Local newspapers 'broadcast' over Roku

Aug 18, 2015 - Columbia Journalism Review - How local papers are looking ‘over the top’ as part of a new model for video

They are video news clips out of Beaver County, population 170,000, just outside Pittsburgh along the Ohio border, but there’s something different about them: There’s no anchor or on-screen reporter, and if there’s any narration at all it’s void of that familiar newscaster voice inflection.

That’s because these segments are produced by the local newspaper, The Beaver County Times, for its channel on the Roku streaming media player, a set-top box that’s a favorite of cord-cutters.

The medium here is called “over-the-top,” or OTT, content. While the rise of Roku and competitors like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Google’s ChromeCast has made it easier for viewers to access their favorite shows without a cable subscription, it has also created new opportunities for media producers to reach audiences while bypassing FCC licensing and the expensive equipment of traditional broadcasting stations.