Who We Are
The Hillbilly Media is a for-profit, independent news, scanner alert, public safety, livestream, and community commentary platform serving the Mohawk Valley and surrounding areas.
Operated by TVOTT Hillbilly News LLC, we are not owned, controlled, or directed by any government agency, political organization, law enforcement agency, school district, or corporate media group.
What we report, we report because it matters to the people who live here — not because someone in a suit handed us a script.
Why We Exist
Local news should not only belong to big outlets, polished press rooms, and people afraid to ask uncomfortable questions.
We built The Hillbilly Media to give the community a louder voice, faster awareness, and a place where real concerns can be looked at, questioned, documented, and brought into the light.
What We Cover
- Breaking news and developing local incidents
- Scanner-based public safety alerts
- Live incident maps and OBS live overlays
- Police, fire, EMS, traffic, weather, and community alerts
- Local government and public accountability
- Schools, budgets, public meetings, and taxpayer-funded decisions
- Investigations and community-submitted concerns
- Missing persons, BOLO alerts, and public safety notices
- Local businesses, events, fundraisers, and community stories
- Interviews, livestreams, commentary, and public discussion
Scanner Alerts and Live Maps
The Hillbilly Media uses scanner alerts, live maps, newsroom automation, and OBS broadcast tools to help the public stay aware of developing situations.
Scanner traffic is preliminary unless confirmed by officials. Details may change as responders arrive, investigate, and release official information.
We do our best to avoid publishing unconfirmed names, exact private addresses, sensitive personal information, or final conclusions based only on scanner traffic.
How We Handle Information
The Hillbilly Media reports based on available information from sources such as scanner traffic, public records, court records, official statements, firsthand accounts, interviews, community submissions, photos, videos, documents, and direct responses.
We make a clear distinction between:
- Verified Information — confirmed by official, documented, or reliable sources.
- Developing Information — early details that may change.
- Scanner Traffic — preliminary public safety information, not final confirmation.
- Public Input & Tips — information shared by community members for review.
- Commentary — opinion, analysis, perspective, or discussion.
Community-submitted information is not automatically verified. We may review, edit, withhold, blur, crop, decline, or remove content when needed for accuracy, safety, legality, privacy, or editorial standards.
All individuals mentioned in criminal or legal matters are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
AI, Automation, and Modern Newsroom Tools
We may use AI and automation tools to help format scanner alerts, organize notes, draft article structure, improve readability, support moderation, sync live maps, power OBS overlays, and speed up newsroom workflow.
AI does not replace our judgment. Humans remain responsible for what gets published, corrected, updated, and investigated.
You can read more here: AI Use Policy.
Community Standards
We support open discussion. Disagreement is fine. Tough questions are fine. Criticism of public officials is part of public accountability.
But we do not support threats, harassment, doxxing, private personal information, false accusations presented as fact, or comments that interfere with active investigations or public safety responses.
- No posting private personal information
- No unverified accusations presented as fact
- No threats, harassment, or calls for violence
- No naming people from scanner traffic unless officially confirmed
- No fake evidence, impersonation, spam, or scams
Our goal is awareness — not interference, mob justice, or rumor chasing.
Our Mission
To deliver timely, responsible, community-focused reporting while giving everyday people a platform to be heard.
- Provide real-time updates on local events
- Report public safety and developing situations responsibly
- Investigate issues that impact the community
- Ask fair but hard questions of public officials and agencies
- Give everyday people a voice
- Remain independent and accountable to the public
Right to Respond and Corrections
Individuals, businesses, schools, public officials, agencies, or organizations mentioned in our reporting may request to provide a response, clarification, correction request, or supporting documentation.
If a factual error is confirmed, we will review it and correct it when warranted.
Contact: [email protected]
Feeds & API
The Hillbilly Media offers multiple ways to access and integrate our content.
Send Us a Tip, Question, or Story Lead
Got something the public should know about? Send it in. We review tips, documents, photos, videos, public records, scanner details, and community concerns.