Seeing what WKYC did with their spot reminds me of something I did while at KHOU in Houston.
We had the confession tapes of a notorious serial killer - who, by a flaw in the system, could have been released from prison.
The confessions were graphic. They were haunting. They were creepy as hell.
We did the typical "hear from a madman" spots... but I wanted to do one more.
So in true television whore fashion, I aired a spot in primetime the night of the piece - probably during CSI. It featured grainy black and white footage and a voice over:
Tonight, a warning for our viewers of 11 News at 10.
Our report on the confession tapes of Coral Eugene Watts contains disturbing recollections of a serial killer's Houston slayings.
Be advised this material may be upsetting to some. Viewer discretion is advised.
We kind of got in trouble because it caught the GM off guard(oops... don't make that mistake again) but we won that night... big.
Who can resist a news story about a serial killer that comes with a warning!!!
Sensational? Probably. Effective? You bet.
6 comments:
Since "sensationalism" was brought up, let's talk "promo producer ethics", its reflection on your station's news image, and your personal feelings.
That seems to be the big elephant in the room many of us ignore until someone calls us on it (IE - Jon Stewart, media critics, your own news department, friends (who now think you're the devil), etc).
i disagree if ur tryin to get pple at homes attention then u gotta shcok them and thats wht the comercial for wkyc does.
anyone have advice for someone in college trying to break into tv?
I'm the producer who produced the WKYC spot and I've got to tell you that was one of the hardest spots to do. You want to talk about personal feelings vs. professional obligations, this story was the epitome of that conflict.
When I saw what was happening to this woman, I literally started shaking and was outraged at the scene. I wanted to see the officers pay for what they did. But I also knew I had a story to promote.
The promo is out of character for what we would normally do, so you could call it sensational. I did struggle with that. I couldn't show the video because of it's graphic nature. But I truly believe that using the sound was the only way to break through the clutter. We also only ran it after 10pm at night while airing a more straightforward spot during the day.
Jay- Shocking people is not always the way to go. You have to make sure that how you promote a story matches the content viewers will find in your newscast. If you promise one thing in a promo, and the newscast delivers something different, you've betrayed the audiences expectaions and that's not the way to build viewer loyalty. You have to make sure the tone of your promo matches your brand and content. If you wonder why people don't trust local news as much as thye used to, one reason is because they get tired of stations trying to scare them out of their wits, over something that may not happen to them. We've cried wolf long enough.
In the case of Strip Search, the promo and the story went hand in hand, with the exception being that you could actually see the video of what was happening.
I can't remember how many times I've had to argue with a reporter about what should be in a promo, usually the investigative folks. They want the confrontation or the sensational headline. I had one reporter question why I didn't use a shot of a girl's bloody hand after her fingers were blown off by an M-80. And what was the story about? How she was being prostituted by her mother. And the hand is relevant how?
Look every promo producer has had a similar battle with news. Whether you ignore the big elephant or fight for what you believe is in your station and the audience's best interests, is the biggest dilema we face. Do we always win? No. But at least fighting for your beliefs can sometimes ease the discomfort of producing something you know in your heart and mind isn't in the best interest of the viewers.
Good for you WKYCPromo. Sucks when the promo department has to be the little angel on News' shoulder. Devil is much more fun.
I've used some version of 'parental guidance suggested' a couple of times when it was appropriate. While it CAN be an additional sell to your promo, you should never use it only for that purpose. I'll get on a soapbox about that. Only use it when necessary, or it will lose its power just like 'exclusive' and 'only on' have.
I agree... I used that warning once for a story that frankly should have had a warning.
You can't draw attention to yourself this way very often... KHOU is very well known for their journalistic credibility and in the grand scheme of things - the spot wasn't all that sensational.
To me it created intrigue for a story that lived up to the hype.
I believe in pushing the envelope when appropriate and in this very particular case - it worked.
Well said WKYC. I'd like to see the "more straight-forward" promo that ran during the day to compare. BTW- I voted for you promo.
Post a Comment