Fayetteville's Very Own Local News (On YouTube)

I think having things like the zombie walk covered by the local news crew with video would further people's interest. I haven't been to one yet, and it's hard to find any pictures or videos of what the zombie walk is, mostly so that I can be prepared and know what to expect. For instance, it's a family friendly event, but does that mean blood and gore should be toned down, or is it okay to go full on walking dead makeup? Am I expected to be in character apart from the walk? And for people who don't want to dress up, how prevalent are non-zombies? Would I stick out like a sore thumb? For other events, maybe like a gaming event, sometimes seeing it happening gains interest so that next time people decide they want to come. Sometimes just reading about an event isn't exciting enough to actually want to take the chance and go, or seeing it helps those with anxiety overcome it and get out there.

I think Fayetteville is highly underrepresented on any NC news channels and would do well with having their own. The Fayetteville Observer has plenty to report on for things that go on around here, and I think it would do well to have a crew and bring together all the social media outlets to one platform where they can be shared. It doesn't have to be a 24/7 channel, but could report on specific weather in different parts of the city, outages/road closures/etc., talk about up and coming changes in the city (like encouraging pedestrians to use the new sidewalks, telling everyone where there are new sidewalks (particularly important for people who don't use the roads to keep up to date with where work is being done, and encouraging people to sign up for city-wide text alerts), and encouraging pedestrians to wear something reflective. A section on it that shows just how hard it is to see someone with versus without could go a long way, since not all pedestrians have cars and understand from a driver's perspective. It could also highlight things that are going on at the libraries, or have a This Week in Fayetteville section that goes over all the happenings across sectors. It would be a great place for people to submit pictures like cool sunsets or a great lightning video (which could then be put on the facebook page and other social media), for shelters to feature pets, to highlight toy drives, fundraisers, and other poverty-related events like the state of homelessness and what to do if you are homeless (like outreaches, shelters, and food pantries), and so much more. There could also be crime reports. I only ever saw one crime reported in Fayetteville which involved a police chase on the morning news (ABC11) in all the years that I saw it. So knowing where crime is happening and what crimes happen most could help people protect themselves and report it.

A YouTube channel that livestreams would be a great addition to downtown, particularly for those interested in landing a larger job with a bigger company. College communications majors interested in becoming a journalist or reporter would have a place to start nearby. They could offer internships, day in the life presentations for schools (like what it's like to be a reporter, camera man, journalist etc.), along with other student benefits like school closures and report annual testing scores across schools as well as other records like school sports team interviews after big wins or comparing reading and math comprehension percentages across school systems. It could probably promote healthy competition and make our school systems not just better but also more well-known.

I remember when my high school expanded their journalism sector. Every morning, instead of the announcements being just over the radio, they were on the TV, and different students would have the chance to give them. They included prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as sports reports, important reminders like uniform requirements or schedule changes, and they also had a news paper circulated. It was a long rectangular paper folded in half and written on the front and back. It was great when big events like prom were coming up, or for other things like voting on a class president or the week where each day was themed (like pajama day or wacky wednesday). They also read birthdays which was fun, though I was glad my birthday wasn't during the school year since I don't like the attention! But it was still a nice gesture. Perhaps they have expanded to YouTube. It would give those interested in reporting some further instruction in YouTube and give parents a chance to see their money at work while keeping up to date on current events in their kid's school. It would also keep a social media page active daily, and could include livestreams of things like the class dance competitions, sports games, or other major events like plays or recitals. This would also give students something shareable from the night, and get them used to performing in front of both people and cameras. It would also provide camera work and a great start in becoming a cameraman if someone wanted to go to a filmmaking school, which I could see expanding into lighting and sound operation. It could be a club that turns into a class. Other things they could record could be other classes like the robotics class and what they covered that year (which could help students decide if they want to join when they're able to), or follow the fencing team to an event and record highlights to share for their page on the school's website. It would be great to have a catalogue of each club and team to get to know what it's like to be part of them before joining, and would help prospective students and parents see all of the benefits their child could have if they join this school. And speaking of kids, the Fascinate-U Museum has a little newscaster station. It would be wonderful to see that job come to life here in this town.

I think if Fayetteville expands their journalism sector, it would do well for everyone in a myriad of ways, and just be cool, particularly for the younger crowd like college students that tend to get their news via social media, but also for the aging crowd that is techy. The e-newspaper with the Fayetteville Observer is a bit lacking to me, and the paper one is limited and doesn't seem to cover only Fayetteville News. I get that national news is important and will effect our community in some way, but there's only so much that can fit on the pages, and not everyone likes to read. Letting the news cast play in the background while I do something else is much easier for me than sitting down and reading it. It's basically Audible, but for the news, and including only Fayetteville news (though maybe sometimes other NC news like the state fair coming up, or other big events nearby). Although I would watch it in the background on a smart kitchen tv, phone, or laptop if I just wanted to catch up on truly local news.

Maybe the name could be something like eyewitness 8, FAY8, or each topic could have a different name like Fayetteville Pulse for health news, Fayetteville Scene for entertainment, Fayetteville Focus for the headliner, Fayetteville Daily for what to expect today in Fayetteville or what happened 'Today in Fay,' and Fayetteville Report for crime, education, and other statistical analyses. I used BrandCrowd.com to get these name ideas, and they have a lot of logos. Sectors like Neighborhoods could team up with the news station to help put out a weekly or monthly newsletter specifically for their community called Neighborhood News Division, and any neighborhood-related things like yard sales, changes to local home laws, and the like could be aired in the topic of Neighborhood News. Fayetteville Digest could cover local restaurants. Fayetteville Insight could cover military base events and other resources that are open to the public, and educate the public on how to get a visitors pass or any other base-related materials like recruitment, veteran's benefits (like if a restaurant is running a veterans eat free special or something, they would advertise here), and any other military-related news.  I can google search which gates are 24 hours and how to get a pass, but the best answer comes from AI, not from the sources. People need to know and not everyone has a military contact, so this would be useful for the town. There could also be a history section that is part of Fayetteville Scene that covers the historical signs downtown, or historical sites like cemetaries, buildings, and whatnot, but in a reenactment sort of way that teams up with Cape Fear Theatre. Reiterating what the signs say in a report is boring, but it is important to stay factual and respectful in reenactments, but still find ways to be entertaining.

Other channels could conglomerate with them, like the library YouTube channel. It doesn't have many subscribers or viewers, but does post good content, and could be useful to stay at home parents who can't make it to a physical story time, craft, or event. It would also be a good way to upgrade their presentation of content, with better angles, lighting, and sound. It would also boost viewership and ads shown in this time could go towards benefitting the library or other programs hosted by them, like expanding the ABCMouse subscription to be fully free and useable at home for individuals, instead of just useable at the library. These would definitely be good time fillers if you want the channel to run all day, which I think should be the goal since a lot of public places like hospitals, clinics and businesses do this already. People who teach classes at the rec center, or centers looking for coaches could advertise there. For instance, if the class is for karate, maybe the teacher hosts a little 15-30 minute class via YouTube for kids at home, so that parents can see what it's like. Or, for the family line dance, maybe have people who want to be on the news to show off some of the moves and have taken the class help to advertise it. I would watch that, because I want to know if my youngest kids could follow along, or if it will be too much. There are a few cooking classes that probably have teachers who would like to be featured on a cooking segment that goes over the really basic stuff. All of these are good clips for shorts, and show that Fayetteville is a dynamic place with stuff for everyone, rich or poor.  I also think this would support both homeschoolers and regular school kids, since it covers a variety of topics not in school. The WIC office could cover nutritional needs by age and have a parenting segment, featuring some of the classes that are offered there or on Fort Bragg too. And of course, Fayetteville has a lot of animals that go through the system that are either lost or need to be adopted, so the local shelters could use this as a platform not just for that, but to also find volunteers to foster kittens, puppies, or animals that they simply don't have space for currently. Nature News would also be fun to host at Clark Park, and get people in the know about the wonderful amenities there (and maybe even expand them--check out my post here about Clark Park.)

If I were a reporter (or all the reporters could), I could also help support businesses like JCPenney by wearing a very cute outfit put together from there, talking about prices, sales, clearance, and coupons, and even having a segment that shows us shopping for the clothes, jewelry, and maybe even for my pre-teens and kids to show depth. Or show how easy it is to look up on their app if I can order a pair of pants I like in a different color online (and give tips like buy today, then get the CashPass and buy some more!). Featuring events at local spots like gaming areas and whatnot would be quite fun too, or exploring niche stores like the anime store downtown--there's actually a lot to do in Fayetteville, and convincing people of that might bring more people from surrounding areas (and expand to have satellite studios in surrounding cities, so we know what is going on there and can get out of Fay for something different, while supporting other, smaller communities).

During pandemics like the avian flu, which affected eggs, they could feature small local farmers who are selling eggs. During COVID when there was a toilet paper shortage, they could present alternative ideas (like a bidet system) to help support the community during tough times. And I think something that is very important is preparing for storms (hurricanes and winter weather in particular) well before they arrive. So at the start of the season, tell people to plan in the next month to buy x amount of water bottles/gallons per person and set them in a dark area off to the side where they won't be used, like a closet or pantry, so that people aren't scrambling at the last minute and not able to find the things they need. They would have reminders of when to check their supplies (like change out water bottles every six months, count cans of food and check expirations, etc.), and get important tips like preparing for your pets, babies, and kids. Kid prep before a dangerous storm event like tornadoes is popular on YouTube, where mothers put a sticker of their name and her phone number, a backpack of snacks and water in case they get separated, and other useful things that people generally don't consider. We don't get them often, but when we do, they can be severe, and having segments about different emergencies with an updated and modern take on how to handle them could serve the community, particularly in that it would be replayable at a later time when they do sit down to shop and prepare. The local news stations go over basics, but I haven't heard anyone go over the in-depth supplies like the state has listed online. Other disasters that could be covered are fires, featuring local firestations and interviewing them for their most important advice (which the main ones can be shown in the emergency portion, and a secondary video on fire safety that shows the entire interviews could be made for both breadth, depth, and ad revenue). It would also be a great place for videos on how to do CPR on different ages and stages of people and also pets, places to get First Aid and CPR Certifications, and who should get them, as well as different YouTube channels that cover these sorts of things (like the channel, Fire Department Chronicles). Apart from fires, emergency coverage could include floods, driving in different inclement weathers, and funny portions like preparing for the zombie apocalypse when covering the zombie walk (something to get people laughing, and also thinking and discussing something new).

There could be a social channel, that provides those who cannot go out (handicapped, elderly, disabled, and kids) with a little more social things, like daily quotes, journaling prompts, mindfulness tips/advice/mini lesson, and other 'food for thought' type things that talk about conflict resolution and regulating emotions, and virtues like understanding, compassion, and harmony. It doesn't have to be religious, and are just good values to live a good life by, because we want those for ourselves. Other parts of the channel already support this, like livestreams of events, or featuring events, and being out and about places to report on weather or road improvements, etc., but this is a little more pointed to really anyone watching, to give people something interesting to converse about or ask each other, and get to know each other better. It supports relationships with your self and those around you. Maybe each reporter could share something in regards to the daily journal, and community reactions could be posted on social media and played the next day to encourage people to interact via social media. This section could also go over more psychological things, like how important play is as an adult, how to break bad habits and replace them with new good habits, and resetting goals in life. This would be a good time to advertise clubs like an Aviation club that likes to play flight sims, get together and fly remote controlled type planes and helicopters, or even do something as simple as make a new type of paper airplane weekly in a paper airplane series, or talk about the latest news in aviation like new features in planes, new laws, or future tech like flying cars, the role drones will play in our daily lives, and features they'd like to see one day. Or, an RC Car Club that holds a yearly event and keeps up a lively discord channel with clips from around the world, new and unique RC Cars (like a giant monster truck, or the fastest one out there, or some cool tricks). I have mentioned in another post about adding some modern, unique, and not-too-expensive things to parks (like an RC car racetrack) that will reinvigorate interest in parks, make a more interesting community, and promote healthy family time by get us doing some new things (or old things in a new, community-based way), things that are fun for both adults and kids, and for parents and kids to bond over.

I did mention that kids could have some programming before talking about mindfulness, and I think it would do well to go towards funding the channel. It reminds me of the UNC funded channel, but with simpler shows for babies and toddlers that would be fairly easy to either make in real life, or do basic animation. And as I mentioned before, the library already records videos like that, so it could be a part of the mid-morning series to keep it running for babies and toddlers with stay-at-home parents. It might be too difficult or simply have too much competition, so could be spent better on adult content.

Would You Watch It?

• No, I like my regular news channels.
• No, I don't watch news.
• Maybe I'd give it a chance.
• Yes, I'd love to be more connected locally!

A news reporter standing behind the desk on set.