The562.org

The562.org provides a platform for Long Beach athletes at the middle school, high school, collegiate, and professional level. With over 200,000 unique visitors to the website in the last year, The 562 boasts an audience that's grown over 150 percent from year one to year two, and the website has been read in 192 countries across the globe. On social media, The 562's Twitter page has made over 13 million impressions over the last 12 months, and the YouTube channel has over 20,000 subscribers while averaging more than a million views per year. 

The562 has also provided mentorship and job opportunities to local high school and journalism students seeking real-world job training. Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, The562 formalized its student internship program with the Long Beach Unified School District, providing paid internship opportunities to dozens of high school students who have gained insight into the world of sports journalism in their own community.

The562 also embraces and celebrates the diversity in the city of Long Beach, putting forth a multi-racial group of writers, photographers and videographers to cover every corner of the city. In an effort to reach all readers regardless of income, all of The 562's content is released completely free both online and in print. 

During the COVID-19 outbreak, The 562 expanded its education reporting to bring breaking news and useful information to readers across the city. That adds to the organization's core competency of providing Long Beach with award-winning prep sports coverage. This not only helps keep fans engaged with local schools, it has also been shown to increase school pride among students and aid high school athletes in receiving college scholarships.