Local TV: A Common Currency

Like almost everyone, I've been watching those dramatic Olympic stories play out on TV. 

What's happening in Vancouver has become the "common currency" of a lot of conversations.  Did you see those snowboarders?  Is the Russian ice skater a sorehead?  Did you see that skier fall as he crossed the finish line? 

Much of America is watching NBC each night, according to Nielsen.  You might say, "Well, this is the Olympics - what do you expect?"  Ratings will likely disappear when the games are over.  But television networks - and television in general - still have the power to command a mass audience with the right programming.

It's a fact that seems often overlooked in the discussion of the new media landscape.  Much of our industry's attention seems to be directed towards the "long tail" - those incremental increases possible by satisfying the needs of a niche audience.  There certainly can be a business in becoming a news source for a neighborhood, for example, or a particular demographic like young mom's or retirees. 

But some local television newscasts are still that valued place where people come to see what's going on in their area, or to learn when the next storm is expected.  Real substitutes are few.  With the right combination of content, personalities and unique style, local television stations can command the attention of a very diverse and large audience in a geographic area. 

Research shows us that more people each day watch local newscasts than download a video or visit one of a million websites. Sure, there's business in niche websites and narrow demographic targeting, and we certainly face more competition than ever before.  But compelling and relevant stories that appeal to our unique geographic audiences never go out of style. 

Maybe we should think less about chasing every stray set of eyeballs and more on how to make local television less boring and predictable.  Your station can become the "common currency" in your market.  You can win the gold if you're willing to make the commitment. 

- John Altenbern

Casting Characters

In his blogs on Why Local Newscasts Are Getting Easier to Ignore, Bruce Northcott talks about how there are no characters who deliver the news. The truth is, there aren't many Bill Bonds out there any more, and those people that do have something to say probably have their own cable shows. There are some who are willing to take chances, but they don't always have something interesting to say.

There are few people who can and do know when to color outside the lines. If that person exists in your newsroom, it's important to give him/her license to do it. And you must have a producer, director and production team on board to support it. If the producer is yelling "wrap, wrap, wrap!!!" in the IFB of someone trying to make a point, the likelihood of that being a real moment is greatly diminished.

And this is where life isn't fair... just because you give one anchor the license to be a greater voice, doesn't mean you have to give that freedom to everyone. That's how newscasts end up with those comments after stories that are trite, or cross talks that are inside and "optional," because they're about the anchors and not about the issues or the stories. Not everyone can pull it off.

If I were casting the players for a station, there would be at least one character - a leader with a voice. (Ideally, you'd have one for each daypart.) And that leader would be smart - smart enough to know when to push the format aside and have something to say.

- Laura Hernandez

Frank Magid... Another Side of the Man

You probably have heard of the passing of Frank Magid. Every member of the CJ&N team is a veteran of the Magid company.  His death naturally brings back a lot of memories for all of us, but especially for CJ&N Partner Bruce Northcott.  Here are Bruce's thoughts on Frank:  

You learn a lot about a guy working at his side for twenty years... most of that time I was president of "Frank's" company. I can't count the number of people who've asked me to say something personal about Frank since he died last week. I've resisted until now.

At the heart of Frank's success was his curiosity. About human behavior and TV, of course. But it went well beyond that. How about wooden boats? Or ancient nearly forgotten cultures? You bet. And what about all those great hide outs like Wilson, Wyoming?  St. Mary's Point, Minnesota? Or Long Island, Antigua? Sure.

I'll never forget the long walks (forced marches, actually) across Manhattan, San Francisco, the Tetons or even Las Vegas... part of it was his dogged fitness regimen, but most had to do with his wanting to get a closer look at the people, places and things along the way. Really, it was about his curiosity. Frank always had another question or two no matter the topic of conversation... shoes, wine, government. He was fascinated by, and wanted to know more about, just about everything.

That's what I'll remember about the guy. Not the TV stuff. Not the pressure to build "Frank's" company. Not the struggles to recruit people to live and work in Marion, Iowa. More than anything I'll think of his seemingly insatiable curiosity that was at the heart of his genius.

It was tough to break up the way we did, but there was even good news in that. It lead to the formation and success of CJ&N 12 years ago. So, thanks Frank, for teaching me a little bit about TV and a whole lot about the sort of greatness that can come from a healthy vigorous curiosity. 

- Bruce Northcott

Super Bowl Ads: Entertaining or Effective?

This weekend millions of dollars will be on the line during the Super Bowl. But I'm not talking about the action in Vegas, I'm talking about the gambling advertisers will be doing with each spot they air. Each year they take chances with massive amounts of money to buy airtime and some take even more chances in creating a message they hope will break through the clutter.

This ritual has become one of the biggest reasons why people watch the game. Ever since 1984 when Apple broke the mold, critics rate the commercials, viewers vote in web polls, and the networks produce entire programs showcasing the good, the bad and the most humorous.

The links below look at some of the best and worst commercials over the past 25 years. And while there's plenty of debate over what's a good spot, there is little discussion about whether a spot is effective. Did it accomplish the goals of the advertiser or did the marketing goals get lost in an effort to break through the clutter? What do you think?

It's a great debate because television Creative Services Directors are being challenged every day to create station promotion that's different and "breaks through the clutter."

10 Best Super Bowl Ads from MSNBC

10 Worst Super Bowl Ads from MSNBC

Best and Worst Super Bowl Ads from Time

- Dave Tressel

Local News and the Populist Uprising

Are you part of the populist uprising?

If you haven't noticed, there's a populist uprising going on in the country.  People are mad. They don't think government works for them and those fat cats down at the bank who took all that taxpayer money are now denying loans while writing themselves obscene bonus checks. 

In this environment, local television news should hardly be sitting on the sidelines.  In Chicago, long-time WBBM reporter Jay Levine reported on a wealthy suburb's plan to renovate its high school - to the tune of $174 million dollars.  As Levine pointed out, that's more money than President Obama originally sent to Haiti for earthquake relief! 

Today, the critic's chorus in Chicago is taking Levine and WBBM to task.  Levine, they say, is "pontificating."  He's unfairly characterizing the proposed underground parking at the high school as "heated."  (Hey, it's 10 degrees on a Chicago parking lot this morning - underground is 50.  That IS heated!)  His report, say the critics, may have even led voters to defeat the bond issue (62% of almost 13,000 voters rejected it) for school renovation.
Hogwash!

At a time when local television news better get off its duff if it wants to survive, we need more reporting like Levine's.  The usual "straight down the middle," bland, vanilla reporting is going to be lost in the noise.  Why do we want to produce material that is so easy to ignore? 

If you live in South Chicago and your kid's school is a dump, you're sitting on the couch asking the same questions Levine is raising about the gold-plated renovation.  Why shouldn't television news have an attitude?  Your viewers certainly do.  And they might actually appreciate - and not turn off - a newscast that takes a risk or two. 

- John Altenbern

I rest my case... More on Why Local Newscasts are Getting Easier to Ignore

Just last week I wrote about bland on-air personalities being one of the reasons why local newscasts are getting easier to ignore. Agreed, there are other factors, of course. But, in my mind, we need more characters in local newscasts. They are all gone... or at least most of them.

On the heels of my rant, last week results of a new Harris Poll that identifies America's Favorite Television Personalities was released. In it, author Regina A. Corso says, "One of the joys of watching television is seeing characters and over-sized personalities." After more than 30 years researching local newscasts, I am convinced viewers love bigger than life personalities on TV. Corso makes that notion the centerpiece of her new study.

So, why do we, in local television, keep putting on safe, look-alike, sound-alike on-air people? The smart-aleck answer is that we have a death wish! The truth is that the real-decision makers in local television are not big risk takers. I urge clients all the time to hire people who don't look and sound like everyone else on TV... and, who have something to say about the world around them.

The people who topped the new Harris Poll:
1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Glenn Beck
3. Jay Leno
4. Ellen DeGeneres
5. Hugh Laurie

OK, I know they are not "news" people, but all of them (and most on down the list) look and sound very different than everyone else on TV. And they all clearly have something to say about the world around them. You may not always, or ever, agree with them, but they are opinionated.

What is the lesson for local TV? I made the case in my blog last week. Harris seems to support the premise. Now, get out there and hire someone unique for your next key on-air opening. Make sure they also have something to say about your community and the world around them.

If we don't do it as an industry, we're going to continue down a road that simply "makes local newscasts to easy to ignore."
- Bruce Northcott