This Monday night just before 10pm 4 people were shot dead in NYC. It popped up on my Citizen app immediately after the 911 call had been made.

• I switched to the local 10pm news figuring this would be the lead story. Nope. Flipped between stations (Fox, NY1) to see what they were reporting. NOTHING. Not even a breaking news banner. All they were showing was old political stuff, Cynthia Nixon whining about Cuomo, smoking ban in public housing, but ZERO about a whole family wiped out in Astoria.
• When exactly did the local TV news get so lame? I didn’t realize just how late they are to the game until Citizen App came along.
• This is why I no longer bother watching TV news – always hours late with news that actually matters.

If I were running a local news station in NYC or San Francisco, partnering with Citizen app would be my top priority. They would be my #1 resource to keep my station current and relevant and competitive with online sources.

Read on below for more.

Why use the Citizen app?

Besides providing real-time breaking news, it would also help news outlets in NYC challenge Bill de Blasio’s assertions about how safe he’s made the city.

• Everyone is up in arms about local rags like the Daily News laying off staff (why wouldn’t they I ask, nobody’s reading the paper anymore).
• Much more vital to me is the immediacy of what is happening all over the city when it comes to crime. And it is up – speak to anybody who lives in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and downtown Manhattan and they’ll tell you there is more craziness on the subways and on the streets than ever before.
• Just as de Blasio denied there was a homeless problem when the NY Post first started reporting on it, the mayor is now in denial about the crime wave hitting NYC.
• Using the Citizen app I have literally been able to track the uptick in crime that is happening all over the city. It is undeniable – no matter how de Blasio wants to spin the crime stats.

Bottom Line.

If you live in, or are planning to visit NYC or San Francisco, download the Citizen app. It’ll keep you up-to-date, sometimes it will amuse you (at least I find vicious raccoons and naked men on the subway funny) but most of all, it will keep you safe.