By Faye Kenajian
The on-going threat of budget cuts has affected a local news station in Connecticut. The Norwalk hour reported in October that the News 12 CT studio is shutting down its studio in Connecticut by the spring and the production will be moved to Edison, N.J.
News 12 CT has been broadcasting since 1986. Among many people being let go, Tom Appleby, the founder and anchor, is one of them.
Altice is a global telecommunications company that recently bought Cablevision. Altice made the decision to have the budget cuts causing the News 12 local station to close.
“I think this is a mistake by Altice to consolidate operations, because Cablevision’s strongest asset has been News 12 and that part of their family,” said state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk to the Norwalk Hour. “We in Fairfield County have gotten very used to News 12 and have come to rely on it.”
The New York Times reports Dexter Goei, the new Chairman and Chief Executive of Altice U.S., made this decision because he wanted to make this business on a larger scale.
Some local officials expressed disappointment in this decision because of the impact it had on them.
“From a financial stand point, it is understandable why News 12 had to shut down their studio,” said junior Catherine Fleming. “However, it upsets me to see a local place shut down that has been such a big part in the community.”
Considering that News 12 was a local station, many Sacred Heart University communication students have interned there in the past. Students around campus have different opinions on how they feel about local news organizations being shut down and how they obtain their news.
“I believe that TV news is slowly becoming outdated,” said junior Kelly Felter. “The older generations seem to rely on watching the news on TV every morning rather than younger generations who tend to grab their phone
and watch the news in this way. I believe as the younger generations become more equipped with technology the sooner TV news will be outdated.”
Thelaurelect.com reported that the Norwalk news staff including the assignment editors, reporters and videographers are still gathering news in Connecticut, but if studio production is required it will be done in New Jersey.
“TV news is outdated. There are so many new forms of how news can get across to people, and many media forms have not yet adjusted to the new times. Nowadays, younger people are not relying on newspapers and the radio for their breaking news. Social media has changed all of that,” said junior Eric Todisco.
Doingitlocal.com said News 12 spokeswoman Deborah Koller-Feeney thinks that the relocation will enable the company to be able to more effectively and consistently deliver high-quality hyper-local news for views.
Koller- Feeney continues that this includes their specialty areas of New York, New Jersey and CT. Koller-Feeney also did not provide any information including what will happen to staff members affected.
“From my personal opinion, I do not believe that local news is outdated because it is needed in today’s society,” said junior Danielle LaPorta. “Times are changing in a technology sense, but local news should stay the same because people feel nostalgic towards this type of familiar, comforting style of local news reporting.”
