Trusting KGMB9

While the fallout of the massive news merger between KGMB9, KHNL, and K5 is still ongoing, my immediate allegiance goes to those at KGMB9. Why, I found myself asking. For me, historically, KGMB9 was the last news broadcast I would watch on TV. Now, I really don’t watch news broadcasts anymore, getting a healthy heaping of news from online resources. Yes, KHNL and K5 have some “visual” talent in the way of Stephanie Lum (voted Pulpconnection’s Hottest Local Newscaster in 2005), so where does my leaning towards KGMB9 come from?

It comes from KGMB’s extensive use of social media, that’s where. Like I said, KGMB9 was my last news resource, but I noticed things changing. Things like KGMB9 blogs, twitter accounts for their staff, live streaming on the net, interactive newscasts, a Facebook fan page, and most recently Facebook Friend connect. Through these changes, KGMB9 went from last to my first local news source. But what do all these social media outlets have to do with news reporting success?

It doesn’t. Where it does come into play is building relationships and trust with the people of KGMB9. Through their blogs, tweets, and other conversations, I feel more connected to the people of KGMB9 versus other “faceless” news stations. Yes, some of these stations have their forays into social media, but KGMB9 outpaces the competition by far.

Have you ever conversed with @kgmb9 on Twitter. You’ll get a response. This isn’t a bot that just relays news headlines. There is a real person behind the account providing his own perspective, asking questions, requesting feedback, engaging. And Jared (the voice behind @kgmb9) has done absolute wonders with the entire KGMB9 online presence and strategy, and in fact, shares his thoughts and tactics on his KGMB9 blog.

Tannya Joaquin is another personality that frequently shares her life on her KBMG9 blog. She does comment about news items, but mostly, readers are treated to an inside view of her life off the air. And every once in awhile, Tannya shows up on Twitter. 😉

The behind the scenes talent of KGMB9 is also part of the act, lending yet another view of the internals of the company. I gotta give shout outs to @tsiruno and @glorificus5884 for all their banter on Twitter. So fun to listen to. And being featured on Troy’s blog is cool too.

So with all this transparency and interactions with KGMB9, how can you not trust the channel and the people?