This screen shot of local Atlanta Station WXIA's website shows a great example of how to get more stories told through citizen video submissions.
By now, almost every public relations professional is “in the know” or even a regular practitioner in the growing trend of social media marketing and PR, but a good amount of work with traditional media outlets still takes place. And although print newsrooms seem to be adapting fairly quickly to gain an online presence, it definitely appears that TV newsrooms are falling behind.
Over the past few months while pitching Camp Jam’s 16-citywide Spring Tour, I realized that weekend staffers have been the first to go from print publications, with arts and entertainment writers or any specialized beat reporters in the living/lifestyle departments in a close second. Typically this would mean a serious decline in the amount of feature stories being covered, but print newsrooms are including an array of online editorial sections, such as staff-written blogs, citizen-media blogs and niche blogs. The additional online reporting allows for more opportunity and therefore more stories, even the “weird” stories that certain publications are now dedicating space to (i.e. MSNBC.com). And even better, the niche blogs reach targeted groups, like the mom blogs that I pitched for Camp Jam’s Spring Tour, so that the story becomes more relevant for readers.
Fortunately, this medium allows for the ability to easily share links, bookmark pages and store information permanently, which is actually better for the news outlet, client and reader. See examples below:
These features also help eliminate the need for clipping services, which is a whole other story in itself, so I won’t digress.
On the other hand, this is not the case with most local TV stations. TV newsroom staffs are also declining, again on the weekends, however this time there are no alternate means for the story to be told to the built in audiences of local television outlets. While CNN and other mainstream networks are stepping things up with video podcasts and the acceptance of video submissions from non-journalists for citizen-told stories, the majority of local stations are doing none of the above. Granted, most stations do archive videos that can be easily shared (i.e. Fox 2 Now), but this is simply a repeat of what’s already been broadcast for the day. In short, some local stations are catching on, like http://www.nbcwashington.com/, but the majority hasn’t yet gotten there.
What does this mean? That the company being pitched, the TV stations and viewers are all missing out. Not only does said company not get its story told, but stations lose the opportunity to get more news to its audience and viewers are left without a good mix of local breaking news, community events and entertainment stories.
I think local stations should start taking tips from the major players and begin investing more resources toward online-only video stories, whether from their own staff or outside contributors. Another option could even include student journalist interns, who work on weekends and shoot web videos with a focus on softer news. It would be cost-effective and a great learning experience for up and comers.
Point being: regardless of what the exact solution is, and it could be different for each individual station, TV could be doing more. And, I hope they do it fast, as it will be a win, win situation for everyone.
