[craigs]

The Salinas metro (which includes Monterey and Carmel) is independent yet definitely benefits from proximity to the Bay Area--access to the airports, universities, entertainment, etc. but also smaller things.

For example, their local Fox affiliate runs the Bay Area's storied Ten O'Clock News, out of KTVU Fox's studios in Oakland. I remember doing a double take at the television in my Monterey hotel room when I discovered my local news is also their local news, despite the fact I was fully 120 miles south of where I live. Considering most small American metros have, in my experience, atrocious local newscasts, I'd say Monterey benefits from access to a bigger and better-funded media market than what they could sustain on their own.