You can almost hear it. That clicking sound. It’s getting a bit louder every day. Can you hear it? Listen carefully. If you have spent time at an airport, a mall, or waiting in line to pay at the grocery store, then you’ve probably seen it or even been part of it. It’s the sound [...]
These days TV station managers understand how valuable and important Facebook is to reach users and viewers. But many find it a challenge to keep up with Facebook’s constantly changing rules and guidelines. Well, fair warning, Facebook is making another change that will impact your news, sales and promotion departments. Facebook wants to handcuff marketers [...]
We’re coming up on one of the more important mid-term elections we have seen in recent years. Couple this with declining newspaper readership, an increase in partisan driven websites and battles on social media over policies and candidates, and it means there is an opportunity for local newsrooms to rise above the fray. Now is [...]
I don’t know about your summer, but mine includes watching shows on DVR and, on weekends, the occasional “binge-viewing” of a cable series or Netflix show. I’m not alone. This week several network research gurus pooled their knowledge about how viewers are watching television this year. It’s an eye-opener if you haven’t seen the data. [...]
Sometimes a dose of reality can be pretty sobering, and scary. We’ve all heard about the cord cutters in the trades, but you don’t often get a sense of how real it is. I’m in the OLDER demo. I must have my cable channels along with my Netflix. I don’t have Hulu plus, and while [...]
Summer is the time to squeeze in vacations, sponsor festivals and, more importantly, take stock of your station’s situation. While HUTs often dip mid-summer this is a good time to step back and re-evaluate your product and promotion. Take the time now to make sure you’re on track with your goals, your strategy and timelines. [...]
Are you doing real local news? Relevant news? I’m not talking about the robbery at the 7-11; the two druggies on the street corner that shot one another; or another suspicious package that turned out to be someone’s lunch. Are you telling honest to goodness stories? Be critical of your newsgathering. Are you really digging [...]
Good storytelling begins and ends (especially begins) with good communication. And it’s really pretty simple: start with a strong lead sentence that “tells them what you’re gonna tell them.” You know, the one your English and/or journalism teacher insisted on. There’s a reason for it. When you start with a strong lead sentence that tells [...]
If you’re still trying not to “give away” the story on your teases and topicals, it’s time to update your strategy. You’ve likely seen the parodies making fun of the way doom is promised in news teases without revealing what is causing it. Even Dish TV has poked fun with a recent ad for its [...]
Look at your numbers over the past several years. Chances are your late news shares are down — in many markets, down double digits. Meanwhile people are watching television in huge numbers. Prime time has seen great numbers, cable is doing well, the Academy Awards were up, and then there’s Netflix, Hulu and the other [...]