Many say we “missed it.” I think they’re right. Critics say the media didn’t get it because they are “media elites” who are out of touch with the people. And I think they’re right. Honestly, I didn’t quite understand the meaning of “media elites” at first. But I think I do now. Many of us [...]
Disgust. Uneasiness. Anger. As voters put an end to election season tomorrow (hopefully), these aren’t the feelings generally associated with declaring winners. Those words also apply to how many people view the news media. So for news organizations, striking the right tone on election night is important. Here are some big picture thoughts before you [...]
A discussion this morning with my colleagues on offering push notifications prompted further discussion and thought about why it’s so common in this business to boil things down to yea or nay. Crosstalk or no crosstalk, instead of, what kind, or how to do the best. It is a frustration of many managers I work with [...]
You’ll hear it in almost every newscast: “…And you can download our app for breaking news and weather.” In many newscasts, it’s said the same way every day around the same time. In fact, odds are the copy is in the “format master” so the producer or anchors don’t have to add it. Unfortunately, it [...]
I live in an area known for frequent power outages. We could lose power for hours in little more than a strong gust of wind. Recently, when a series of predicted storms started to approach the area, I immediately plugged in all of our devices to make sure we were charged up. Honestly, I was getting [...]
This weekend’s coverage of the 9/11 anniversary and related political stories had me shaking my head in amazement. As I was reading tweets, Facebook posts and coverage about Hillary Clinton and her leaving the 9/11 ceremonies early, it struck me (again) how news organizations have changed. If you’ve been around more than a few years, [...]
We see it almost every day on TV when viewers send cell phone video. They shoot great video of a chase, a reunion or some breaking news - but because of the way the phone was held more than half the screen has no video when it shows up on TV. The reason is simple. [...]
When was the last time you opened your station’s news or weather app and actually used it? Was it... When you first downloaded it? A month ago? Last week? Or you don’t remember? I’ve learned that stations don’t do enough quality control. Here’s an example. We have a client station that has one of the [...]
A good friend of mine struggles to figure out her computer and phone. In her world, files disappear and mysteriously move never to be seen again. When she explains her latest frustration, people are curious: Why does she have these problems when some of us facing the same thing bungle along and figure out a [...]
I hadn’t even planned to attend my caucus here in Iowa this year. But when a sudden change in my travel schedule put me at home Monday night it seemed like a good way to spend the evening. Driving to a local elementary school I was stuck in a stream of cars coming out of my [...]
