provide practical PR and publicity tips, and suggestions of other places on the web to find quality information about public relations, marketing and the media.
Today, the only media regularly covering the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Channel 50 canceled its local news a couple years ago, the San Francisco Chronicle closed its Sonoma County bureau awhile back, the Petaluma Argus Courier only publishes once a week — it used to publish two — and is now owned by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The other community newspapers don't have enough staff to cover meetings in Santa Rosa. KSRO radio is still newstalk, but also lacks enough reporters to consistently cover Board of Supervisors' meetings.
Meanwhile, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is getting thinner. Rumors abound about its future.
Inspiration for This Blog
My inspiration came several weeks ago after writing a commentary I e-mailed to several dozen Sonoma Valley residents and business people entitled, "Can Two Newspapers Survive in the Sonoma Valley?" I received lots of response and was asked to post it to Wired Sonoma's blog. (I'll post it here, although since I wrote it, the Sonoma Sun has returned to publishing once a week.) Meanwhile, like all PR pros, I've been paying close attention to the declining state of the traditional media. If you're on Twitter, and are also interested in this issue, I recommend following @themediaisdying.My Purpose
My particular interest is my part of the world, the North Bay. If you don't know where that is, then you probably wouldn't be interested in this blog. I plan to focus on what is happening with media in this region, and discuss how businesses, local government and community leaders are communicating in this changing environment. I'll provide commentary on who I think is doing it right, and who I think still has a lot to learn. Because the standard rules of sound communication strategy don't change: know your audience, know your message, before you start to speak. I'll also provide practical PR and publicity tips, and suggestions of other places on the web to find quality information about public relations, marketing and the media.
The State of the Media in Sonoma County
Can be summed up in my personal story: Twenty years ago when I was a reporter for TV 50 news at KFTY in Santa Rosa, I would frequently cover Sonoma County Board of Supervisors' meetings. Besides me, there would be a reporter for Santa Rosa NewsTalk Radio KSRO, a reporter from the county's daily newspaper the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the Sonoma County bureau reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, a reporter from the Petaluma Argus Courier, and often a reporter from one of the county's other community newspapers.Today, the only media regularly covering the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Channel 50 canceled its local news a couple years ago, the San Francisco Chronicle closed its Sonoma County bureau awhile back, the Petaluma Argus Courier only publishes once a week — it used to publish two — and is now owned by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The other community newspapers don't have enough staff to cover meetings in Santa Rosa. KSRO radio is still newstalk, but also lacks enough reporters to consistently cover Board of Supervisors' meetings.
Meanwhile, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is getting thinner. Rumors abound about its future.
Please Read and Join the Conversation
If Sonoma County's traditional news media voices die off, what will this mean to our community? I hope you will become a regular reader of this blog and participate in exploring this issue.
Posted by Gina Cuclis at 4/10/2009 12:30 PM 
Categories: Newspapers, State of the Media
Tags: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors PR Sonoma County public relations Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Categories: Newspapers, State of the Media
Tags: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors PR Sonoma County public relations Santa Rosa Press Democrat
I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the state of the local media. I am quite concerned that local citizens have very limited oversight of local government by the news media.
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Great job Gina!
Claire
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Thanks and help spread the word.
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Depends on the quality of reporting in the first place. My local papers honestly wouldn't be missed; they're there purely for the advertisers and intersperse the ads with some news.
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Thanks for putting together this blog. I find the PR tips very helpful.
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Keep the PR tips coming. I'm glad I found this blog.
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I'm going to subscribe to this blog because it's very interesting
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Depends on the quality of reporting in the first place.
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