Have you seen HQ? I’m talking about the app called HQ. Actually, I hadn’t seen it until my 34-year-old son showed it to me last week. It seems to be hot among millennials. Chances are GMs, station managers and news directors will say the same thing I did: Why didn’t I think of that? The [...]
Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t get it. Why do some TV stations continue making Facebook their primary platform for breaking news and especially breaking video instead of their own platforms? Why not make sure the content gets on the station’s revenue platforms? Facebook is a marketing platform. Sure, use it to tell people [...]
Amazing. Unbelievable. Engaging. The live images we saw from the local stations and cable networks covering the Hurricane Harvey aftermath were almost overwhelming. Technology has pushed live reporting to a new level. Crews weren’t stuck to a stationary position tethered to a microwave or satellite truck. Viewers were taken live into the middle of the [...]
Why do stations do so many Facebook Live posts that don’t drive revenue or views to the station’s revenue platforms (air, apps or website)? Yes, you can make money by being very focused with a Facebook revenue strategy. Last month I moderated a webinar for Broadcasting & Cable talking about how stations are using Facebook [...]
If you’re using the summer months to review your TV station’s digital and social media tactics and strategies (and you should be), make sure you consider how you’re presenting video. Whether it’s Instagram, Snapchat or the “godfather” Facebook, there’s no question the focus should be on images and video. For most stations, posting video means [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
“Can you hear me now?” Remember the Verizon ad? (As if pop culture will ever let us forget it). When it comes to your news mobile app, let’s change it to, “Can you see me now?” Can you see the images, weather maps and graphics I just put in your Facebook feed on your cell [...]
I spend a fair amount of time cruising various station Facebook pages while watching TV in the evening (cable, streaming, DVR). I know it’s quite a life I lead. Really, it’s ok. It gives me chance to second screen – sometimes third screen - to see what’s happening around the country and what people are [...]
