h1. 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":http://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/local_news_video_over_the_top.php

q.
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_":http://www.timesonline.com/, 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.