Home Run Events: Truly Local TV

Entrepreneurs Seek to Fill Small Town News Gap

by Bobbie Stacey - Founder of Home Run Innovations Inc.

(The following article was first posted in the Brag Basket at SmallBizSurvival.com.)

In an age where multi-billion dollar conglomerates like Clear Channel have drained almost all local interest content from our media in favor of nationally syndicated programming, a new joint venture between UP Town Productions and Nyman Signs of Escanaba, Michigan (pop. 13,000) is something worth bragging about.

It’s called DeltaCountyTV.com “a television-style website with local programming designed to draw people into (our) area and allow opportunities for growth and prosperity within the community.”

I learned about this effort yesterday through an e-mail from our DDA Director. By then a five-day veteran of the Twitterverse, I went nuts over the possibilities. (Thank you Becky McCray and Small Biz friends.) Within an hour of receiving the email, I cornered UP Town Productions owner, Tom Daley, in front of his studio.

For about a half hour, Tom spoke with me about the motivation and vision behind DeltaCountyTV.com. I heard wonderful ideas about producing a Saturday Night Live- style program to be acted out by the high school drama club and directed by veterans of our local performing arts center. (Yes, we have both a fabulous local performing arts and a fine arts center!) Tom shared his marketing philosophy of providing a supplement, rather than a replacement to the ad campaigns our local businesses are currently running. This fall, we will be able to look forward to viewing live high school football on the site on any night that we are unable to attend in person. And that's just the beginning.

The website is still under development – and they are currently raising ad dollars to buy a $14,000 piece of equipment that will allow live streaming of content with the same kind of quality as Fox News. I will certainly be following their progress and employing their capabilities in order to get our new non-profit efforts announced to the world. I’ll offer an update on the site's progress in about six months. Better yet, you can monitor their progress as well. Bookmark their site and check out Delta County through this new medium.

Like the majority of residents here, Tom really loves the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and particularly our county of Delta. Also like so many others who live here, he has been offered employment in other parts of the country, but has chosen to remain for happiness and love of community. That’s their loss, and our gain – totally.

Totally cool.