Twitter exploded in 2009, with everyone from Oprah Winfrey to 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan starting accounts — but the 140-character social medium is old news to folks who make a living on TV, radio, publications and other traditional media outlets. If you want to know what's going on around Richmond, here are some tweeters to follow.
By the Book
These Twitter accounts mostly provide links to breaking news stories — don't count on them for editorializing or cracking jokes. @RTDNEWS is the Richmond Times-Dispatch's official Twitter feed, linking to national and local stories in the paper — from Col. Barfoot's flag controversy to the latest crime news. @nbc12 updates followers on weather, restaurant reports, sports and breaking news; its reporters are among the most active tweeters in the Richmond media world. @CBS6 offers much the same as Channel 12's account does, but they're a little more generous with retweets (for the untutored, forwarding tweets from other sources) — news about water- and gas-main repairs, plus police alerts. @HenricoCitizen is also one to watch for its breaking news.
The Populists
@8NEWS and @CWNewsRichmond also offer coming attractions for their nightly broadcasts but with a populist slant. Channel 8 asks its followers questions such as: "How young is too young for social networking?" The CW, which uses largely the same staff as WWBT 12, takes it a step further, targeting particular followers with daily questions and running the best answers during its 6:30 p.m. broadcast. From the print world, @RVAMAG (RVA Magazine), @StyleWeekly and, yes, us — @RichmondMag — keep followers up to date on local goings-on. @KarriPeifer , editor of Richmond.com, is all about cocktails and the local dining scene, as is @danacraigrtd , the T-D food critic's account.
The Personalities
These folks stay fairly work-focused but also use Twitter to display their funny and irreverent sides, which aren't always appropriate on air. On WWBT 12, Andy Jenks ( @AndyJenksNBC12 ) gives real-time info when he's on the scene of a story, but he also brings the funny. His colleague, Ryan Nobles ( @ryanobles ), often responds to comments and questions. He also has posted pictures of his dog. NBC Web producer Phil Riggan ( @RigganRVA ) jokingly notes anchor Curt Autry's "cat-like quickness to defend himself. I would want him On My Side in a news-anchor fight." Channel 8's Morgan Dean ( @Morgan8news ) is an equal-opportunity tweeter, corresponding with folks from channels 12 and 6, plus posting a video of drunk Ewoks on the Today show. @MChaseRadio , run by DJ diva Melissa Chase, is a mix of pop culture, personal pictures and occasional jokes, like the one about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's muppet-like eyebrows.
Inside Scoop
These tweeters give you a glimpse of the inner workings of journalism. Guy Lucas ( @Lucas_MG ), manager of NewsBank, the story-sharing intranet site for Media General newspapers, holds forth on the current state of journalism as well as copy-editing minutiae. @Photog Dwight is Dwight Nixon, a WWBT12cameraman who often posts pictures from the field. Channel 8 meteorologist Matt DiNardo ( @Matt DiNardo ) talks data with colleague Paul Milliken ( @PaulMilliken ), while hobnobbing with ABC's national guys, like Sam Champion and Chris Cuomo.
We Want More!
Low-tweeters, you're getting called out. We'd like to hear more from @stylebass , aka Scott Bass, Style's news editor; @JuanConde of WRIC 8; and @MRuggieri , T-D music critic Melissa Ruggieri. At least keep us up to date on American Idol.
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Television
- WCVE 23 The region's PBS affiliate broadcasts the award-winning Virginia Currents program hosted by May-Lily Lee, as well as other regional offerings and live broadcasts of Richmond City Council meetings. 320-1301 or ideastations.org.
- WRIC ABC 8 The station boasts a group of beloved faces on its news team, including co-anchor Juan Conde, meteorologist John Bernier and sports director Chip Tarkenton. 330-8888 or wric.com.
- WRLH-TV/FOX Richmond In addition to their hour-long newscast on Fox News at Ten, anchors Diane Walker and Ryan Nobles double as anchors and reporters for WWBT 12. Also known as Fox 35, the station features hit shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy in the early evening, as well as late- night sitcom reruns. 358-3535 or foxrichmond.com.
- MyTV Richmond Available to digital cable subscribers on Channel 209, the station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and shares some local programming with WRLH. mytvrichmond.com.
- WTVR CBS 6 The South's first television station, where news anchor Cheryl Miller has been on the air since 1984. Other familiar faces include weekend co-anchor Ric Young, weekday co-anchor Stephanie Rochon and sports anchor Lane Casadonte. 254-3600 or wtvr.com.
- WUPV CW Richmond 65 The local CW affiliate offers a mix of programs such as America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill; courtroom reality shows; and reruns of old favorites. The 6:30 p.m. newscast is anchored by Evrod Cassimy of WWBT 12. 230-1212 or cwrichmond.tv.
- WWBT NBC 12 The station consistently garners the highest news ratings in the Richmond market. Its news anchors are regarded as Richmond's first family of local TV: Gene Cox, Sabrina Squire and meteorologist Jim Duncan. 230-2710 or nbc12.com.
Radio (a sampling)
- WCVE 88.9 FM The local NPR affiliate airs national programs Morning Edition, Fresh Air, This American Life and All Things Considered and also has a coterie of regionally produced shows: With Good Reason, academic discussions of current events; jazz programming on weeknights; and The Electric Croude, an eclectic mix of prog rock, jazz and folk. WCVE introduced a second, HD/online station in 2009 with more of a news-talk slant. 560-8172 or ideastations.org.
- WRIR 97.3 LPFM Now a bit more than 5 years old, this grass-roots, nonprofit, community-based, low-power station is heard in the central city and some outlying areas. Diverse music and talk programs (including NPR's Talk of the Nation) give a long-needed variety to the local airwaves. WRIR is also the City of Richmond's official emergency broadcast outlet. 622-9747 or wrir.org.
- WRNL 910 AM A Fox Sports Radio affiliate, Sports Radio 910 features a lineup of national sports-talk talent like Jim Rome and Dan Patrick, as well as local hosts such as Wes McElroy. The station airs Virginia Tech football and basketball, the NCAA basketball tournament, the Flying Squirrels and NASCAR Nationwide Series races. 474-0000 or sportsradio910.com.
- WRVA 1140 AM While you'll find national favorites such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, this station is also home to local morning news anchor Jimmy Barrett and drive-time host Doc Thompson. You'll also find coverage of U.Va. and some Virginia Tech football and basketball here, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup races. 345-1140 or wrva.com.
- WTVR 98.1 FM Lite 98 is an adult-contemporary station that switches to Christmas music during the holidays. Morning-show hosts Shelly Perkins and Bill Bevins are favorites among Richmond radio listeners. 474-0000 or lite98.com.
- WXGI 950 AM This ESPN Radio affiliate is where you'll find sports-talk stalwarts like Mike and Mike alongside local talent like Big Al Coleman and Greg Burton. The station is home to the Washington Redskins and the Nationals as well as the University of Richmond. 345-0950 or espn950am.com.
Print (a sampling)
- Boomer Life A free, bimonthly magazine targeted at the mid-40s-and- up crowd. Filled with former Richmond Times-Dispatch writers, the magazine is edited by former columnist Ray McAllister. boomerlifemagazine.com.
- Brick Reloaded Free-distribution "alternative" entertainment weekly published by Media General, parent company to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. brickweekly.com.
- The Chesterfield Observer An independent weekly newspaper that examines what's going on in central Chesterfield County. 545-7500 or chesterfieldobserver.com.
- Fifty Plus One of two free monthly tabloids owned by Richmond Publishing, it bills itself as a guide and resource for those 50 and older. richmondparents.com.
- Goochland Courier One of Goochland County's two weeklies, reporting on local government, sports and personalities, published by Lakeway Publishers, which also owns the Hanover Herald-Progress. (800) 969-0368 or goochlandcourier.com.
- Greater Richmond Grid Newly launched quarterly magazine funded by the Greater Richmond Partnership and Venture Richmond, featuring Central Virginia's arts, entertainment, business and shopping news. richmondgrid.com.
- Herald-Progress Hanover County's hometown paper located in Ashland, where it has published since 1919. 798-9031 or herald-progress.com.
- Henrico Citizen Founded in 2001, T3 Media's twice-monthly publication provides county news and comentary. 262-1700 or henricocitizen.com.
- Richmond Free Press This weekly newspaper offers perspectives on regional and national news in the African-American community. 644-0496 or richmondfreepress.com.
- Richmond Magazine Your four-color monthly has covered the region for 30 years and counting. The magazine, which focuses on reader-service pieces and in-depth news, also publishes Richmond Bride, R•Home and Welcome Inc. magazines. It has a custom-publishing arm as well and several topical blogs. 355-0111 or richmond magazine.com.
- Richmond Parents Monthly Richmond Publishing's other monthly in the region, it focuses on parenting and family issues. richmondparents.com.
- Richmond Suburban Newspapers This publishing company, now owned by Media General, produces MidlothianExchange.com and several free weekly community newspapers, including The Goochland Gazette, The Mechanicsville Local, The Midlothian Exchange and Powhatan Today. Reachvirginia.com/suburban-newspapers.htm.
- Richmond Times-Dispatch The region's daily morning newspaper is owned by Media General Inc. Major redesigns, shifts in content and a slightly more progressive editorial voice have marked the paper's recent evolution. 644-4181 or timesdispatch.com.
- The Richmond Voice Established in 1986, this free weekly newspaper covers local, state and national news relating to African-Americans. 644-9060 or voicenewspaper.com.
- RVA Magazine A colorful monthly digest of cool art, artists and musicians. 349-5890 or rvamag.com.
- Style Weekly This free weekly, owned by Landmark Publications, brings you news and views every Wednesday that frequently challenge the local establishment. 358-0825 or styleweekly.com.
- Virginia Business A monthly magazine that keeps track of commerce and technology in the Old Dominion. 649-6999 or virginiabusiness.com.
- The Virginia Defender Published quarterly, this free newspaper addresses issues relating to grassroots activism. 644-5834 or defendersfje.org.
- Virginia Living This bimonthly statewide magazine looks at lifestyles of the commonwealth's "rich array" of people. 622-2612 or virginialiving.com.
Web (a sampling)
Online Media
- Bacon's Rebellion Web magazine about state politics and other weighty issues, sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. baconsrebellion.com.
- Downtown Short Pump A newsy site edited by Trevor Dickerson, covering Henrico County supervisors' actions, schools, shopping, restaurants and, of course, construction in Richmond's Far West End. downtown shortpump.com.
- GayRVA.com An online magazine created in 2009 that addresses local issues and events through a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender prism.
- Richmond.com Established in 1999, the online community portal offers news, features and resources on Richmond. It was bought out by Media General in 2008.
- RichmondBizSense.com An independent online source for business news and blogs.
- RichmondGoodLife.com Aggregate of Richmond news, from sports to crime to entertainment and everything in-between, plus an up-to-date reference list of area restaurants, with links to reviews.
- RichmondWiki.org A local version of Wikipedia launched in 2008, this site is publicly edited and provides information about restaurants, businesses, arts and lots more.
- RVABlogs.com Sister site of RVANews, a rolling list of posts from nearly 400 local blogs.
- RVANews.com A compendium of the best news and commentary from the region's growing number of blogs, plus original local content.
Miscellaneous
- Comics Worth Reading Locally produced site about all manner of comics, from Japanese manga to graphic novels, plus a comprehensive list of comics created by women. comicsworthreading.com.
- Eating Richmond An aggregate of Richmond's food bloggers, who stay on top of the local dining scene and also describe their own culinary efforts. eatingrichmond.com.
- Tobacco Avenue Richmond's version of The Onion, this funny site shows no mercy to anyone, from the Flying Squirrels' mascot to Mayor Jones. tarichmond.com.
- Richmond Dogs Blog Local news of interest to dog owners (and occasionally a cat will sneak in). richmonddogs.com.
Community Blogs
- Church Hill People's News One of Richmond's original neighborhood blogs, this is micromedia at its most minute, with lost-dog listings and petty-crime news. You'll find much of the same type of content at the blogs listed below. chpn.net.
Find your own neighborhood here:
- Boulevardizen Neighborhoods connected to the Boulevard. boulevardizen.com.
- Byrd Park byrdpark.net.
- Carver & Jackson Ward News cjwn.net.
- Chesterfield Daily chesterfielddaily.net.
- Fan District Hub fdhub.net.
- Fan of the Fan fanofthefan.com.
- Greater Fulton News Richmond's East End. greaterfultonnews.org.
- Hills & Heights Forest Hill, Westover Hills, Woodland Heights, Forest View Heights and Stratford Hills. hillsandheights.org.
- My Petersburg mypetersburg.net.
- Near West End News Richmond and Henrico neighborhoods. nearwestendnews.net.
- North Richmond News Lakeside, Ginter Park, Bellevue, Rosedale and Battery Park. northrichmondnews.com.
- Oregon Hill oregonhill.net.
- Petersburg People's News pburgpn.net.
- River District News Shockoe Bottom, Shockoe Slip, Manchester and Rocketts Landing. riverdistrictnews.com.
- Southside Richmond Jefferson Davis corridor, Broad Rock. southsiderichmond.org.
- West of the Boulevard Carytown and Museum District. wotbn.net.
