Friend of the site Eric Wotila is attempting to launch a 24/7 hybrid local-national news subchannel network, based out of his WMNN-LD 24/7 local news station in Cadillac, MI. He’s using the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to get the network off the ground, and is looking for backers to contribute a few dollars each toward making the project a reality. Funding is all-or-nothing, so if he doesn’t reach his fund-raising goal, no backers will be charged for their pledges. Along side this press release, he separately sent me an e-mail about it. I've received his permission to publish a few choice quotes:
"My goal is to launch a 24/7 national news channel that gets back to the headlines. No opinion. No shouting heads. Just a good, old-fashioned news wheel format: Give us 15 minutes, we’ll tell you what’s going on around the world, not analyze or voice our opinions. I’ve heard more and more over the past year or two that people are sick and tired of their existing options for 24-hour news, and I truly hope to provide a news broadcast that informs, rather than agitates.
"LNN will be the only 24/7 news channel without opinion-based talk shows, and it will also be the only such channel available both for free on antenna and via internet platforms such as mobile apps, Roku and Apple TV. In addition, the network is designed from the ground up with localization in mind, allowing many stations that currently lack the resources for local news to add local programming as well as national news to their lineup."
While I feel uncomfortable endorsing his project, given my position, I did want to republish his press release here. I feel comfortable doing this much, as it will appear in many other locations as well.
See the full press release by clicking "Read more" below.