Q&A: An extended interview with Newell Nussbaumer, Buffalo Rising Online
Elena Buscarino and Newell Nussbaumer, Buffalo Rising Online.
What’s your BRO role today, and what other things are you up to?
I’m still behind the scenes talking about content on a regular basis—passing along stories to writers, discussing projects, wooing contributors, speaking engagements, the WBFO radio program, etc. When I get a second, I want to get back to helping to build an outdoor skate park and LaSalle kayak launch. I’m still promoting building an eco-friendly student village in Black Rock. At the moment, I’m concentrating on promoting www.estudentnetwork.com, a site dedicated to showcasing Buffalo as a thriving college city.
When you started BRO, where did you see it fitting in the overall online landscape? Where does it fit today? Obviously, it has some things in common with the News, WNYM, etc., but how do you describe its role?
I feel that BRO’s role is to wave the Buffalo flag. Its mission has not wavered other than we are more aggressive when it comes to getting our points across. We’re not afraid to take side when necessary and we will continue to beat the Buffalo drum until we get our ex-pats home and totally curb what was an exodus of residents. We’re here to tell people to jump in, the water’s warm. We don’t mind being warm and fuzzy one day and in your face the next.
Do you follow the other media outlets closely? What do you think BRO does well that maybe these others do not?
I follow WBNY 91.3 very closely. I think that since our focus is 100-percent online, we do that the best. I’ve heard firsthand from many other media outlets that they have learned a lot—what to do and not to do—from Buffalo Rising forging the way online.
Why no more print version? What kind of response did it have?
I never like print to begin with. It was a necessary evil. Once I got hooked on the immediacy of online it was over. It was only a matter of time before we killed the dead tree edition. The environmental reason was also big on my list. The interactivity is where we thrive. The cost of doing print was another. I was very happy to throw my two cents in regarding being a solely online entity. At this point I don’t think anyone cares that we’re not in print. The only people who ever mention it still have dial up.
Does it embarrass you at all, or perhaps make you proud, when people talk about you as the face of local online media, or at the very least as one if its founding fathers?
Of course it makes me proud. Lest we forget that if it were not for BRO co-founder George Johnson, I would never have had any traction whatsoever. He made me do it. And if it were not for Barry Heneghan we would never have made it this far.
As one of the integral figures, are you happy with where things are going? What is your opinion of the scene today?
We’ve been through some scary times—it’s been a huge struggle. Anyone who thinks it looks easy should try blogging 365 days a year for three years. I’ve racked up multiple thousands of posts. I’ve documented this city during that time, taking close to 30,000 photos. I’m fascinated with online social networking and how it transcends to real life. It’s incredible the amount of online blogging resources that are out there—both national and local. I’ll be back writing for BRO soon enough. I just need to clear my head and concentrate on eSN. For me, the challenge is branding this city as a progressive college town. The college students are where it’s at. Think about how they influence food, music, shopping, etc. I don’t think we give them enough credit for shaping Buffalo. I want people to look at Buffalo as college city. The web is the perfect vehicle to do that. I’m extremely happy that there are so many voices out there these days. There’s finally some accountability, since Buffalo is a one paper town. We need The News, we need Artvoice, and Spree, and WNYM —finally there’s some balance. I’m glad that I could be a part of this new change agent called Hyper Local Media.
