Over the past 80 days, The Rockaway Times has launched a new website, added new features to that website (flip books and a reading service), and created a new app for the peninsula (Rockaway Time). This week, The RT is reviving something old: its YouTube channel.
The Rockaway Times’ founder, Kevin Boyle, created the channel in 2014. However, with the vast majority of the staff’s time focused on getting the fledgling newspaper off the ground, less than 10 videos were posted in the first few years. The channel was dormant until recently.
The RT’s YouTube channel (@rockawaytimes) has been brought back to life with more than two dozen videos posted this month. Why?
“Video is such an essential medium,” Co-Publisher Paul King said. “It brings stories to life, whether it is the intensity of sports competition, emotion of funeral bagpipes, or the anticipation felt during the tour of a new business, video is a great tool in our mission to tell Rockaway’s stories.”
The newspaper has proven successful utilizing video on our social media pages that have large followings: 59,000 on Facebook; 24,000 on Instagram. However, YouTube is better suited for long-form videos that dig deeper.
Currently, three of the four playlists focus on sports: Rockaway Beach Volleyball League, Rockaway Little League, and 2026 Summer Classic Basketball. However, Recent News is the fastest growing playlist.
“Everyone loves sports highlights, especially of their children in action,” King said, “but we look forward to complementing our award-winning newspaper journalism with onsite explorations and newsmaker interviews on YouTube.”
Next year, The RT plans to add a Reader Videos playlist. Just as Rockaway Times readers submit photos that may be published in the Local Color section each Thursday, they will be able to submit Rockaway-focused videos that may be selected for inclusion on our YouTube channel.
