Multimedia Minutes: This Franchise Recruits Viewers

May 26th, 2010

One of the most powerful franchises we ever tested is simple in concept:  Alert viewers to neighborhood crime trends so they can protect themselves.  Many viewers say they’ll leave their favorite station to watch it because personal safety is important to them.  Here’s an example of the concept.

Sharpen your skills as a multimedia journalist by watching the videos under Recent Posts — fast becoming the largest on demand 24/7 library of learning videos for MMJs in the world.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 31 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: Dealing with “That’s a Silly Question”

April 30th, 2010

Savvy officials and politicians know how to manage the media — especially multimedia journalists new to their craft.  One of the ways they can cut you down is by responding ”That’s a silly question.” 

It can make you feel incompetent.  But you can rise to the occasion, as the reporter in this promo did.

You also saw in this spot how asking the tough questions to get answers for your viewers represents a powerful brand of journalism.  It takes preparation and courage on your part, but it’s way to thrive in an Extinct or Distinct environment. 

Same for anchors.  In this case, Greg Floyd at WRGB-TV get out from the anchor test to ask the tough questions.  A great example of anchor as Chief Journalist and Viewer Advocate.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 2 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: Can You See Your Target?

April 24th, 2010

The most successful multimedia journalists have a clear understanding of what success is.  And that’s beyond the basics of getting the facts right and the video in focus.  For example, when it comes to viewer advocacy — a brand of journalism for many stations — they know what to shoot for.

After the commodity news — the news of the day all stations over — strive to get answers to the most important viewer questions about the most important issues.  Then fact find by going the extra steps.  Use transparency to tell viewers what you’re doing, so you’ll get credit.  But ultimately what stands out in viewers’ minds are the tough questions you ask, holding people in power accountable.

This presents a huge opportunity because your competition’s target is likely mushy.  Besides, many multimedia journalists’ questions are softballs — the easy stuff.  You’re in a great position to, in a nice way, hold officials accountable for how they’re spending taxpayer money or following through on their campaign promises.

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Multimedia Minutes: Start with Video or Anchors in Promos?

April 24th, 2010

You sometimes see your video begin your station’s promos, and sometimes the anchor on camera kicks off the promo.  Probably no surprise to you, but the video wins out.  At least, every time we tested.  This holds true even for strong anchors.

This shows second-by-second viewer interest in our so-called Real Time Response research.  The higher the line, the more viewers are engaged.  That holds true for both the station’s staff and for viewers.

Also, when you’re providing video to promote your story, start strong.  Holding the best shots for last or for the story itself loses you viewers.  Unless you start strong, many viewers won’t stick around.  After all, they see it as a commercial.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 4 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: Getting Excited over Shoes

April 21st, 2010

Multimedia journalists and other employees ultimately set one station/Web site apart from the competition. 

I was reminded of that when I received a card from an employee of Zappos.com.  I had called to ask a question about an item on their Web site.

Elizabeth’s card accompanied a book — the “Culture Book” — with more than 300 pages about the culture including descriptions of the culture by dozens of employees.

Core values, which drive the culture, include “Be passionate and determined.”  Elizabeth raved about the company, which has been so successful in the shoe business that Amazon bought it for more than one billion dollars.

If employees in the shoe business — and now other retail products – are that excited about their company and core values, imagine the opportunities we have in a field with much more a WOW factor.

TAKEAWAYS

If you’re a multimedia journalist:

Ask your news director about the station’s core values and culture.

Determine what your role should be, ideally.

If the core values seem mushy, write down your own and decide what you’ll do differently.

Discuss those values with your news director.

If you’re a news director:

Define the station’s core values in terms they understand — like “We ask the tough questions that viewers want answered.”

Get the reaction of your staff because they’re they ones to bring it to life.

If you’ve done this before, this will serve to reinforce your station’s beliefs.

BOTTOM LINE

Whether you’re in the shoe business or serving as a viewer advocate through multimedia channels, you need to stand for something.  And, ideally, get excited about those beliefs.  If not, find what does excite you.  Elizabeth did.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 3 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: Four Most Important Questions in Story Planning

April 21st, 2010

If you ask these questions, you can immediately improve your visual storytelling.  If you struggle with the first question, you might want to find another story.

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Multimedia Minutes: “We Work So Hard But Don’t Get Credit”

April 19th, 2010

“We kick butt, so why don’t viewers see how much better we are than the competition?  That’s a frequent question.  Especially following a research presentation showing no progress on the content front.  Or flat ratings.

The answer can be simple.  Doing a better job than the other guys may be obvious to you, but not to your viewers.  You have to tell them in the newscasts what’s uniquely valuable, and you don’t need to use the tired word ”exclusive” to do it.

Here are strong examples of showcasing your competitive advantages from a couple of KEPR-TV/Pasco, Washington newscasts.  These are just excerpts.  You’ll find the key words in bold type.

HUNDREDS OF KIDS ARE SET TO ATTEND A BRAND NEW KENNEWICK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THIS FALL.  BUT MONTHS AGO — WE DISCOVERED A MAJOR CONCERN — ACCESS TO THE NEW SCHOOL COULD BE A PROBLEM.  AND TONIGHT — KEPR LEARNED THE NEW ROAD TO COTTONWOOD WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE READY BY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL — AND MAY EVEN BE AS LATE AS NEXT YEAR.   

WE KNOW YOU RELY ON US TO TELL YOU WHEN PRICES ARE SUDDENLY JUMPING.  AND KEPR FOUND THAT’S THE CASE WITH BUILDING SUPPLIES.      IF YOU WERE WORKING ON A DECK FOR THE SUMMER — YOU’LL FIND THE PRICE OF LUMBER IS THROUGH THE ROOF IN JUST THE LAST FEW WEEKS.  

A FEW WEEKS AGO  WE DISCOVERED A WAY FOR YOU TO SAVE MONEY ON OUTSTANDING PARKING TICKETS IN HERMISTON.   SINCE THEN WE CHECKED BACK IN WITH HERMISTON TO SEE IF PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SAVINGS.

LAST NIGHT KEPR ACTION NEWS BROKE THE STORY OF A KENNEWICK FAMILY LIVING WITH BARELY ANY RUNNING WATER — FOR MORE THAN A WEEK.  TONIGHT WE LEARNED THE FAMILY IS GOING FORWARD WITH A COMPLAINT THROUGH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE.   

WE DISCOVERED — IN THE LAST FIVE-YEARS — METH LAB BUSTS IN THE COUNTY DROPPED FROM 91 ALL THE WAY DOWN TO FIVE.   THERE’S AN EASY EXPLANATION FOR THE DRASTIC DROP — YOU NOW NEED PSEUDOEPHEDRINE PRESCRIPTION IN OREGON.  THAT CHANGE WAS MADE FIVE-YEARS AGO — AND IT’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DRAMATIC RESULTS EVER SINCE.  BUT WE DUG EVEN DEEPER — AND FOUND THE DRUG OF CHOICE MAY HAVE NOW GONE FROM METH TO POT.  

 WE’VE LEARNED THAT HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS ARE COMING TO WALLA WALLA.  THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS GETTING MILLIONS IN GRANT MONEY TO EXPAND A GREEN JOBS TRAINING CENTER.

You’ll notice the emphasis on key words like “learned” and “discovered.”  They speak to competitive advantage with viewers, but feel free to communicate your journalistic edge in your own words.

KEPR-TV news director Robin Wojtanik says achieving this level of showcasing and sustaining it in every newscast takes constant vigilance.

Put your copy to the test.  Look at the last story you wrote or last newscast you produced, and ask this question:

“How clear is the competitive advantage — something important to viewers that they can’t get on the competition?”

If you’re a news manager, ask the same question as you look at the local news page of your Web site.  If it looks like you’re lost in a Sea of Sameness, identify what sets you apart and take credit.  Every newscast.  You can’t tell viewers “You watched the wrong newscast.”

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 4 Comments »

Multimedia Minutes: Lacking the Right Elements Can Sink a Story

April 16th, 2010

“My story would have been much better if I had the time.”   We hear that quite often from multimedia journalists.

It’s true, of course.  But the bigger issue is to anticipate the strongest elements you’ll need, then gauge the chances of being able to pull them together in just one day.  You must be realistic.  You can’t tell a producer at 3:30 p.m. that important elements failed to pan out.  You can, but you put the producer in a bind.

The more successful multimedia journalists make calls to ensure they have several stories working, so they don’t have to turn just “day of” material.  For example, in a story about a crime trend, they’ll have a crime victim available because they made calls a day or two before.  If breaking a story about bullying in the schools, they’ll have a parent and child lined up.

This reporter who did this package forged ahead.  But time ran out, making it difficult for her to create compelling television with limited elements.  We’ve all been in this situation.  The lesson is not to slot a story needing these elements.

For more learning videos, click on Recent Posts to the right.

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 1 Comment »

Multimedia Minutes: The Key to Writing Better Package — Insights from a Major Market MMJ

March 11th, 2010

What’s the key to writing better packages?  Is it writing the story first in your head?  We asked those questions via Skype to WUSA/Washington, DC multimedia journalist Scott Broom, who’s been on the cutting edge of the new technology.

You might enjoy some of Scott’s stories:

Multimedia Minutes: How to Shoot Your Own Stand-Ups

February 26th, 2010

Here’s how to shoot your own stand-ups.  Tips from an MMJ who does just that.�

Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 15 Comments »