Welcome to 2018. Amid all the usual predictions about our business, I’ve been thinking about the faces of local TV. As change and retirements seem to become more frequent, so does the notion that maybe it’s not about people anymore. Is it just a “content machine” we need to mind? There’s discussion that the network [...]
Sitting high and dry a thousand miles from the Harvey disaster unfolding in Texas gives you a different perspective on the story. As local stations in Texas and the networks do yeoman’s duty showing rescues and passing on information, our CJ&N colleagues are noting something else: The most useful sources of information and help for [...]
“Hi, I’m Hayden, nice to meet you,” she said in a rush. We had never met and we had three minutes to connect. She is a 20-year-old journalism student and in her eyes, I’m certain, I was some old guy with gray hair and a dubious understanding of her world. “What do you see yourself [...]
I just returned from a weekend trip out of state to see relatives – a whole house full of young couples, new babies and familiar old faces. In addition to lots of food and laughter, it gave me new appreciation for how people who aren’t in the “media bubble” see the world these days. I love [...]
In a focus group I sat in on last week, one local news viewer said, “There are plenty of places I can turn to for opinion, no matter if it is left, right or something else. I watch the local news because it isn’t like that.” According to our research, his viewpoint is shared by [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
