Got questions?

We have answers.

We’re asked a lot of questions about our approach to news and the company. Here are answers to some of the most common ones. If you do not see an answer to your question here, then please fill out the Contact Us form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Business

  • “The Local” is N2 Media’s product. Simply put, “The Local” a daily newscast that reports stories that matters to the residents in each of the 50 states. The newscast becomes available at the same time, in the same place every day. The number and length of the stories will vary depending on the reporting, not the clock.

    What It Is Not

    The Local is not a “news channel.” It is not a news network in the sense of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News or MSNBC. It will not have news anchors, sets, talking heads, or offer opinion shows. There is no desire or intention of becoming or offering any of those things as we believe they distract from the purpose of informing the public with just the facts.

  • Three reasons: that’s where the viewers are headed, those are the platforms making the largest investment in original content, and the platform allows us to report stories in ways consumers are demanding that is impossible on standard, linear platforms or using the advertising-based model. All of the content we create is intended for and exclusive to a single VOD provider.

  • We’re different in several important ways. First, our focus is only on local and regional news in a given state. We do not report on national or international stories. Second, we are not bound by legacy newscast platform or show restrictions, meaning there is no top-of or bottom-of-the-hour limits to conform to and there is no story time limit. Thirdly, this focus allows us to produce, good, high-quality, insightful journalism and tell stories that matter to people’s daily lives. Lastly, we are not entertainment, we are journalism. Our focus is reporting the news, not reporting our opinions. That’s not to say we will never state one, it’s not why we’re doing this. Others will certainly talk about our stories because of the stories they tell, not to “own” one ideology over another.

  • We are a for-profit company.

  • We will make money via a content production contract, which has existed in the Media and Entertainment industry for decades. It’s the same type of contract streamers use today to buy series and movies. We’ll also have the ability to make money by licensing our news stories to other news organizations through partnerships or redistribution deals, and advertising by distributing stories on an AVOD platform.

  • No, but we are trying to replicate the capacity for reporting on stories that local newspapers would normally cover. Through our network of employed or contracted stringer reporters, or through our content partnerships with local newspapers and TV stations, we’ll not only have the reach into local communities, we will provide a platform for those stories to reach the public.

  • Several reasons.

    First, because it’s the type of news that is disappearing everywhere in the country despite the fact it’s the most sought after and highly desired news people rely upon.

    Second, any who researches television news will quickly learn that on linear channels, it is a highly-watched lead-in to morning and evening entertainment viewing. It has been that way since the dawn of TV. Streaming platforms offer no similar content that attracts viewers consistently to their platform every day. We solve that problem.

    Thirdly, three of the top four networks streamed or watched via linear broadcast are news channels, but they’re more opinion channels than news. This demonstrates the viability of news as a way to attract viewers. Subscribers are the holy grail for streamers and we will deliver them. That’s what news does.

    Lastly, the legacy news model doesn’t allow people to go back and view newscasts from the past or, more importantly, stories from start to finish and in context. We will be the first news company anywhere to offer that capability from anywhere and on any device the internet is accessible.

  • Our key observation to all of this is understanding what drives streamer revenue, which is subscribers. News is a form on content proven to attract viewers, so of course, that will get their attention. There has been discussion of what they don’t want, but not what they do want regarding news. Up to now, the discussion has been on whether streamers will support live news programming. The discussion on what they don’t want has focused on whether they will develop or offer live news programs like those seen on CNN, Fox, MSNBC or the networks, and many of those are opinion shows. SVOD is not a live platform. What they do want are shows that are posted to the platform and made available for people to watch, when they want to, how they want to, and however they want to. Up until now, no one has figured out how to do that. We have while ensuring we have the highest quality of content that brings subscribers to and keeps them on the platform.

  • The company is privately held with all shares owned by the founders, a small number of seed investors, and future employees.

  • Primarily because the streaming platforms are projected to spend $140B in 2022 to buy content this way. It also costs less to produce local news this way than a single season of the largest series productions (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings was $250M for the rights and $250M to produce), it expands the platform subscriber base while reducing churn, and it provides in-depth, quality journalism available nowhere else that has direct relationship to the communities where these subscribers live. The addition of secondary and tertiary revenue streams from licensing and advertising strengthens the model even more. We are confident in our model.

  • Yes, but we anticipate only needing a seed round. Funds will be used to develop the show formats, initial staff hiring, and pilot phase development. Once those steps are completed, the ongoing platform contract will cover ongoing production costs.

News Team

  • The massive reduction in paid newsrooms jobs means there are thousands of local reporters who want to practice quality, local journalism who are looking for work. Many of these people have long careers in the business and know it and their communities well. We will make an active effort to recruit and hire them via common industry recruitment methods.

  • Diversity is very important. We want our staff to be representative of society and the communities they cover. There are many ways to do this. At every level of the company we strive to never allow race, religion, nationality, sexuality, or age to impact any hiring decision, pay level, story assignment, work review or promotion. If issues arise, we will investigate and respond appropriately. We value ability, quality and professionalism. We value journalists who hold themselves to very high standards and do so consistently and honestly. We will do so ourselves.

  • From an employee perspective, we think we’re different in several ways.

    1. We value journalism and journalistic integrity, not personality. Not that we don’t want you to show yours, we don’t want it to overshadow the story. Journalists we want, Prima donnas should look elsewhere.

    2. Our newsrooms are state-based and locally managed. While some corporate oversight is necessary, the local bureaus are controlled by local offices. We will never mandate scripts you must read.

    3. As a journalist, you have greater control of what makes it into the story than ever before. Without strict time limits or show length requirements, you get as much time as you need to report your story.

  • Our objective is to pay top-of-market wages in the state they work in for everyone on our team. Since our teams will be smaller, it means members of the team have more responsibility for the preparation of a story than larger organizations, but the rewards will be worth it. It also means you have to prove you’re worth it. All full-time employees participate in a stock ownership plan with the company, giving everyone a skin in the game of the company’s success.

  • We have a number of strategies to address this issue. First, our reporters will live in or close to the communities they’ll be covering, so while getting to different communities will require travel time, technologies exist that allow them to file stories from anywhere with an Internet connection. Second, we will identify and hire stringers and videographers to cover stories in more rural communities. Finally, we will partner with existing newsrooms or independent newsletters to cover stories for use on our platform.

Newscasts

  • From a show perspective, there are no commercial breaks, no anchors, no needless chatter, no fancy sets with green screens, no satellite trucks or expensive facilities to take away from the story. From a story perspective, our focus is on the journalism and reporting the news as accurately and completely as possible.

  • Yes. All of the content we create is intended for a single VOD platform.

  • The short answer is as long as it takes. We anticipate our daily newscasts will last between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the length of the stories being reported that day. The individual stories themselves are anticipated to last two minutes and five minutes each. What’s important is not the top or bottom of the hour, but the story. Our intent is to tell them as thoroughly as is necessary.

  • No. What matters is the story is reported as accurately as possible. We expect some people will object to our stories because they don’t like how they, their business or their politics are being reported. Their opinions will not affect our reporting. We value reporting the truth and we will endeavor to find it through hard work and diligence of dedicated, professional journalists.

  • We are solely responsible for the accuracy of our reporting. All stories are subject to a vigorous legal review process that has been used in the news industry for decades and ensures our stories are accurate and fairly reported. The platforms that air our newscasts are protected from liability by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.

  • Viewers will find a source of more relevant stories, reported with greater depth, and given the amount of time necessary to report all of the important details they need to knoa. They will also find a new way to experience how they interact with news content.

    For example, if some has missed a couple of day’s reporting, they can binge them at any time. If someone is following a specific story from its first reporting to the last, they can do so easily without having watch or scroll through each individual broadcast. If they want to keep track of a story as it develops, they can set reminders so that whenever new reporting is ready, it will automatically added to their watchlist.

    We will deploy new forms of video content that makes the news more immersive and engaging, such as 3D spatial video when it helps tell the story. We are bringing news reporting and viewing into the 21st Century.