The media that stayed.
When corporate broadcasters left, we stayed—and built something better: trusted, on-demand media created by the people who actually live here.
Momentum built month by month.
Fourth-quarter traffic ran 53% ahead of the first quarter. When the community had a moment, this is where people looked—and the strongest month of the year came at the finish.
Monthly active users, MuskegonChannel.com, 2025 (Google Analytics 4).
A hometown audience
In the City of Muskegon — population ~38,000 — 4,617 residents used the platform in 2025. That's household-level penetration, not inflated impressions.
Top lakeshore communities by active users, 2025. Detroit (1,689), Grand Rapids (1,113) and Chicago (765) add a hometown diaspora national chains can't reach.
They come on their own
A full quarter of the audience types the address or opens the app directly — no search engine, no platform in between. That's earned brand recognition.
- Facebook (organic sharing) — 42%
- Google search — 26%
- Direct — 25%
- Everything else — 7%
Of 15,000+ Facebook-referred users, fewer than 1,000 came from paid promotion. The content travels on its own.
The playbook travels: GR Channel is on the air
In June 2026 we brought the same on-demand local model to Grand Rapids — Michigan's second-largest metro, right next door. Sixty days in:
- 4,515 users before Google even indexed the site. Nearly 90% of launch traffic came from community sharing and direct visits.
- The metro ring showed up fast. Wyoming, Forest Hills, Kentwood, Allendale, Rockford, Jenison, Walker and Hudsonville all registered in the first weeks.
- The markets reinforce each other. Muskegon already ranks among GR Channel's top cities across the US-31/I-96 corridor.
GR Channel — top cities, first 60 days
Active users by city, GA4, launch window through Jul 12, 2026. Early programming: Tom Rademacher, Juneteenth coverage with the GR African American Museum & Archives, a world-premiere film, and Andy & Dave.
Legacy local media is consolidating away. Everywhere.
What happened to Muskegon's media market years ago is now hitting mid-sized and major markets. Just the last twelve months:
of U.S. local newspapers are gone since 2005 — 50 million Americans now have limited or no local news access.
Medill, 2025local on-air voices remain in several markets after iHeartMedia's June 2026 cuts — one of the largest talent reductions in radio history, as programming centralizes.
Radio trade press, 2026stations under one owner: the Nexstar–Tegna merger created America's largest local-TV group — followed by newsroom layoffs in NY, LA, Chicago and Indianapolis.
Poynter, 2026of all U.S. TV viewing is now streaming — more than broadcast and cable combined — while cable fell to a record-low 20% share.
Nielsen, 2026What consolidation delivers
- Stations with no employees in the market
- Centralized, one-size-fits-most programming
- A late, defensive pivot to streaming
- Shrinking trust where local journalism disappears
What O'Riley Media Group delivers
- Storytellers who live in the communities they cover
- Hyper-local shows, news, films, radio and events
- Built on-demand from day one — 10 years ahead of the curve
- 25% direct traffic, +53% organic growth, two growing markets
Put your name on the media that stayed.
Simple flat rates, category exclusivity and production included. Your sponsorship becomes part of trusted local programming—not another ad people scroll past.
Streaming radio underwriting
Exclusive "Presented By" category sponsorship on Muskegon Channel Radio — where listeners stay ~48 minutes a visit. Weekly packages from $250.
Event presenting sponsor
Your name on all coverage of a marquee community event — pre-event stories, live stream billboard, and every on-demand replay. One sponsor per event.
Show title sponsorships
"Presented by" built into the show itself — including flagship "Andy & Dave Daily" (~17-min average engagement). Exclusive, no competing category.
Full network packages
Presence across both markets at once — up to the exclusive Network Title Sponsorship at $2,200/mo spanning every flagship property.
Sponsored content is subject to editorial approval, consistent with our community standards, and clearly labeled. Full rate card and order form available on request.
"Passive listening is a habit in decline. Choosing your community's stories, on your schedule, is the habit replacing it. Invest in the media that stayed."
Figures from Google Analytics 4 (MuskegonChannel.com, 2025; GR Channel, Jun–Jul 2026). Market data: Medill Local News Initiative, Nielsen, Poynter and radio trade press. Automated and out-of-region traffic is excluded from verified local audience figures.
