by Terry Segal on August 11, 2009
in Marketing
It seems like a good idea – make the day’s top story the lead in your news topical.
Think again.
Every other station is doing the same thing. Your topical gets lost in a sea of sameness. That’s okay if you’re the news leader. Viewers expect that station to run with this story. It has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Not the leader? All you’ve done is feed that monster with little to show in return.
Why not lead with a story that’s unique to your station? Stand apart from the others. Give viewers a distinct reason for watching your station.
You can always promote the day’s top story later in the topical. Give it a mention and let viewers know that your station is on top of things.
Give it exposure, but not prominence.
The importance of differentiating your product holds true in promotion as well as in the actual newscast itself. This effort never ends.
Successful stations work at creating an identity all their own. News and promotion are partners in making it happen.
by Terry Segal on August 10, 2009
in The Web
Here’s a simple, yet effective test for determining whether your news operation fully embraces the web.
Which scenario best describes how you treat a major breaking story on your website?
1) Fully report the story with appropriate copy and video as soon as possible.
2) Provide a detailed summary and alert viewers to full coverage at 5, 6 or 10.
The second option means you treat the web as a stepchild. You’re still protecting your televised newscast as the priority vehicle. You haven’t fully embraced the web.
This strategy may work in the short term, but who knows when the short term ends?
Get ahead of the curve and start fully using the web.
The web is not a vehicle to tease people about upcoming televised coverage or to delay the full release of details. These halfway measures display a limited web commitment to viewers.
A robust web commitment will strengthen, not lessen, your overall news image.
by Terry Segal on August 7, 2009
in Marketing
Don’t forget the impact of video in producing effective news teases. Writing alone does not create powerful teases. Strong visuals also serve as a hook to entice viewers.
Feel free to use your best video excerpts in the tease. In fact, it’s a must. These visuals grab the viewer’s attention. That’s your goal.
Avoid “saving” your best video for fear of giving the story away. Video works differently than copy in a tease.
The copy serves to create a sense of anticipation on the part of viewers. You want to set up a mystery of sorts that can only be solved by watching the report.
Copy that gives away the story resolution works against these purposes.
Video can evoke a visceral reaction in viewers that copy can’t. This reaction doesn’t depend on viewers having the full context of the story. The power of the visual itself is what serves as the lure.
People will readily watch intriguing video over and over. Using it in teases will not diminish its value in the story itself. In fact, its impact grows in the short term. People see how it relates to the story as a whole, giving it more meaning.
Movie studios always use their best video excerpts in trailers. They know it’s an effective way to sell the movie to audiences. Nothing is held back and people don’t object when they see the scene again in the movie.
Keep visuals top of mind when producing your teases. The right combination of copy and video will get your audience coming back for more.
Content is king. You’ve heard that expression used to describe the power that programming entities enjoy over distribution channels in today’s market.
It also describes an effective tactic in the local news battle. Stations that provide the best targeted and richest news content make life difficult for competitors. Successful businesses know what their customers want and then deliver it.
News is the product you “sell” to viewers. Everyone in your newsroom should understand this concept. They should also have a stake in creating that product – in both the idea phase and the actual production process. That means people focus as much on generating story ideas as they do in physically producing them.
Making this happen requires a shift in thinking at many stations.
Too Little Reporter Responsibility
Newsrooms have generally operated in a “top-down” fashion when handing out story assignments. The news director and/or assignment editor dole out stories to reporters. Management actually assumes too much responsibility in this area.
Too many newsrooms give reporters a veritable “free pass” in terms of generating story ideas. Yes, the investigative units (the few that remain) call a lot of their own shots. But the remaining reporters rely too heavily on handouts from management.
They’ll offer ideas for sweeps material when high profile stories get a lot of attention. Then, they become silent again after the measurement period ends.
What News Can Learn From Sales
News should take a cue from the sales department where management holds salespeople accountable. Sales execs fill out call sheets that detail their activities down to the number of calls and the outcome of each.
Not suggesting a reporter call sheet. It’s a different ball game in news. However, newsrooms need to create more of an accountability standard for reporter created material.
Make It Happen
Require that reporters generate story ideas on a weekly basis. Put the requirement in the job description.
Target the general assignment reporters. A reporter with a specialized beat (health, money, etc.) should already operate in this fashion.
Make reporters realize that story ideas are a necessary part of the job. The competitive landscape demands that you draw ideas from as wide a net as possible.
Content is king. Make sure all your reporters embrace this concept. It’s more than simply covering a good story. It’s contributing one in the first place.
by Terry Segal on August 4, 2009
in Weather
Weather news is considered a top priority for viewers. Stations have responded by investing heavily in the latest technology to showcase their commitment.
Yet, a simpler and less expensive option exists to accomplish the same goal. Its use demonstrates your commitment to viewer satisfaction.
Why not run a forecast driven weather crawl throughout the news program?
What’s the purpose in making viewers wait for information they consider a priority?
The forecast driven weather crawl would display:
- wakeup forecast
- next day forecast
- 5-7 day forecast
- current temperature (showcase local points of interest)
The current temperature bug that is widely is too limited in meeting the real demand for weather news. The forecast driven weather crawl contains the details that viewers require.
The disadvantage? Some would argue it eliminates the need to watch the weather segment. The crawl provides all the key information.
This argument places the interests of the station above those of its viewers. That approach comes across as short-sighted.
Today you need to create and seize every competitive advantage.
The advantage?
Customer satisfaction of the highest order. Viewers get the information they want in the most convenient fashion. No waiting. No need to deal with a rigid schedule.
Any business attuned to fulfilling customer desires stands to succeed.
Gone are the days when viewers had to adjust their schedules to fit yours. So many options today give the audience alternatives. You lose viewers when you fail to meet expectations.
You recognize that weather news is a priority for viewers. Give it to them in a way that shows you acknowledge that importance.
A parallel exists in the cable sports arena.
Look how well the crawl concept works for ESPN’s SportsCenter. This highlight program uses a crawl to give the latest scores and news throughout the telecast. Nothing is held back to protect stories that run later in the program.
Satisfying the viewer’s hunger for information takes top priority at ESPN. Consider it one of the keys to its success.
You can do the same at your station. Make weather news accessible and “on demand” during your newscasts. Use the forecast driven weather crawl. Demonstrate that you’re fully attuned to what your viewers want most.
They’ll reward you for doing so.
by Terry Segal on August 3, 2009
in Reporting
Stories on car accidents have become a staple of television news. Their significance to most of your viewers should be a cause for concern. How has or will a viewer’s life change as a result of running this story?
How does an accident, even when people are killed, affect 99% of your audience?
The above question is not meant to diminish the pain or suffering of loved ones or close friends.
Rather, it’s directed at the impact on that portion of your audience that far outnumber those who knew the accident participants.
It’s easy to understand why car accident stories are used so frequently:
- Good visuals
- Require only a photog – hopefully frees a reporter to chase another story
- Easy story to cover due to staff cutbacks and limited resources
- News staff lacks creativity to develop other stories
- Assignment desk too reliant on police scanner
- Inertia
Why not ask these questions when determining how relevant these stories are?
- Does the location experience a lot of accidents?
- Has the driver’s age seen a rash of recent accidents?
- Was the accident the result of unusual circumstances?
- Did the accident disrupt traffic patterns for an unusual length of time?
- Could the accident have been prevented?
All of the above give viewers, in addition to immediate family and close friends, valuable information. It puts the incident into perspective and allows viewers to judge its impact on their lives.
Can’t get such information right away? Delay airing the story and produce a followup piece. The story then becomes more than a simple accident item.
A story lacking this information isn’t relevant to the majority of your audience.
Why use it?
