Inland Empire Local TV News ?!?!

This is channel 327 on Charter (in Pedley). This is the first I’ve heard of this, and it sounds GREAT. I love local news, and am going to start DVR’ing this news show right away so I can check it out!


Low-power station KZSW covers Inland life




By RODD CAYTON
The Press-Enterprise

John Roberts says he believes many Inland residents are tired of “local” television news overflowing with stories from cities 50 or more miles away.

Roberts, chief operating officer at Temecula’s KZSW-TV, says he envisions the station as the Inland region’s local station. KZSW is now on four local cable carriers, and its programming is available to more than 120,000 homes, Roberts said.

What’s gotten the station positive reviews thus far is its weeknight newscast. The station puts on as much local news as it can into its one-hour 6 p.m. newscast, which repeats at 7 and 10 p.m., then moves to regional, national and international news.




KZSW-TV cameraman Nils Geisse counts down for news anchor Bill Lorin during the 6 p.m. newscast, which repeats at 7 and 10 p.m. In the long term, the station hopes to expand its newscast to weekends and add a morning show to its repertoire.
KZSW is a low-power station, a classification the Federal Communications Commission established in 1982 for stations whose transmitters have less than 150,000 watts of power. Such stations typically only serve a limited local area; KZSW’s signal, at 10,000 watts, doesn’t get carried far out of Murrieta, Roberts said.

Roberts said KZSW is in 54 Inland communities, mostly framed by Banning, Corona, Ontario and Temecula.

Verizon Picks Up KZSW

One carrier that’s agreed to add KZSW to its lineup is Verizon. Bill Binford, the director of programming for the phone company’s FiOS TV outlet, said Roberts last year convinced him that KZSW would be a great addition to Verizon’s lineup and the first low-powered station to utilize Verizon’s fiber-optics.

“We don’t carry them all,” Binford said of low-power stations. “We seek those out that are serving their communities in a special way.”

Roberts sought Binford out, flying to San Francisco to speak to Binford.

“Later, he gave me the story of the Inland Empire and how it’s ignored by the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, and would make (a good addition to) our lineup,” Binford recalled.

Chris Bailey, director of sales and marketing in the region for Charter Communications, said the company shows KZSW in several cities, including Riverside, Norco, Rancho Cucamonga and parts of San Bernardino, as well as unincorporated areas in Riverside County.

He said the local news program is part of what attracted Charter to the station, Bailey said. Charter has gotten positive feedback from viewers since it added KZSW on Aug. 1.

Ann Schick, director of marketing for FiOS, said KZSW helps Verizon meet its goal of providing customers with programming that meets their needs, specifically local news and weather forecasts.

Over the long term, KZSW chief executive Kevin Page said, news offerings will be expanded to weekends and a morning show. Page said the station listens to ideas for new local programming and will pick up those shows if they increase KZSW’s distribution prospects or drive higher ad revenue.

Like big Los Angeles stations, Page said, KZSW will break away from regular programming to keep viewers informed on a breaking story. Last year’s wildfires were an example of that, he said.

There are more low-power stations nationwide than there are full-service stations, said Michael Couzens, an Oakland-based communications attorney and former FCC staff lawyer. He said many of the low-power variety have been successful, largely as avenues for Spanish-language, shopping or religious programming.


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Frank Bellino / The Press-Enterprise
Reporter Kitty Alvarado, right, reacts as photojournalist Paul Syrbu edits KZSW’s top story a half-hour before its newscast.
“The biggest challenge these stations face is that they’re not assured of cable carriage,” he said. “In markets that are a pretty good distance outside central cities, cable penetration is very high, and cable households probably throw away their broadcast antennas.”

Couzens said KZSW is offering a unique proposition, even from most other low-power TV stations. The local news will continue to be KZSW’s main Inland selling point, he said.

Region Gets ‘Short Shrift’

“KABC is a great station, but it covers all of Southern California,” Couzens said. “San Diego is a huge market, maybe 2 million. Are (stations based there) going to cover Temecula or Murrieta? Probably not. Even Riverside gets short shrift unless there’s a tragedy.”

He said KZSW is poised for success because Inland residents are receptive to the “hyper-local” news it offers.

The Inland region is considered part of the Los Angeles TV market by Nielsen Media Research, which measures ratings for TV programs. Palm Springs was established as a separate market when network affiliates started there about 20 years ago.

“It’s much more difficult for new stations to pop up, in the cable era,” Roberts said.

Riverside and San Bernardino counties combined have a higher population than San Diego County, but Roberts said he doesn’t expect to see the Inland region become its own Nielsen market.

Couzens, the FCC attorney, agrees but said he believes a separate market for the Inland region would make sense, noting the Inland area is considered a separate market for radio ratings.