4CornersTV debuted Monday, offering three daily shows of local video content on a website optimized for mobile users.
The website, www.4CornersTV.com, is a project of Ballantine Communications Inc., parent company of The Cortez Journal. Visit www.4CornersTV.com to view the online newscast.
The initial lineup includes Wait-A-Minute Weather, The Local Roundup and In the Neighborhood.
Wait-A-Minute Weather, at 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., will provide a daily weather report. The Local Roundup, at noon, is a brief newscast of major events in the region. And In the Neighborhood, at 3 p.m., features people, places and events in the community.
The website seeks to attract the age 25-to-45 demographic that has largely eluded newspaper companies.
“One of the biggest challenges that media companies face today is how to build new audience,” said Ballantine Communications CEO Doug Bennett. “There’s a demographic, though, that’s not growing up with our traditional products.”
Viewers “want to find out about things going on here, but they want to be entertained,” he said.
The website is free to users and is supported by video advertisements.
One early episode of In the Neighborhood features Chad and Annie Cheeney, co-founders of the Durango DEVO bicycling program. Other recent shows cover the Follies and other Snowdown events. All of the video clips are archived to watch on-demand. 4CornersTV also has a YouTube channel.
Ballantine Communications hired new staff to produce the video segments.
“It’s all in our effort to broaden our audience with new and original content,” Bennett said.
Bennett said to expect future videos to cover everything from sports to cooking to business.
