Politics watchers and pundits have a fresh way to track what’s happening across the country. A new service collects and streams local newscasts in so-called “swing states.”
Swing State Election News is an outgrowth of Zeam, a free streaming service. Zeam caters to people who have given up cable or satellite television.
The service began broadcasting election news on August 26. It allows streamers to choose from among 37 local television stations. Those stations are based in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Most are local affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox.
Pollsters say those seven states are swing states this election. They’ll most likely be the deciding factors in the presidential contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
An old journalism phrase goes this way: “All news is local.” Zeam seems to agree. “Nobody knows local politics better than the journalists in the local communities,” says Jack Perry, CEO of Zeam Media.
Other news organizations have also sought to spread the local-news-is-best message. In 2019, the Berkshire Eagle rebranded and reorganized a failing newspaper. Its mission is local news, covering topics such as decaying bridges and school budgets. In Iowa, reporters at the State of Local News Project teamed up with college journalism students to keep producing local print news.
Most Zeam users follow their own local stations. However, many folks check in on other areas where they have past ties—like college towns or former home or job locations—according to the service. For example, a quick click can call up the morning newscast on WMGT-TV in Macon, Georgia.
Perry says the local newscasts offer a window into rallies and other events held in swing states. They will include details about local House and Senate races.
One campaign indicator will be missing from the streaming service: local ads. Swing State Election News sells its own advertising, so it won’t show the local ads those stations would normally feature.
Local newscasts in swing states this fall will likely be filled with commercials for the presidential candidates. What they emphasize—or de-emphasize—in different areas of the country can show how campaigns sometimes try to “spin” a candidate’s stance to appeal to viewers in those areas.
Zeam’s local streaming service contrasts with national newscasts, Perry says, because “at the local level, you’re going to get a different feel. It’s the people actually living in these communities.”
