Compelling stories are the lifeblood of any news organization. And understanding what your audience wants is paramount.
As NEWSWELL sets out to reimagine the Santa Barbara News-Press and the future of local news in Santa Barbara County, we have embarked on a series of listening sessions seeking input from residents and local leaders, from the South Coast communities to North County.
The feedback we’ve received is abundantly clear: Community members want more in-depth, explanatory and investigative news, and they are excited for the additional coverage and community building the News-Press can provide.
The newspaper was shuttered two years ago after declaring bankruptcy, ending a 150-year legacy. But a local philanthropic group purchased the online domain and digital archives of the defunct news site and donated them to NEWSWELL, a news nonprofit that’s part of Arizona State University Media Enterprise.
“We’re sorry what happened to it, but we hope a new life comes to it,” former News-Press reporter Nora Wallace said during a session with NEWSWELL in Lompoc. She worked at the newspaper for more than two decades and is now public relations coordinator for Lompoc Valley Medical Center.
When the News-Press shut down, it didn’t leave a barren news landscape. The region’s other media outlets, including the Santa Barbara Independent, Noozhawk, Edhat and TV stations KEYT and KCLU, have worked hard to fill the void, and those we spoke to said they appreciated the work.
But the News-Press’ downfall and ultimate departure decimated the number of journalists covering the broader community. Reports indicate that in the early 2000s, before the decades-long turmoil began at the legacy newspaper, 60 people worked in the newsroom.
Today, among all of the remaining news outlets, there are approximately 30 full-time reporters covering Santa Barbara County, which has a population of nearly 450,000. That estimate — equal to one reporter for roughly every 15,000 people — comes from data collected by News Revenue Hub, a nonprofit organization that helps news organizations build financial sustainability.
According to a study of the media landscape in Santa Barbara County conducted by News Revenue Hub, “residents have a strong appetite for local news” and a hunger that is “not being fed by current news availability.”
“I’m looking to learn, to expand my awareness, and so things that generate that kind of light … those are the things I’ll prioritize,” said Ken Saxon, founder of Leading from Within, a nonprofit that fosters a network of leaders serving the public good.
More in-depth journalism, including more analyses and investigations, was a top desire.
“What I really miss is we do not have any journalistic source in town that can do good investigative reporting. I think that’s the essence of a good news source,” said Karl Hutterer, director emeritus of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
“There are some extremely important issues that are not very well covered consistently. Those include education, health care, (the) economy … politics. It’s somewhat superficial,” said Hutterer, who attended a listening session in Santa Barbara.
Countywide, residents crave nonpartisan coverage of their local government agencies, explanations of how national and state politics affect them and their cities, and stories about their neighbors.
Ann McCarty, who attended a session in Lompoc and is executive director of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center, noted: “If we think it’s important enough to be reporting on it, then hear us.”
Smaller cities like Buellton, Solvang and Guadalupe, and even larger cities like Lompoc and Santa Maria, often are overlooked in news coverage, residents told us. Many lament there is not enough “positivity” in most stories. And there is a dearth of coverage focused on Spanish- and Indigenous-speaking communities.
Lifelong Santa Maria resident Patricia Solorio, associate director at the Fund for Santa Barbara, attended a listening session in Santa Maria that included translation services for one attendee. Nearly 80% of the city’s population is Latino or Hispanic, and two-thirds of residents speak a language other than English at home, Census data shows.
That’s why it’s imperative for accurate and factual news to be both coming from the Spanish-speaking community as well as going to the Spanish-speaking community, Solorio said.
NEWSWELL intends to conduct additional listening sessions to better understand the news needs of the Spanish-speaking community and how we can fill those gaps.
Overall, our goal is to be additive to the existing media landscape. All content we produce will be free to use by any other news outlet, in Santa Barbara or elsewhere.
“As a nonprofit, we are here to serve the community,” NEWSWELL Executive Director Nicole Carroll told a group of residents during one of the sessions. “We firmly believe that more news to more people makes a community thrive.”
Serving the community can take many different forms. In addition to news publishing, the News-Press also plans to host community events, foster lifelong learning and spearhead innovative ideas for community journalism that will be shared with other organizations.
While NEWSWELL is providing backend support, this effort will be headed by a local leader along with local reporters and editors, in partnership with community groups, to meet Santa Barbara County’s news needs.
Those needs include “stories that deal with the how and why questions of journalism,” said Jerry Roberts, former Santa Barbara News-Press editor and co-founder of SB Newsmakers. And that storytelling must be accessible to everyone, including reaching out to younger people through social media and other emerging technologies. Roberts is a member of the Santa Barbara News-Press’ community advisory board.
“We’re begging to get someone to cover our stories,” Alex Murkison, administration and development manager for the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, said during another listening session.
The bottom line: We asked what Santa Barbara County wants in local news, and we now have a good starting framework: investigative and explanatory reporting; community events and partnerships that educate and empower; and products like newsletters that help fill the gaps in Santa Barbara County news and information.
Our plan is to work toward delivering on this outline and to continue to amplify the voices of those who live and work here. Next steps include hiring a general manager and returning to Santa Barbara to share the results of the listening sessions and news survey with the community.
Ginger Salazar, vice chair of the Cottage Health Board of Directors, perhaps best summed up our mission: “Local news plays such an important role in creating community and connection.”
