The guest speaker for the November 14 noon meeting of the Minden Lions Club was Lynn Vance, host of NBC’s “Something Good with Lynn Vance.” Vance, a Minden native, began her media career in 2017 when KTAL/KMSS launched The Lynn Vance Show, a web series featuring local stories that spotlight positive happenings in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. She currently serves as a special features reporter for NBC 6 / FOX 33 and co-hosts Geaux Local with Bae on KMJJ 99.7 FM.
“I always wanted to get involved with media,” Vance said. “I wanted to tell people’s stories, and every one of you has a story.” Vance shared that many community members who contribute positively often prefer to stay out of the spotlight. “But what I want you to realize is that, by telling your story about something good you do, [it] may encourage others to do something similar to that. Be willing to tell your story,” she urged.
Vance described how her program, Something Good with Lynn Vance, was created to showcase these uplifting stories. “People are doing good things, not only in this community but in a lot of communities,” she said, adding that viewers were weary of negative news and craved content that highlighted positive community developments. “That was one of the reasons we started doing these segments,” Vance explained.
She also addressed the challenges of maintaining local media. Corporate entities own much of the media, and they determine what is “news.” “It’s been an uphill battle,” she said. “They fight me on this stuff sometimes.” Vance emphasized, “Being a journalist is not only telling stories; it’s fighting for the stories you believe should be told.”
To support positive news stories, Vance encouraged audience interaction on social media. “A lot of times, with the good stuff, people check it out but they don’t ‘like’ it or comment, so you don’t see it anymore. If you see something you like, interact with it because, at the end of the day, things like this will only be on your local news if people want to see it.”
“It is important for you guys to support local news, whether it be your local newspaper or your local radio or your local TV station because it could be gone at some point,” Vance concluded.
For those who know someone doing commendable work in the community, Vance invited them to reach out via email at [email protected].
The Minden Lions Club meets every Thursday at noon at the American Legion Hall, located at 119 W. Pine Street.
