This isn't about news promotion specifically - but about a change in local news that will affect us all.
I've been predicting this for years and now it may be coming true. FTV Live is reporting today that WNBC in New York is planning a 24-hour newschannel. To me, this seems to make sense.
The idea that people will make appointment television at 11pm to see the news is becoming extremely outdated. The internet, 24-hour national news and the use of DVRs make this an "I want news when I want it - not when you give it to me" world.
DVRs are especially making it hard to get people into the tent for the late news. Think about it - a long time ago you had to actually WATCH a TV show when it came on. How silly that has become! Now, you can watch "Lost" or "CSI" on your DVR whenever you want. More and more people are timeshifting their most favorite of programs - so what makes us think people will make an appointment to watch your dumb news series? I forget when my favorite shows are even on now. I'm used to the DVR so I'm now conditioned to NOT make appointment television.
So this is where 24-hour news makes the most sense. It won't get the big ratings a newscsast gets because viewers will be more spread out throughout the day. It won't have the quality because there is too much time to fill. FTVLive reports WNBC would use VJs to accomplish this. VJs in the #1 market! The quality will be lower - but stations will be able to give viewers what they want - news on demand.
I'm not for the loss of quality, far from it. I think local news has sunk to new lows as it is. But for everyone who still fights the station's website "because it takes away from the newscasts" - know that the future has arrived. We must change our industry to keep up - or face extinction.
And then what would we promote!!!?
4 comments:
I think local 24 Hour News channels (in the bigger cities, anyway) is the future (until Internet TV wipes all broadcast away). As you said, fewer and fewer people are making appointments to watch TV when the networks or local stations tell us we have to watch it.
The best stations will be able to do is have non-stop news, a la Headline News, and just repeat or update the news all day long, and when the viewers are interested in news, or hear about a breaking story, they'll turn to that channel.
Networks and local stations are fighting this trend so hard, but it's a losing battle. Viewers are in control, and if they don't cater to us, we'll bury them. The last bit of leverage they have is that the idiot-proof Internet TV box hasn't been perfected yet. And for that, I don't see what the holdup is. How hard is this? Make a box that allows you to access any Flash video (or Quicktime video) through your TV at full TV resolution.
The minute I can access Hulu.com or YouTube or FunnyorDie.com from couch and watch it on my TV, traditional TV is dead.
Long live the Internet! Viva Internet! Huzzah!
What I'm hearing is that WNBC is dropping the WNBC identity, which I personally don't think is a very good move... I guess it makes sense from the TV/internet standpoint, but I like the tradition of the station brand to be in there.
you are spot on here... it's time to embrace the technology and use it to our advantage - local news is slip sliding away
-nick
Your right local news does need to embrace technology but VJs and 24 hour news is not the answer. Those experiments have failed time and time again(Houston, San Antonio, San Fransico, Nashville and has anyone seen a NY1 newscast?). Local TV needs to sell out to the web and on demand and learn how to effectively sell it.
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