County News Minute

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

In an attempt to capture the attention of modern citizens, deliver fast and easy-to-understand messages, and save staff time in the process, the York County Public Information Office brainstormed the idea for the County News Minute in 2009. Working cooperatively with the Video Services Division, staff quickly formed the prototype of what has become a multipurpose recurring segment on both the county's cable channel and the county's YouTube channel. County News Minutes are brief segments spotlighting county programs, initiatives or services in a timely manner. The segments are filmed on location, quickly capturing the viewer's attention and delivering a clear, concise message. Each segment ends with providing a way for viewers to find more information on the service or topic discussed, enabling those who are interested to pursue the subject further. And each segment takes significantly less staff time to film and edit, thereby extending the county's communication outreach efforts while reducing dedicated man hours, an important element in these difficult financial times. Several of the County News Minutes that are currently posted on the county’s YouTube channel have well over 1,000 views. A survey conducted in 2011 found that 23% of county citizens got information about county services, programs and/or government affairs from the county’s cable channel. Additionally, 89% thought that the county’s cable channel was an excellent or good source of information about county services, programs and/or government affairs, ranking higher in terms of quality information distribution than the county’s website.