Evanston Online is launching a news division with regular online video broadcasts of Evanston news, making it “the only video-based news source for Evanston,” according to managing director Antony van Zyl.
Evanston Online TV is the video component of the Evanston Online web portal and the flagship site of a fledgling international network of localized sites.
“We already present hyperlocal news, but the core social networking infrastructure of the site allows users to participate in all elements of the site, including the news,” van Zyl says.
“This makes the presentations and content part of a community dialogue, as opposed to a one-to-many broadcast medium.”
Evanston Online is the flagship site of Localtude, LLC, based in Whitefish, Montana. Localtude currently maintains four local sites in the Chicago area, and five in Montana.
Localtude is developing a series of hyperlocal news sites nationally and internationally. “This system was designed to be reproduced globally,” van Zyl says.
“We are insuring support services are in place and creating implementation tools to assist local community managers and will start pushing global development as soon as possible.”
Evanston Online TV is expanding its roster with volunteer positions for a news director, field reporters and field camera operators. van Zyl hopes to begin paying crew once the site’s ad revenues have grown sufficiently.
