In the year since CountyNewsCenter.com was launched there have been stories on foster children reuniting with siblings and the dangers of brown widow spiders; videos on programs for youth in Juvenile Hall; photos of cute pets up for adoption and much more.
Last weekend the site took first place for best website from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), a national association that recognizes excellence in government broadcast, cable, multimedia and electronic programming.
CountyNewsCenter.com is a cutting edge newssite offering timely content to the public and the media. It was created to inform residents of the many programs run by the County of San Diego and to let them know of issues and solutions that may affect their lives. It is one of the first local government news sites in the U.S.
Launched in Sept. 2011, CountyNewsCenter.com is the County’s main conduit for reaching the public through videos, photos, graphics and articles and is updated throughout the day.
From the website residents can access the County’s emergency website which will give them the latest news on shelters evacuations and other necessary information during a disaster.
The website also provides links to County Facebook and Twitter feeds, calendar items and the Board of Supervisor meetings. It also allows easy sharing through social media.
The County’s cable TV channel, County Television Network, also won a runner-up award in NATOA’s ‘Overall Excellence’ category.
The County received a total of five awards from NATOA, one in each category it entered. Those also included: first place for Public Health programming for a Live Well, San Diego! video; first place for a Profile of a City/County Dept. for a video entitled, “Examining the Medical Examiner” and third place in the Magazine Format Series category for a monthly “County Chronicles” episode from July 2011.