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December 31, 2014- By Steven E. Greer, MD
I started BatteryPark.TV in 2009, because I had the technical capability to do so, having run another digital media company, and out of pure frustration over the lack of any local news reporting. Now, five years later, it has grown into the most viewed news source for Battery Park City, by far, and is one of the most viewed of all of Downtown.
For 2014, we grew 60% over 2013, in total views. A total of 439,000 people clicked on our site, and those are real local Downtown people, not inflated Internet stats. Battery Park City only has 13,000 residents, so the total viewership is pretty good. Approximately 3% of BPC residents are regular viewers.
You can help us grow. Please Re-Tweet and “Like” on Facebook our stories. Sign up for our email list, and forward stories to your friends. The bigger BP.TV becomes, the more it can help you.
Because we are free of the conflicts of interest that plague the local throw-away advertising fliers, we are often the only news source to report on local corruption issues. For example, no other news agency has exposed Sheldon Silver and the BPCA more than BP.TV. We are also the Community Board’s one and only source of oversight.
When the BPCA was trying to trick the operator of the North Cove Marina into being late on his RFP application by not even telling him that the RFP had been released, BP.TV was the first to inform Commodore Fortenbaugh. Likewise, we were the first to expose the classic Albany dealings that might lead to a big donor to Governor Cuomo taking over the marine.
When the Canadian bullies at Brookfield Properties continued to drag their feet and stall the renovation of Brookfield Place, we were the only one expose their incompetence. BP.TV was not taking money from Brookfield in the form of ads, so we told the truth, unlike the other rags.
For entertainment and dining, no one knows more about the culinary scene Downtown than BP.TV. It is no coincidence that our video tour of the chef of Batard making a schnitzel, something not even on their menu, was the same meal that the New York Time’s food critic Pete Wells also chose as his favorite restaurant and item of the year. We set the trends that the old-media print follow.
Numerous national stories were generated after BP.TV first reported on them. The four parachutists arrested this year for jumping from WTC Tower 1 last year, finally became news, only after BP.TV informed the president of CBS national news. The NY Post covered the controversial Danny Meyer cafe at the 9/11 Memorial after we tipped them off. The BPCA’s self-awarded raises were also covered by The Post after we first exposed them, and there were several other stories started by BP.TV.
On TV, several segments on CBS national news, CBS local, CNBC, and Fox Business were co-produced by BP.TV. CBS local covered the Pier-A nightclub controversy. Fox interviewed Tesla CEO Elon Musk as we co-produced the segment. CNBC featured a medical device CEO that we sent their way. In addition, numerous other story ideas made the TV air waves as a result of our daily consulting with the news presidents.
Many of our stories are generated by viewer tips. Please feel free to send us ideas.
Let’s reach one million viewers in 2015. Happy New Year.