Let’s face it. Newscasts have changed very little over the years despite major technological upheaval elsewhere. It’s time for a different news format, one that embraces the gritty, visceral nature of the internet. Television news needs to mirror the internet viewing experience and embrace the interaction that web sites (especially blogs) have with their audience.
It’s time for News in the Raw.
A format that offers the transparency that internet savvy viewers demand. A news format that captures the appeal of internet video, yet still provides the requisite editorial judgment and perspective. A format that invites viewer participation via “comments” – an opportunity for viewers to get involved with your newscast.
It’s time for News in the Raw.
TV News Looks The Same as 10-20 Years Ago
Most newscasts today are slickly packaged with fancy graphics and carefully orchestrated time limits. Most programs still feature two anchors sitting behind a desk. Reporters are occasionally invited on-set. Weather and sports still get their own segments. Look and sound familiar to 1990? 1980? 1970?
News stories are spoonfed to viewers and carefully controlled. This same format has been used for the past fifty years despite growing evidence that its allure has lessened.
What if the presentation became more visceral? More transparent to viewers. After all, the internet has provided people with first hand, unvarnished access to many events and ideas.
Why not embrace this new dynamic? Present news in a way that satisfies the hunger viewers have for seeing events unfiltered due to the myriad video options on the web.
Seize upon this opportunity. Create a news environment in which viewers become partners in seeing “how the sausage is made.”
It’s time for News in the Raw.
Capture the Internet Viewing Experience
Imagine an anchor positioned near a large monitor. He introduces and comments on raw footage of various stories. The footage is not slickly packaged, although extraneous scenes have been edited. He offers an ongoing perspective of what he sees.
He assumes the role a viewer would as they watch stories unfold. The arrangement mirrors the situation in which a viewer watches videos on various web sites.
Where appropriate, the anchor debriefs a reporter regarding the footage. It’s a discussion similar to the one that would happen between two people watching events as they transpire. Full, in depth. Unfiltered. ‘What’s happening here?” “Where are the police now?”
The reporter can describe the mood of events as they occurred. She can provide timelines as to when certain things took place and how the action unfolded. The anchor / reporter interaction allows for greater perspective and shines a light on the reporter’s newsgathering skills.
Reporters and anchors interact more and feed on each other’s energy. The audience gets a front row seat as to news events as they unfold.
The anchor handles other stories shot by photogs without a reporter. Again, the anchor zeroes in on the most visceral aspects of the footage. He serves as the tour guide of the tape as it rolls. He has the background information that allows him to add meaning.
The key is to provide viewers with a personal, first hand look at events. Have the presentation mirror the feeling one has looking at footage on the internet with a friend or colleague. The anchor shares the viewing experience with the audience in a way that “talks to” rather than “talking at” viewers.
Get the Audience Involved via “Comments”
Giving viewers the opportunity to comment on stories adds another internet element to News in the Raw. This arrangement mirrors the audience involvement fostered by the “comments” section on internet blogs. It gets your audience even more involved in the newscast.
Why not dedicate a short segment at the end of the newscast to present audience feedback? Talk about showcasing how viewers can connect with your newscast. Super the link to add comments during each story. Another option is to set up a specific account on Twitter for such purposes.
Present the comments accompanied by the most appropriate or striking footage of each story referenced. This approach adds more visual “punch” than a static graphic displaying the text. Direct viewers to a section on your web site that collects and displays all story comments.
Bring the Internet Experience to TV
News in the Raw is a striking contrast to traditional newscasts. It sacrifices “polish,” but makes the viewing experience more personal, more connected, and more reflective of what viewers experience using the internet.
It adds a more contemporary and updated feel to a format that has lost its allure. The presentation captures the internet “experience” that places a premium on having unvarnished access to a story rather than that of a limited, edited, and top down dissemination of information.
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