How to use Capital Region news websites to read the news
Updated
We use the websites for Capital Region news outlets all the time -- whether it's looking for stories to include in Morning Blend, or just to keep up with what's going on. And we've found some shortcuts to finding the way to the stuff we're really interested in: local news.
So, here are those shortcuts...
Just want the links without all the other stuff -- skip to the end.
And, just to acknowledge, we understand this post is being published from a glass house.
Times Union
The TU is the most comprehensive of all the local news outlets and provides unparalleled local coverage of topics such as state politics. Unfortunately, much of this coverage is usually hidden behind features such as "Nickelodeon stars through the years" on the website's front page. So don't use the front page -- or, at least, just hit it and skip off it right away.
In our experience the best way to get to the meaty stuff on the TU's website is to use the 7-day archive pages for each topic: local news | state news | business.
The good thing about these pages is that they present stories in an easy-to-scan stream that's more or less in reverse chronological order. So you can scan the page quickly to see what's new since you last checked. The TU also has a breaking news page, but that tends to include a lot of national stuff.
And if you're interested in state politics, there's Capitol Confidential, of course.
Daily Gazette
Yep, the Daily Gazette paywalls most of its stories. And, yep, we know that you find that irksome. It doesn't change the fact that the Gazette does good work and is a valuable part of the local media ecosystem and worth checking if you're seriously into local news. Example: The great article Kathleen Moore wrote back in August about how people were spending the money they got from exchanging food stamps for cash.
Somewhat like the TU, the Gazette's front page is maybe not as useful to the local news focused person as it could be. So, again, don't use it. The page you're looking is the "local news" tab under the (hard to use) top nav bar. That page shows stories in an easy-to-scan stream in reverse chronological order. There's also a local business stream, but most of its stories seem to end up surfacing on the local news page.
Oh, and about the paywall: That story linked above? We have a feeling it will work for you. Hmm...
Record and Saratogian
The Record and the Saratogian have the same owner -- Digital First Media. And both papers' websites got makeovers this week. They look a bit more modern. And, in our short experience with them, they're harder to use if you care about local news. (If we're missing the best way to use these sites, please let us know.)
The sites for the Record and Saratogian both previously had a "local news" page listing stories. These pages had faults -- the same story would be listed multiple times -- but they were the quickest way to see what the papers had posted.
The new websites now have a "news" page -- Record | Saratogian -- that includes local stuff, but also stories such as "'Carrie' calls out to all of us," a San Jose Mercury News article about the remake of the movie Carrie.
The most-focused local news pages on the new sites: the crime blotter.
Post-Star
The website for the Glens Falls-based paper is pretty straight forward -- there's an easy-scan local news page. (The Post-Star has a paywall, but it allows something like 10 free articles a month. It might be something for the Gazette to consider.)
YNN
The website for the local all-news cable channel also recently got a makeover. And it also looks a bit better. And it's also maybe a bit harder to find the good stuff.
If you're interested in local news, the page to hit is the Capital Region community news page.
State of Politics
The state politics show Capitol Tonight is also part of YNN, and its blog -- State of Politics -- corrals much of its coverage, along with other items.
News10
The current form of News10 is the result of the merger between the news departments of WTEN and Fox23. The page you're looking for here is the local news page. It seems to be unnecessarily squeezed visually, but it gets the job done.
WNYT
This one's easy: the local news page.
CBS6
Local TV news websites have a reputation for not having the best design. And the CBS6 site isn't going to change that rep. We've found this site very hard to use, and as a result, we rarely link to CBS6 stories in Morning Blend. (It's not a comment on the coverage -- we just get frustrated trying to find it.)
Best path? Maybe the top stories page.
Albany Business Review
The Biz Review paywalls some of its content for subscribers, but there's a lot available to non-subscribers. It has an easy-scan local news page.
Spotlight
The Spotlight includes a string of small publications focused on specific areas of the Capital Region, such as Bethlehem and Colonie. And it has a nice website that's relatively easy to use. You're looking for the local news page.
Saratoga Wire
A hyperlocal site focused on Saratoga Springs and aiming to compete with the Saratogian. It has a local news page.
Metroland
The weekly has a news page.
New York Times
NYT covers state politics and sometimes will cover stuff upstate. If it does, the articles will usually end up on the NY/Region page.
Just the links
Times Union: local news | state news | business
Daily Gazette: local news
Troy Record: news
Saratogian: news
Post-Star: local news page
YNN: the Capital Region community news page | State of Politics
News10: local news
WNYT: local news
CBS6: top stories (maybe)
Biz Review: local news
Spotlight: local news
Saratoga Wire: the local news page
Metroland: news page
NYT: the NY/Region page
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Comments
I find that Twitter can be a useful tool for accessing local (and national/global) news from sources that tweet. Advantages: All your headlines in one place, with easy access to the full story. And prompt notification of breaking news. Disadvantages: Duplication of stories from multiple sites, and the occasional annoying and useless retweet.
... said Bob on Oct 17, 2013 at 11:40 AM | link
What about the blogs you follow / link-to? How did those get on your radar and what's the process like for finding, searching or choosing them?
I'm also yearning for more local sports coverage from AoA. Sports is very much a part of our social fabric (and news!) and I'd love to hear / see more about upcoming games and results related to UAlbany football, college basketball, hockey, local HS playoff / tournaments, etc.
... said Sean on Oct 17, 2013 at 12:01 PM | link
Can't I just keep coming here to ready anything of importance?
... said Ron on Oct 17, 2013 at 12:07 PM | link
Were you SEEN skipping the Times Union's front page?
... said Rob on Oct 17, 2013 at 12:41 PM | link
For Saratoga, the News Record in Glens Falls often has good coverage.
The Saratogian website is VERY frustrating. Hard to find fresh news and they're constantly serving up intrusive ads that crash your browser. I've discovered they send reporters out to live-tweet high school football games, though, and that's very useful. Just check the sports page on game night and find out which Twitter account to follow.
... said Burnt My Fingers on Oct 17, 2013 at 1:02 PM | link
Rob - LOL.
I think the TU bum rushes these events to create traffic with people that are just looking for themselves. genius really.
... said J. Welf on Oct 17, 2013 at 1:47 PM | link
The redesigns of the Record and the Saratogian are more legible, but I agree that they are harder to navigate for local news. And who reads either paper for anything but local news and sports?
... said chezjake on Oct 17, 2013 at 3:11 PM | link
Frankly, I've stopped looking beyond Morning Blend for my local news. You guys do such a great job highlighting everything from the big issues that impact local citizens to the hilarious misadventures of unfortunate criminals. I love you, AoA. Never change. Well, that's not fair, you can change, just don't stop being awesome.
... said Valerae on Oct 17, 2013 at 3:59 PM | link
Before reading this story today, I actually emailed the Record to ask if there was a good way to get to the local news on their new site. Looks like there isn't going to be a good answer to this, but maybe if enough people inquire about the Saratogian/Record, they will make a local news tab. A girl can dream, right?
... said Stephannie on Oct 17, 2013 at 5:09 PM | link
@chezjake and Stephannie: If you check out the Saratogian and Troy Record Twitter feeds, you may find there's enough local content to make following them on Twitter worthwhile.
... said Bob on Oct 18, 2013 at 8:51 AM | link
The Gazette is such a good local paper, I wish they would reconsider the paywall. What it means for me, at least, is that I never visit the website and tend to forget about them as a news source. I'm very curious if the paywall works for them and the income gain/loss for sites that paywall v. sell advertising. Maybe the Gazette has so many print subscribers, it doesn't care about website traffic?
... said Erin T on Oct 18, 2013 at 12:18 PM | link
@Sean: The Neighborhood list is just something that we've built up over the years. We're always keeping an eye out to add new blogs. The criteria are:
1. The person is local
2. They write about local stuff
3. It'd be interesting to other people
There are some very good blogs by local people that don't fit that criteria -- in most cases they only post about, say, what they're cooking, with no local angle.
Re: sports… I love sports. I'm a big college basketball and soccer fan. But we've found sports stuff does not do well in terms of attention and traffic on AOA. Which is too bad -- I'd love to nerd out over Siena and UAlbany basketball efficiency.
@Ron: Yes!
@Valerae: We're happy to be useful!
@Erin T: I hope they eventually institute a paywall that allows people a certain number of free articles each month, like NYT or the Post-Star. I mean, they know their business a lot better than I do, but I gotta think it would help their ongoing presence in the local news consciousness. (And I suspect it might their reporters' jobs a bit easier, too.)
... said Greg on Oct 18, 2013 at 2:59 PM | link