Some of you might say this blog is from Captain Obvious. But I figured I would write it anyway to maximize the enormous digital opportunity on Christmas. We’ve learned that Christmas Day is a huge digital day. Folks are getting new phones, new tablets, wearables and other connected devices. And as the wrapping paper is [...]
The attacks in Paris really hit home for me this weekend – as they have for many Americans. And so has the disappointing local TV coverage of this huge international story with direct implications in all of our hometowns. Friday night, my daughter was getting on a plane in Boston to return to college in [...]
Maybe it’s me. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations … that stations take on their digital products in an aggressive, relevant and meaningful way. But after all, it is the future (and the now). This weekend showed that many stations are still living in their traditional analog world, focused on TV and missing a digital opportunity to [...]
The GM woke up from a nightmare. In a cold sweat, all he/she could think about was something from the nightmare, when the network affiliate relations representative said on the phone: "We've enjoyed our relationship for the past 50 years, but when our contract expires we won't be renewing it." The conversation continued: "Who will [...]
What's the first touch point for your brand on a daily basis? For increasing numbers of local television stations, that answer is "an app." More than many newscasts and probably way more than your website, the app is a growing point of contact for consumers. So who is producing app content in your newsroom? Chances [...]
Most people don’t shock easily anymore, not after a decade of beheadings and school shootings and families murdered in their homes and wall-to-wall coverage of airplanes intentionally being flown into mountains (or vanishing altogether). This week, as we learned the details of the murder of WDBJ’s Allison Parker and Adam Ward, we felt shock. And [...]
Imagine if viewers tuned in to your newscast and saw a complete hash -- random soundbites, video from news conferences, click-bait video, a reporter’s story from two days ago and a weather forecast recorded six hours earlier -- all jumbled together for no apparent reason. Well, guess what? That’s probably what they get from your [...]
I love the Fourth of July. It’s become the second most important holiday on our family calendar, behind only the Christmas/New Year week, which is often more work than fun. But Independence Day, in addition to forcing us all to take pause and consider our freedoms, is about family, tradition and fun in the sun. [...]
One of the interesting things about starting a new job is learning how the team works as a unit. As I wind down my first week at CJ&N, I’m delighted to report that the spirit of creative collaboration thrives here. This group works together to attack challenges and issues with a freedom of thought that [...]
Come on. Really? Reporters taking selfies at murder scenes? Smiling reporters in front of tornado damaged homes? News teams posing with guns pointed at the camera with a smile on their faces. A producer posting a tweet hoping police will use real bullets on protestors. A post from a newsroom with wrong information because they [...]
