Five years ago, Justin Gould was attending St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York when he made a decision that would alter his future forever. Rather than face another semester confined to a campus where his tweets and thoughts would be censored, he decided to leave the liberal arts college and return to his hometown of Falconer, New York to expand a dream that he had been pursuing since he was 11.
Gould, 24, had been sketching the outline of what is now considered one of the fastest-growing independent digital newsrooms in the Northeast. WNY News Now is a fully functioning 24/7 operation with a robust social media following, a popular app, and the latest technology that produces daily newscasts for the Western New York Community.
As a high school student, Gould excelled in the classroom and was beloved by his classmates. He made morning announcements each day and even scored a job at a local radio station at the age of 16. A year later, he began to network with seasoned journalists who would take him along on major news stories. As he began to gain more confidence with his productions and writing skills, Gould’s vision was coming into focus.
At the end of the week, he used the B-Roll he collected from those stories to construct his own newscasts. His friends would assist him in creating these shows. The cast included a co-anchor, a producer, and a gaffer. He rearranged his mother’s house to resemble the news studio, culminating in the production of the Justin Show. The show aired on his “network” YouTube channel. That channel would later play a key role in the launch of his own news company, WNY News Now.
As newspapers around the country fold and local television stations struggle to get eyes on its local news products, more entities are collaborating to accommodate the changing face of local news dissemination. WNY News Now operates out of Jamestown, New York which has been celebrated as Lucille Ball’s hometown. The city’s proximity to Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania makes for an interesting set-up. As the city struggles to come to grips with higher than usual poverty rate and a surge in cartel-funded drug distribution, Gould’s newsroom is pumping out stories around the clock.
Gould’s newsgathering and production skills have captured the attention of WICU-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania. Starting Monday, WICU and WNY News Now will enter into a unique content-sharing agreement that may prove to be a blueprint for digital startups and television newsrooms around the country.
Gould recently sat down with Barrett News Media to discuss the partnership with WICU and his own journey to own the all-digital newsgathering operation, WNY News Now.
Ryan Hedrick: Why did you decide to start WNY News Now?
Justin Gould: I felt there was a gap in television news coverage in my hometown. Jamestown, NY is lucky to get a 2-minute mention on evening newscasts in the Buffalo market. My company fills that void, providing a hyper-local alternative for news consumers, and advertisers looking to take advantage of the ever-growing viewership
RH: Describe your market and who your competitors are?
JG: Jamestown, and Chautauqua County, has about a half-a-dozen news media outlets, most ranging from small to medium scale newspapers and three main radio station groups, however, as a television news provider, we rule the roost providing exclusive video content for most stories that we only share with our media partners.
RH: Describe your experience in college and how it shaped the way you deliver news?
JG: College is an excellent place for budding journalists to learn skills, however, it is not the be-all and end-all. For me, I found I have learned more in the field than in the classroom. With that said, college is a great place for young reporters to make mistakes and learn from them. For me, I’m grateful for my time in school. It taught me the value for writing, yet I had to distinguish the difference from academic writing and news writing, something I truly learned when working in my first newsroom.
RH: Talk about some of the big mistakes you have made running your company.
JG: For starters, when we first launched WNY News Now we were so video-focused, we did not provide written reports with our stories. I feel that providing both written and video content is key to a balanced platform, my only wish is we started sooner. On the business side, when we first launched WNY News Now our company had too much overhead, subscriptions, utilities, and rent. From a business standpoint my message to anyone, whether you are a newsroom and a coffee shop, keep your overhead low and only expand operations when needed. Sure, we grew into our space, however, I feel I could have made better investments from day one.
RH: How is news dissemination changing?
JG: Our news team carries a digital-first mindset, which I believe is one of the keys to success in today’s world. Unfortunately, very few people are tuning to traditional radio and TV these days, so to adapt to the times, content will not only have to be streamed online but make online their focus. In many cases, those traditional platforms can, and are being simulcasted, which I feel is key. In fact, one day we may only see programs online, we are already seeing it with web-exclusive content.
RH: Describe your partnership with Erie News Now….How will you benefit?
JG: I am super excited for what’s to come with our new partnership. Erie News Now will help WNY News Now take our product to the next level, sure there is a value for what we do now, however airing our reports on traditional television only expands the eyeballs. Additionally, Erie News Now is connecting us with additional resources that will improve our news product. For example, we are now able to access their Washington D.C. bureau, providing additional coverage of our local representatives and what they are doing in the nation’s capital. In the end, hyper-local journalism is just that, local.
RH: Is local TV news valuable anymore? What can TV learn from digital newsrooms?
JG: I believe it is still valuable, however, the landscape is changing. In the future, newsrooms will need to focus more on digital, and some, like our partners at Erie News Now, see the value of digital and push to expand it every day. With that said, traditional advertising will also have to adapt or find new ways to promote their message. I feel as more entities realize the power of digital, the emerging industry will only grow stronger.
RH: What mistakes did college journalism make in teaching young reporters?
JG: A lot of time college journalism classes, especially at schools not tailored for the industry, teach a more public relations approach to the craft, rather than the skills students really need, like question-and-answer prep, how to properly focus on the story, and sort through the propaganda often provided. Furthermore, many schools do not clearly explain the difference between a reporter’s opinion and facts for stories. I often find myself restructuring our school interns, to better fit our operations.
RH: What is the vision for WNY News Now?
JG: I feel the limit of this company is our own imagination. I am blessed that I found success over the past five years, and I can’t imagine what the next five will entail. I do plan to continue expansion. So far, we primarily have covered the Jamestown, NY area and Chautauqua County. I plan to expand coverage east to serve more underserved communities with local news in New York State. Additionally, the partnership with Erie News Now will allow us to expand south to PA, covering the City of Warren and surrounding communities.
