Media

Since the tri-lakes area is not exactly a major population center, the news on any given day might include a report from a city council meeting, the score from last night’s high school football game, or a story about a local charity fund-raiser. Since life is pretty laid-back in the Ozarks, so is the news. If you want to find out what is going on in the national or international scene, you can tune into CNN on one of the local cable stations. Most motels have cable TV, and most residents are either on cable or satellite. If you like that feel of paper, you can pick up a copy of the Kansas City Star newspaper, which is sold in stands at area motels and gas stations. The Springfield News-Leader also runs Associated Press articles of national and international significance. The three major area television stations, KYTV, KOLR, and KSPR in Springfield, focus on events primarily in southwestern Missouri and north-central Arkansas.

Those in the business of providing information to tri-lakes area visitors know that when you come here to relax you’re probably less concerned about foreign trade policies than you are with finding the best new restaurant or the hottest new music show. The Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News usually contains one or two pages of entertainment stories each day, including interviews with the stars, announcements for new shows, and show reviews. There are a number of other publications too numerous to list here, which are printed weekly or monthly, that give more specific information on the shows, restaurants, lodging facilities, and special events. Most of these free publications can be found at any one of the area visitor information centers.

As you drive into Ozark Mountain Country you can begin to pick up many of the radio stations listed here, starting about 100 miles away. Expect when you get into the hills to have FM stations fade out at times, and as you go into a valley you can expect the same from mobile phones. Surprisingly enough, the music mix for an area of this size is quite varied. Most locals prefer country music, but since radio stations want to attract visitor listeners, too, everyone gets a nice variety of formats from which to choose.