March Madness. Smart approach to Local News.
Lets take a cue from March Madness. Last week CBS streamed all it's NCAA games on iphones all over the world. Marketers see it as a slam-dunk for CBS TV and advertisers. 'The innovative Iphone application is giving an additional way to connect advertisers like Coke with NCAA fans following games on iphone." Now we're talking. New streams of advertising, means other sources of revenue, which keeps companies afloat, and puts people to work. But wait, these iphone applications have more functions, and I like the possiblilites. "One cool thing is you can pull up stats on games and players. The information shows up as a transparent overlay while the game is on". says Jeff Sellinger , General Manager for CBS Mobile.
We could do the same with local news. Why have just one layer of content? Why can't we pull up stats on a story we're watching. You know those details that are left out of the story due to time limits in a newscast. Why can't we design a newscast that viewers can control. Give people a list of stories on the news, and have the viewer choose a story, and watch it live. This is sort of like "On Demand News" but with an interactive flavor. The possibilities are endless for this product alone, there are other applications to consider. I feel we are still taking baby steps to the future of News on demand, or at least web-tv. I am working on an interactive news format, one that would engage the viewer, and give citizens the kind of news they want. More on that on future blogs. For now, I am inspired by Sport programming. It is once again leading the way. If you remember some 30 years ago, the late Roone Arledge came to ABC News from the sports division. He restructured a stodgy, and tired news format, and created World News Tonight. Suddenly we had access to stories around the globe, and a fresh look simular to it's sports conterpart. That format went though a series of changes from a 3 anchor set-up to a solo anchor with Peter Jennings. In the next few years local news will evolve at a pace not seen in 30 years. for more on CBS ipnone applicatons go to CBS/Iphone link
Filed UnderTopics: Business Models -
Type of Content: Blog -
Tags: blog - media - local news - TV news - ipod - iphone - march madness - sports - viewers - cable tv - nielsen ratings - CBS -
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Smart news
I love your last line. The new media will surge ahead, and that consumers will dictate the changes. People should sit in on editorial meetings in news departments. Much of what you mention, (car crashes, fires, death) dominates the discussion. The old saying if it bleeds it leads came from the 70's and 80's. It was used successfully by Texas Stations I worked with at the time. Usually ratings went up because of the shock-factor. Sort of like rubberneckers filing by the scene of an accident. Much has changed. The NAB, and RTNDA addressed issues like these at their yearly conference (last year.) One huge session had to do with the marriage of the web, and TV news. Ideas were explored, still managers I spoke with were hesitant to explore,and experiment.
What a difference a year makes! Now managers are forced to change. We can help them. This is a forum for the public, you to participate in. I'd like to hear specific ideas, and see if they stand up. People are dictating the changes and content in news.
Smart News
You had mentioned that in sports they have integrated in-depth stats as found on the NCAA games. I have noticed this and enjoyed learning regarding the players and their shooting stats, their rebounds, their free-throw %, where they completed shots, where they missed, and other details. But with news I have yet to see that they integrate any stats or in depth reporting. Quality news is often delayed or detached from the sensationalized headlines. It appears that gathering/integrating the information takes too long to compile. News stations have yet to learn how to integrate the immense information from the web into their news (excluding broadcasts like 20/20). However, what your discussing is taking all of the resources of the web and attempting to integrate them into a story allowing the user to have interaction and ownership to the news. Sometimes I have noticed that a news station says for more information look at our website; however when I have looked the information continues to be shallow. For example I get frustrated with news that provides shooting stories. I frankly don't "need" to hear about who or when someone got shot. I would prefer that story be told with the integrated of learning why shootings are happening, how common they are, what are towns or cities doing to curb this violence, what works, what appears to have no impact. This provides the public education on improving their neighborhood vs instilling fear and anxiety in people causing little change (but it does appear to maintain viewership). In sports, the viewers appreciate the information provided through statistics, however, in respects to news broadcasting the viewers have yet to appreciate the value of in depth reporting.
Smart news
Thanks for your comment. You read my mind with this comment. I am researching this very topic in writing my next blog. Definatly check it out this week. A response for now is, News has become a 24/7 vehicle. We can no longer react to breaking news, or spot news but be pro-active in our Enterprise reporting. In other words tackling the very topics you discuss. "curbing violence" issues, and not just a spot news story on a shooting. I have yet another blog coming on on how stations in Denver are embracing technology to create a 24/7 newsroom. Lets take a cue from Sports technology, and give news reporting the kind of depth it deserves. Thanks again for your comment.
smart news
With the word smart in the headline ,sadly that leaves out many managers in local news who still think they can hold audiences hostage with ideas from 1980.Local news managers all too often are not from the city they work in and they bring to the job old ideas (car crashes, fires) of what the audience really wants .When is the last time a local news manager ever listened to a community?
The good news is that the new media will surge ahead and that consumers will dictate the changes
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