NBC to launch news and information channel for California

Is there really a role for old-fashioned broadcast stations in a digital universe? NBC will likely rekindle that debate with its plans for something called NBC California Nonstop, a round-the-clock smorgasbord of regional news that will be prepared by stations in L.A., SF, and San Diego. The channel begins tomorrow on the stations' digital channels (4.2 in L.A.) and on cable systems (225 for Time Warner). From the NBC website:

This new platform will take advantage of the combined resources and expertise of the three stations and increase the local content offered to each market. Shows and segments will focus on the news, information, entertainment and lifestyle programming of interest to those living in the three individual television markets and to California as a whole.

Colleen Williams will anchor the L.A. newscast, which will run each night at 7 p.m. Also planned:

"Morning Mix" is an hour-long compilation of the most interesting segments culled from the three stations' early-morning newscasts and other news reports, and "The Rundown" is a half-hour show spotlighting a lively blend of topics appealing to Californians, introduced in an informal and conversational way.

NBC is also expected to offer this format in other markets. My column in Los Angeles magazine last year looked at this sort of experimentation, and whether it will lead to an eventual re-engineering of the traditional network affiliate:

News-heavy stations are expanding their Web sites, and many have been promoting smart phone apps, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds... Then there are the alternative newscasts: NBC produces a show for its Washington, D.C., affiliate that's made up of repurposed content from NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, and the Weather Channel. For the affiliate, it's an even cheaper option--as in free--than producing its own broadcast, and other NBC stations are looking into the package. "We're in a period of real agitation where people are saying 'Let's try this' and 'Let's try that,'?" says Deborah Potter, a former CBS correspondent who is executive director of NewsLab, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that follows the radio and television news business.

None of this addresses the ultimate threat: that networks will one day decide they would be better off ditching their affiliate stations and connecting with viewers through a cable channel--an arrangement that would bring in more revenue for them and cut out the middleman. So rather than watching Survivor on Channel 2, you'd watch it on, say, CBS Cable. But what happens the next time there's a big earthquake or fire? Who follows local election results? Who covers the routine stories for folks who don't read a newspaper or a local news blog? There may no longer be a place for the stations themselves, but there is a place, perhaps on cable, for the news coverage they offer.