Media in Ventura, California

Major Media Companies Based in Ventura

Several media companies are headquartered in Ventura, employing hundreds of local residents and contributing to the area’s creative economy.

BrooWaha

BrooWaha is an online media outlet and blogging platform launched in Ventura in 2006. Over 300 Ventura locals currently blog on BrooWaha, sharing hyperlocal news, events, opinions and stories related to the community. Popular blogs cover topics like restaurants, parks, schools and youth sports.

Dial Global

Dial Global is a national radio syndication company based in Ventura. They produce and distribute news, sports, talk, music and entertainment programming to over 8500 affiliate radio stations in the United States. Popular syndicated radio shows produced locally include The Jim Rome Show, NFL on Compass Media Networks and NBC Sports Radio.

Rincon Broadcasting

Rincon Broadcasting owns three radio stations serving Ventura County – KFJL-FM, KFYV-FM and KBBY-FM/KBAA-AM. All on-air talent, management and operations staff work out of the Ventura headquarters. Rincon stations broadcast a mixture of popular music, classic rock and sports talk radio focused on hyper local community issues and events.

VC Reporter

The VC Reporter is Ventura County’s leading alternative biweekly newspaper and local media organization. All content, distribution and operations are managed out of their Downtown Ventura headquarters. The VC Reporter covers local politics, arts, culture, food and investigative pieces not found in mainstream county publications or news channels.

Local Radio Stations

Residents of Ventura have access to over 15 local radio stations covering a variety of formats like rock, pop, classical, oldies, jazz and talk radio. Popular stations include:

KBBY-FM 95.1

A soft adult contemporary music station owned by Rincon Broadcasting. Airs a mixture of pop rock and pop standards hits.

KHAY-FM 100.7

Country music station playing today’s hot country hits mixed with 90s country classics. Owned by Cumulus Media.

KVTA-AM 1590

News talk radio station covering local news issues and syndicated conservative talk shows. Owned by Gold Coast Broadcasting.

KCLU-FM 102.3/1340 AM

NPR-affiliated public radio station airing national programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered as well as local shows highlighting community issues and events. Based at California Lutheran University.

KVTA-FM 103.1

Adult album alternative station playing triple A music – a broad mix of rock, blues and alt-country. Owned by Gold Coast Broadcasting.

KXLM-FM 102.9

Rhythmic contemporary hit radio station focused on hip hop, R&B and dance pop hits. Owned by Gold Coast Broadcasting.

Local Newspapers & Publications

Ventura County is served by one major regional newspaper along with dozens of community news sites, magazines, weeklies, monthlies and quarterlies covering niche topics.

Ventura County Star

The county’s newspaper of record – The Ventura County Star is published daily and covers regional news, politics, business and more. The Saturday edition includes various lifestyle, arts and food supplements. Owned by Gannett. Though print circulation has declined, their website VCStar.com draws millions of local readers monthly.

Ventana Monthly

Upscale monthly magazine serving Ventura County as “The Magazine of Ventura County.” Each 100-page issue dives into topics like real estate, philanthropy, retail, weddings, dining and profiles of local leaders.

VCREPORTER

Popular free biweekly newspaper serving as an alternative paper for Ventura county residents. Known for covering topics overlooked by other mainstream publications and doing investigative reporting on local government, environmental and social justice issues.

Ventura Breeze

Free monthly community newspaper published in Ventura for over 20 years. Covers hyperlocal news in Ventura, Ojai and Channel Islands Harbor that would not be found anywhere else. Available in print and online at VenturaBreeze.com.

Local News & Information Sites

Ventura County residents have access to several digital-only local news and information sites filling the gaps not covered by print publications or radio stations.

VC Reporter

In addition to their biweekly print newspaper, the VC Reporter has the most-read local news website at vcreporter.com covering breaking news and investigating local stories not found elsewhere.

Citizens Journal

CitizensJournal.us is a popular community news site relying on local volunteers reporting on hyperlocal happenings at city council meetings, school boards, business openings and local events. More right-leaning views.

Ventura County Scoop

Online news site VenturaCountyScoop.com largely aggregates and re-reports news happening across Ventura County’s ten cities – giving exposure to stories that individual communities may have otherwise overlooked.

Ventura Family Magazine

Launched in 2007, VenturaFamilyMagazine.com focuses exclusively on news and events related to parenting, children, families, schools, camps, health and wellness.

Film/TV Production

Ventura County has supported an active film and television industry over the past century due to its proximity to Hollywood and abundance of coastal and mountain landscapes that can double for virtually any location.

Top Production Companies

Over a dozen production companies are based locally in Ventura, including:

• Little Work Pictures
• OmniPop Media
• Putting It Together Productions
• Sensei Entertainment
• Twisted Pictures

They have worked on major studio films and network TV shows across drama, comedy, documentary, commercials and other formats.

Notable Films Shot in Ventura

• Chinatown (1974) – Featured the Ventura River levee failure flooding scenes.
• Swordfish (2001) – Opening scenes shot across Ventura.
• Erin Brockovich (2000) – Court and law office scenes filmed in San Buenaventura Courthouse.
• The Aviator (2004) – Beachwood Drive in Thousand Oaks used to depict 1920s Hollywoodland.

Dozens more films and TV shows have shot scenes locally over the decades. The mild weather, coastal access and diverse topography allow Ventura County to stand in for nearly any location needed for production.

Online Media & Social Channels

Residents consume more of their news and information online through social sites like Facebook, NextDoor, Patch and dedicated social accounts from established media companies.

Facebook Groups

• Ventura Happenings
• Ventura Townies
• Ventura County Events, Activities & Things To Do

Patch.com

Ventura-specific news and event listings surface on various Patch sites like ThousandOaksPatch, VenturaPatch and PortHuenemePatch

NextDoor App

Over 80 Ventura area neighborhoods have active NextDoor groups where locals post news, classified ads, recommendations and crime/safety alerts.

Official Social Media Accounts

All radio stations, publications, news stations and film production companies mentioned earlier also actively post online content daily through dedicated social media channels on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These provide additional local content streams.

Podcasts

Though not yet a hub for podcast creation, locally produced Ventura-themed podcasts have arisen in recent years – mainly as extensions of the organizations mentioned earlier or shows hosted by Ventura natives building followings like:

• Ventura Rocks Podcast – Interviews musicians/bands from Ventura.
• The 805 Podcast – Humorous take on Ventura County culture and happenings.
• Ventura County Star Report – Daily local news podcast.

More regionally focused podcasts that regularly cover Ventura County news stories and events include The California Report Magazine from KQED and the Los Angeles Times daily news podcast.

As podcasting production tools become more accessible, we will continue to see more locally produced audio programs highlighting hidden stories and interesting characters across Ventura County. For example, the Ventura Music Alliance plans to launch several music history and concert podcasts in 2023.

Conclusion

Media Type	Examples
Radio Stations	15+ stations spanning rock, country, jazz and NPR formats from companies like Rincon Broadcasting and Gold Coast Broadcasting
Local Newspapers	Ventura County Star daily paper along with dozens of weekly publications like VCREPORTER alt-weekly and Ventura Breeze community paper
News Websites	VC Reporter, Citizens Journal and Ventura County Scoop have popular local news sites
Film/TV Production	Over a dozen production companies shooting movies, TV shows and ads in Ventura County
Online & Social Media	Active local conversations happen across Facebook Groups, NextDoor, YouTube channels and media company social accounts
Podcasts	Locally produced podcasts are rising, while regional shows also cover Ventura County

This overview aims to summarize the key players and outlets across the media landscape in Ventura for 2023. Ventura may lack the media prominence of neighboring Los Angeles, but has a passionate base creating and consuming local content across radio, newspapers, film production, websites, social media and podcasts. Residents and visitors have no shortage of channels providing them hyperlocal information, news, arts and entertainment.