Where is WBZ?

Like most of you, we’ve been getting our coverage of the Democratic National Convention from the Internet, cable news channels, and the Daily Show. But we like knowing that our local news channels are at these national dog-and-pony shows to cover the stories from a local perspective.

Which is why we were shocked when Boston City Councilor and Massachusetts delegate Mike Ross reported that WBZ had no presence at the convention. Surely that wasn’t true?

“It’s true,” WBZ’s Director of Communications, Ro Dooley Webster, tells Boston Daily.

While WCVB, WHDH, FOX25, and WGBH all sent reporters to Denver, Boston’s CBS affiliate elected to use the network feed for its local newscasts and online coverage. Even WBZ political commentator Jon Keller is watching the proceedings from the East Coast.

“The network has vast resources covering every aspect of the convention,” Webster says. “We’re confident that we’re serving our local viewers.”

Sure, WBZ viewers will know that Ted Kennedy gave a speech and that the Massachusetts delegation cheered him wildly. But if all local media relies on the big network coverage, the moments of unscripted humanity that make the conventions worth watching may go unnoticed.

Whether it’s Joe Battenfeld explaining the ridiculous getups or Blue Mass Group interviewing a Massachusetts delegate that was moved to tears by Kennedy’s speech, we don’t want to miss the small stories that help us get the big picture, even if we are watching them online. Thankfully, we have embedded blogger Mike Ross to keep us up-to-date.

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