Four Points’ West Palm Outlet Grabs TheLaw.TV

First to offer interactive legal site

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/23/2009 7:00:00 AM

WeAreWestPalm.com, a community portal launched by Four Points Media Group’s West Palm Beach stations, is the first media outlet to ink a deal with TheLaw.TV, a legal advice Website hatched by a cadre of local television veterans.
 
TheLaw.TV offers thousands of video clips offering advice on topics ranging from personal injury to finance to employment. The principals behind it are four former WPBF West Palm Beach newsroom denizens: former news director Joseph Coscia, reporter Brian Albert, anchor Corey Saban and producer Michael Levine.
 
Four Points’ West Palm holdings, which are managed by Nexstar, include CW outlet WTVX, MyNetworkTV affiliate WTCN, Azteca affiliate WWHB and WeAreWestPalm.com.
 
VP/General Manager Arika Zink says TheLaw.TV is a good fit for the new portal and the stations, which offer a wide range of court shows, such as Judge Judy, as well as Law & Order: SVU. “Our partnership with TheLaw.TV further strengthens our online video content and is helping us build the strongest and most sought after online community information site with WeAreWestPalm.com,” she said. “It’s a unique new resource for West Palm Beach and Treasure Coast consumers and we’re delighted to add it to our multimedia portfolio.”
 
She says the Web channel will be a draw both for those seeking legal advice and those who simply want to learn about the law. “By and large, people like to learn about the law and how it works,” she says.
 
Coscia, who’s president of affiliate relations for TheLaw.TV, calls the product “a one-stop source for consumers” seeking legal advice. “The website provides viewers easy and direct access to valuable information about critical issues that affect their everyday lives,” he says, “and will change the way potential clients evaluate lawyers.”
 
Attorneys in the affiliate’s market pay to have their videos on the site and get category exclusivity in the market. They’ll pay both an upfront fee (around $5,000) to cover production and hosting, as well as a monthly charge in the hundreds. The partner station and Law.TV share the revenue.
 
Coscia says legal is a booming advertising category in local television, and calls the lawyer videos “great sticky content.”