While Long Beach residents, Cal State Long Beach professors and multiple councilmembers expressed enthusiasm about a media incubator, four councilmembers pointed out possible issues involving conflicts of interest.
Mayor Rex Richardson introduced the media incubator item to the City Council Tuesday night, insisting that Long Beach needs to “tell its story.”
A media incubator is an organization made up of multiple partners that’s designed to support emerging or existing businesses by providing them with foundational resources. These resources can range from office space, business development guidance, technical support or customers.
Richardson said City officials hosted a site selection, with entities from around the nation that steer companies and corporations to look at development within a certain city. The “unanimous feedback” was that Long Beach needs to do a better job of telling its story in order to boost tourism and development.
Councilmember Kerr said that while she supports local and hyperlocal journalism, she would be “hesitant” to support the City’s involvement past this feasibility study. She suggested bringing in external organizations to create the media incubator and asked that City resources not be spent on the project in order for it to remain “legitimate.”
“For the integrity of the people who do the work, I think it’s really important that we look carefully at the next steps,” Kerr said.
Richardson maintained that the City’s only role would be to help “convene” organizations together and that no funding would go towards the feasibility study. While there is no attached cost, the City staff report says that the feasibility study “will have a moderate staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties” and will include proposed funding allocations.
“The obvious challenge is we don’t control the media, that’s not our job,” Richardson said. “But how can we help cultivate and support an environment where local journalism can thrive?”
Vice Mayor Cindy Allen echoed these concerns, adding that she does not want the city to be “making news.” Allen also pointed out the still-existing newspapers in Long Beach, such as the Grunion Gazette, Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Long Beach Business Journal, saying that the city is not a “news desert.”
The Long Beach Business Journal is owned by the Long Beach Post. The Grunion Gazette is run by the Press-Telegram, which was bought out by Digital First Media, a company that owns over 200 publications. Allen did not mention the Signal Tribune in her list of local media.
She added that she thinks the Long Beach Post is “doing better than before,” though the news site has been operating with a staff of three people, including its CEO, while a boycott is active from striking journalists.
Councilmember Austin likened the media and government to “oil and water,” saying that the two usually shouldn’t mix. He also pointed out that historically, newspapers have not covered the area he represents in North Long Beach as often as other areas of the city.
“I’d like to see how we can create an environment where media businesses can be successful, but not create what can be seen as a government-funded media outlet,” councilmember Kristina Duggan added.
