Voice of OC is unveiling a new content distribution partnership with The Orange County Register, the county’s most far-reaching news organization.
The partnership is an important step forward in Voice of OC’s ongoing effort to bring its award-winning municipal coverage and investigative reporting to the widest possible audience.
“Good government is directly fueled by vigorous public affairs news coverage,” said Norberto Santana Jr., editor-in-chief of the nonprofit newsroom. “Our agreement with the Orange County Register greatly expands our reach and takes our mission to a new level.”
The Register’s circulation stands at roughly 160,000 on weekdays and 300,000 on Sundays.
The agreement is loosely structured and allows both organizations to retain their editorial independence.
Voice of OC will continue to cover the county’s civic institutions and issues in exactly the same fashion as it has since the news agency launched in 2010, with Register editors selecting certain articles to run on the newspaper’s website and print editions.
Over the past decade, more than 75 non-profit newsrooms have surfaced in communities across America with the aim of filling the civic void left by the contraction of newspapers.
Last month, Voice of OC was recognized by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as one of two dozen nonprofit newsrooms as worthy of investment due to it’s potential as a model.
Register editors say Voice of OC’s stories will “supplement and complement” the newspaper’s already extensive government coverage.
“We’ve been impressed with Voice of OC, whose reporters have produced more than 3,500 stories on local government in Orange County since 2010,” said Steve Green, Register assistant managing editor/local.
The Register joins several other high-profile news organizations that have established partnerships with Voice of OC, including the Associated Press, the Center for Investigative Reporting, California Newspaper Publishers Association and PBS SoCal.
”Voice of OC does a great job covering daily happenings at the county of Orange and in city governments,” said Green, “and our readers will benefit from our arrangement.”
Anyone with questions can contact Norberto Santana Jr. directly at nsantana@voiceofoc.org or David Washburn at dwashburn@voiceofoc.org.