SCVTV is making several changes to its web presence.

The local media organization has consolidated its two main Facebook pages into one, making the combined page (Facebook.com/scvtv) the largest local news-oriented social media page in terms of audience size and interaction.

The content previously delivered to the two Facebook pages – one for SCVTV and a separate one for SCVNews.com – had long been identical. The transition should be seamless for users who’ve “liked” either SCVTV or SCVNews on Facebook. The biggest impact of the change is for website hosts, in that Facebook.com/SCVNews has been deactivated. If you’ve linked to it, the link should be changed to Facebook.com/scvtv. New users should search for “SCVTV Santa Clarita” on Facebook to “like” the page and receive breaking news bulletins and links to content from the SCVTV-SCVNews.com Network.

Additional improvements-in-progress include heightened photo activity on social media sites. Video media is being made available on Facebook in addition to what is available on SCVTV.com and the company’s other websites, such as SCVNews.com and SCVHistory.com.

“Facebook provides a unique opportunity for us to share our visual art,” said Austin Dave, SCVTV’s information technology guru. “As a multimedia outlet, we naturally have a preponderance of visual art and engaging moving pictures.”

Simplifying SCVTV’s Facebook presence without losing any features was “a simple decision based on the goal of delivering news and information efficiently and effectively as consumers’ expectations and habits evolve,” Dave said.

A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center shows the number of Americans getting their news delivered digitally and from social networks is on the rise with online/mobile delivery up 5 percent in 2012 over 2010.  The use of social networking sites such as Google+ and Facebook is also showing signs of an increase, with statistics showing a 10-percent rise from 2010 to 2012.

“More and more people are using tablet computers and smartphones to ingest their news than ever before, and we use that knowledge and apply it,” Dave said. “We constantly find new and relevant ways to deliver our content to our audience.”

“We’re not changing the type of content we offer,” said SCVTV Production Manager Megan Perez, “but we are changing the way we offer it and reach the community.”