By John Ferrannini 

San Francisco is known for technological innovation – so when newsracks began disappearing around town due to an expired contract, Julia Gitis decided to use technology to change the face of local news in the City.

Gitis, who leads the Support SF Schools team at SF Civic Tech (formerly Code for San Francisco), wants to install digital bulletin boards across the City. She recently set up a pop-up bulletin board in the West Portal neighborhood to use to gauge community interest in the project, which she calls the Community News Lab.

“This is just a prototype,” she said, pointing to the TV screen functioning as a digital bulletin board, showing articles from local newspapers as well as upcoming events citywide. “I want to start with West Portal. This is where I first got the idea for the project, and I think it’s a really compelling place. You can still see the bolts on the ground where the print news racks used to be.”

Clear Channel Outdoor’s 20-year contract to run the news racks was not renewed by the City. Gitis said there were up to 2,000 locations in that contract.

“For the most part, these are all gone. I’m looking to do this separate from Clear Channel,” she said. “Part of what motivates me is having a nonprofit alternative to Clear Channel. 

The end of the print news racks causes a headache for local newspaper publishers, including Michael Yamashita of the Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco’s LGBTQ newspaper, as the remaining news racks will be removed by the end of the year.

Gitis said Yamashita expressed interest in the project.

“First of all, it would give us visibility as a local newspaper partner,” Yamashita said. “Eventually, if it’s successful, it could mean a small revenue stream for the public and the City. But these are longterm goals.”

In the meantime, Yamashita is ramping up distribution at the indoor locations his newspaper can be found, such as in the Castro neighborhood.

Gitis has been in discussions with the offices of District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar (whose district includes West Portal) and District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman (whose district includes the Castro).

“Julia is amazingly creative and has done an amazing job of outreach in West Portal,” Michael R. Farrah Jr., a legislative aide to Melgar, said. “She has found new ways to build community with better communication and it is hard not to be in favor of that. We look forward to working with her on next steps.”

A spokesperson for Mandelman confirmed that the topic was raised but they have not had the opportunity to discuss the subject in depth. 

Gitis said her effort is an independent one.

“This is a new nonprofit I’m trying to start,” she said. “As we move forward, I’ll fill out the paperwork to be official.”

Gitis said the public in West Portal seemed most interested in the upcoming events part of the digital bulletin board. But in the Bayview, people were more interested in community resources, she said.

“I think in neighborhoods where people are looking for jobs, there are more requests for community resources and support on the screens as well,” she said. “People here really like arts, pets and fun things. The idea is to always partner with the neighborhood association, the merchant’s association and community leaders that are there to source the content for the screen.”

The price tag will depend on the vendors, Gitis said.

“There are different vendors selling different ones, so I don’t know which one we’re going to purchase yet,” she said. “I’m talking to the supervisor’s (Melgar’s) office here; I’m talking, in the Castro, with Mike Yamashita to Mandelman about it. It’ll be expensive. It will probably be tens of thousands of dollars, but there is a revenue opportunity of putting an ad on the back. If you look at companies like Clear Channel, they’re a billion-dollar corporation based on the ads on the backs of everything.”

Prevention of vandalism and destruction is also a factor to be considered when choosing a vendor.

“Vandalism’s probably the number one feedback I get,” Gitis said. “We’ll go with the industry standard. There are lots of screens in public spaces in different cities.”