Local news is fading away.
A few years ago Webster could count on four or five outlets where we could, at least occasionally, find news affecting us here in town. The Democrat and Chronicle used to do a better job of it, but they don’t even pretend to serve up local anymore. Two years ago, the Webster Post ceased publishing, too. Fortunately, we can still rely on the Webster Herald, and — of course — this blog.
But for those of us who really want to keep up with what’s going on in Webster, it’d be nice to have another reliable, journalistic outlet for local news. That’s why I was very excited to learn about Webster NOW, a new Webster-centric news magazine hosted on Facebook.
Webster NOW is the project of Garrett Wagner, a life-long Webster resident and father of a young daughter. He launched the program in June, and posts a new segment every two weeks. Garrett is quite literally the face of Webster NOW, delivering each installment in close-up, evening-news-anchor-like fashion.
Something that all viewers should know from the start is that Garrett is running for Town Board this November. So one of the main reasons he created Webster NOW is to increase his name recognition. Having said that, however, he ‘s striving to keep his segments unbiased and anti-political, his goals being to “educate and entertain, remind (community members) they have a voice, and teach them how to use that voice to make something happen.”
Which is not to say that the program is devoid of politics. Each 10 to 15-minute segment begins with a look at the most recent Town Board meeting, highlighting several particularly engaging topics, which are culled from Town Board agendas and online video.
But the program also touches on other issues affecting Webster residents, like the recent rash of car thefts, local business updates, and school board elections. Garrett also regularly includes interviews with local officials and business leaders, and occasionally offers up an opinion poll about a particular topic. And every Webster NOW edition ends with news of upcoming special events in town.
A CPA by trade, Garrett hasn’t been a writer or videographer all his life. For that matter, he said his high school and college teachers all encouraged him to find a career in which he didn’t have to write. So to produce each Webster NOW installment, he works with a team to collect news, write the script and edit the video before the final product airs.
Garrett is pleasantly surprised by how well Webster NOW has been received. The Facebook page already has 187 followers, a number which should continue to grow as more people discover the program.
He’s already got plans on how to make the show better and even more informational.
“I’d like to branch out a little more with other guests,” he said. “There are so many voices of things happening … a lot of little groups in Webster that do great things for the town that nobody knows about.”
In the shorter term, Garrett will be working to keep his two-week production schedule consistent, and if people continue to enjoy the program, maybe even hire a few more staff members to provide additional content.
“Because there’s so much happening in Webster,” he said.
I totally agree, and it’s great that Webster residents now have another way to become more connected with the community.
Click here to check out Webster NOW for yourself.
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(posted 9/14/2023)
webster on the web 
Garrett is a longtime friend, and I wish him the best! I just want to address a comment you made about the D and C, Missy. You’re right that we’re not being served local news the way it used to be, but we can count ourselves lucky, given the pressures newsrooms are under, to still have a Rochester newspaper. I still subscribe because of the excellent work that is still being done by too few reporters. Don’t be dismissive of that.
Oh, I certainly don’t fault the reporters. They’re doing the best they can given their constraints, I fault the owners and management who long ago lost sight of what people really want and have dug themselves into a hole.