I’ve Eaten The Forbidden Fruit – and I’m Now A Big Apple Fan!

May 29th, 2010

With some trepidation, I made the switch to an Apple MacBook Pro laptop in January of this year. (if you can call a computer with a dazzlingly-clear 17-inch screen a laptop). There was a bit of a learning curve – but I was amazed by two things: How intuitive the Mac was, and how terrific the Apple One-On-One trainers were.

As I spend my sixth decade roaming this earth, I wondered how difficult it would be to learn a whole new language, and way to use programs on a Mac. The answer – incredibly easy. First off those Apple trainers made it very comfortable to learn the Mac way. We met at the Starbuck’s Store near the Apple Store in the mall – the relaxed atmosphere matched the trainer’s demeanor. They had me up and running with confidence after just a few sessions.

But the most amazing experience in my switch to a Mac was how intuitive it is compared to my old PC’s. The programs make sense, using them is very easy, and the computer “learns” email names and actions that I tend to use the most often and creates shortcuts to make my life easier. It was a very smart move to a Mac.

So, last week I get an iPad. Here we go again – another new device to learn. What a piece of cake. Once again I am highly impressed with the Apple geniuses who designed and built this wonderful device.

It starts with registering for 3G Wi-Fi service. It is as easy as turning on the iPad, answering some questions, giving them a credit card online – and BAM! (to quote John Madden) – I was in business.

They don’t give you any other instructions – or a manual – which is kinda scary for a guy who is used to relying on printed advice when learning something new. I guess they want you to explore and customize the iPad for yourself. (Truthfully, this week I found a manual online and it has helped answer some questions as I try to dig deeper into the nuances of the iPad).

The App store is a magical place. It has something like 20,000 apps to choose from – many of them absolutely FREE. I explored the site, and downloaded about a dozen of them in an hour or so this week. I was most impressed with a new free app from The Weather Channel. It has a wealth of local weather info, radar and maps that will challenge every local TV station website for information and customization.

I guess, as I think about it, I have had a little slice of Apple for quite a few years – with about 16,000 songs on my iPod. But that is an antiquated device compared to the MacBook Pro and the iPad.

So – go ahead take a big bite out of the Apple. It’s a darn satisfying experience.

Jim

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Confusing your customers: What day is it?

May 11th, 2010

I’m not sure when it started – but it has spread seemingly to every station in every market in America. “It” is the penchant for reporters to say – “Monday night” in their packages – when IT IS Monday night. Why are you confusing your customers?

I’m sure some consultant will be blamed for this stupid idea – but I have been on a one-man crusade to stop this crazy practice. Alas, I have failed miserably.

I’ve been told the idea is to make the story make sense on the next day’s morning newscast. That’s great, but why sacrifice today’s newscasts to make the context right for tomorrow?

I may be slow – but when I hear someone say “Monday night” – and I know it IS Monday night – my brain pauses to say – “does he mean last Monday or tonight.” While this crazy idea usually only surfaces during late newscasts – I actually saw it used during a 6 p.m. newscast last week on the East Coast.

So – I beg producers and news directors everywhere to put a stop to this crazy idea. If “tonight” is important to the context of the story – have the reporter say it. I believe that in 99% of the packages it is NOT necessary. Here’s an idea: Write the anchor intro to let us know it happened tonight – and then they can do the same thing on the morning newscast the next day.

Let’s put an end to this customer confusing practice right now!

Jim

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Multi-Media? Too Many News Directors Don’t Know

April 17th, 2010

“Don’t know” is not an acceptable answer by television news directors when it comes to multi-media platforms. But that became very clear during Bob Papper’s excellent presentation at the RTDNA convention.

It astonishes me that about half of the TV news directors in the survey “didn’t know” what the traffic was on their TV station website. Another 43% “didn’t know” if their TV website was profitable. Those are unacceptable answers if you hope to reach your viewers on multiple platforms – something you MUST do to survive in the future.

How about training your news staff – assuring that they know and understand the rapidly changing online and digital platforms? Well, 5% of the TV news directors said they “didn’t know” if anyone was training their staff. Another 14% in the RTDNA survey said they “hoped the staff was keeping up” with those trends. Hoping? That is not a strategy. TV news needs leaders not managers. If you are not leading the online/digital charge with your staff you are not the news director of the future.

This is especially important due to another finding that Papper explained at the convention. 48% of the TV news directors surveyed admitted they “have a long way to go” when it comes to training, educating and getting their staffs interested in producing news across multiple platforms. On the positive side – another 38% said they were producing news across multiple platforms. But that means almost 60% of you are getting left in the digital dust!

The survey did notice an uptick in the number of stations using Multi-Media Journalists (Papper referred to them as One Man Bands). 32% of the news directors say they are “mostly using” MMJ’s – up 10% over last year. Another third of the stations are using “using some” MMJ’s. But 21% said “not much.” There is one encouraging sign – while 18% say they “do not use” MMJ’s – that number is down from 29% in 2009.

So – where is your news department on these issues? If you have no idea about your web traffic – that should be job one. Do a personal assessment on where you stand on these questions. If you are on the wrong side of the answers – you need to get onboard right now!

Jim

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On TV Newscasts – As In Life – Crime Doesn’t Pay!

April 4th, 2010

“If it bleeds, it leads” is an old local TV news chestnut that is as far out of touch with today’s customers as black and white video – yet across the country you keep doing it over and over. And then, you wonder why fewer people are watching local TV news, and why your newscasts are not relevant to your viewers anymore.

I have been involved in numerous research projects this year – both telephone and online studies – and one message comes through loud and clear from your customers in every part of the country – they feel safe. They also rank a “crime focus” at the bottom of their interest list. So why do so many local TV newscasts persist in their pursuit of meaningless crime stories?

Well, my observation is that many producers – and news managers – feel it is “hard news.” They are always looking to lead their newscasts with “hard news.” That is very misguided. I have been telling my clients for years that viewers have no interest in one-on-one crime but they continue to lead newscasts with it – and then wonder why their newscasts are not relevant to viewers. Let me say it again – Viewers simply do not care if one unknown person stabs, shoots or kills another unknown person. It does not affect their lives. It is not “hard news” to your customers.

Now, there are times, of course, when crime news is very relevant to viewers. If their is a rapist on the loose in one part of town – that affects a lot of people wondering if they could become a victim. Put it in perspective, use a map, and let them know what to be on the lookout for. A crime that viewers can identify with can be relevant to your viewers. A few weeks ago in Dallas, a mother of two was simply enjoying the sun, sitting on a bench in a park, when a mentally unstable person stabbed her in the back, severing her spinal cord. She is now paralyzed. That is a sad story that captures an emotion – anger – in your viewers.

But the message here is simply this – a daily dose of one-on-one crime, perp walks and other mayhem leading your newscast is a turnoff to your viewers. Their concerns these days are economic issues, politicians wasting their tax dollars, and someplace to take the kids this weekend.

The other problem is that producers string these crime stories together – one after another – because they feel similar content needs to be lumped together. That results in newscasts with 5-to-6 perp walks and guys in court in orange suits droning by – becoming a blur of irrelevant content. The next move by viewers is “click!”

So – knock it off already unless you want viewers to continue to watch less and less of your local TV newscasts.

Jim

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“news god” conjures up breaking news

March 12th, 2010

It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen in a newsroom – and that’s saying something as I have visited literally hundreds of stations in over 150 markets during my two decades with AR&D. “It” was an ugly bobble-head doll that lives in a coffin-like box in a newsroom that will remain anonymous to protect the guilty.

news god

Take a look for yourself – this strange idol apparently has the power to turn an extremely slow news day or two – into one that is teeming with local breaking news.  All you have to do is take it out of the coffin – and Boom!

I saw this little monster in action recently.   The assignment manager removed it from deep in a secret cabinet so I could get a look at it.   He opened the coffin-container and began to take it out so I could get a close look – as the assistant news director warned him not to do it.   I laughed at the strange looking doll – until the next morning.  The assistant news director warned of a heavy dose of breaking news to come quickly our way – and she was right!

It started with a fatal house fire early in the morning.  Then a few hours later they evacuated a large portion of the downtown business district as a worker cut through what he thought was an old water pipe.  It turned out to be a very much alive natural gas pipe – that fortunately did not blow up.   By noon – a half dozen big local stories had broken all over the market.   I stopped laughing – it looks like there really is something to this scary “news god.”

I was talking to another station employee who told me that she had touched the “news god’s” head when she first met the idol.  Once again – there were warnings – don’t ever do that – it brings snow!  Sure enough, she says, four inches of snow hit the ground the next day.   Shazam!

So, count me in as a believer in the “news god.”  Here’s my question – do you have such a little monster in your newsroom to conjure up breaking news on slow news days – or are there some other superstitions that come into the picture with the same result?  Let me know – and I’ll share them with all of you.

Jim

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Online Viewers are Forgetful, Catching Up

February 25th, 2010

Most folks who watch TV programs online seem to be forgetful types.  Nielsen says these customers either forgot to watch a favorite TV program, or forgot to set their DVR to record it.  12% of them are sneaking a peek at work – watching a program online in their cubicle – we can only assume this is during lunchtime. LOL!

Nielsen reports that 54% of people who watch a TV program online forgot to watch it on their television set when it originally aired.   Another third of these users forgot to set their DVR to record their favorite program when it aired on TV.

They also use online viewing of TV programs to catch up because they missed a large number of episodes (47%), or to catch up on episodes from a previous season before the new season begins (33%).   Another 18% use online viewing to watch an episode they missed because someone else in the household was watching another program at the same time as their favorite show.

Interestingly, the Nielsen research shows that viewing TV programs online is a solitary activity.   Half of the people say they “never” watch these online TV programs with another person.  Another 35% say they “rarely” view programs online with another person.

Here is another interesting – but not surprising – nugget from the NSI study.  While Hulu gets a lot of publicity as the place to watch TV programs online – they are blown away by You Tube.   Hulu had over 600,000 video streams of TV programs during January – but You Tube had 6.6 million streams.  You Tube streams grew by 3 percent over December- while Hulu was flat.   ABC television had a little less than 130,000 streams – but that was an increase of 71% from December.  The third place site – Yahoo – had a little over 221,000 streams – a drop of 9%.

The total streams – for all online sites – is impressive at 11 billion for the month of January.  That activity came from just under 143 million unique users – a jump of 5% from a year ago.  These folks spent an average of just over three hours online each time they viewed a TV program.

Jim

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Attempt at Super Bowl Social Media Sizzle Fizzles

February 15th, 2010

Apparently Super Bowl advertisers missed the mark in their attempt to extend their ads from the big game by using social media to give life to their brands beyond one multi-million dollar spot within the most-watched event.  I leave the diagnosis of why this effort missed the mark to 2.o guru’s like our Terry Heaton – but I find the information fascinating.

The Friday before the Super Bowl USA Today ran an article on how marketers were going all out to create an on line buzz for their brands that were being advertised in the game.  One expert was quoted as saying, “They’ve deputized an entire population via Twitter and Facebook to spread the news of these ads.”   Many of the Super Bowl advertisers offered social networking tools to breathe life into their ads beyond one 30-second blast.

Unfortunately, a survey of 1,500 consumers by Boston advertising agency Chadwick Martin Bailey showed the effort fizzled.  They followed the actions of those consumers for 24 hours following the Super Bowl and found that “few went on line despite many advertisers’ efforts to drive them to the web.”  The advertisers’ goal was to drive the viewers to go on line and chat, Tweet and become a Facebook fan.

But despite a record TV viewership of the Super Bowl, when it “came to sharing the ads with friends on line – during or after the game – only 7 percent of respondents took this action.”   The study showed that 47% of the sample was on line for scores or research during the game, but only 2 percent Tweeted about their favorite ads, and a mere 1 percent became a fan of the brand on Facebook.   The study also found that while 12% took action by visiting a Super Bowl advertiser’s web site – 67% took no action at all.

No one has explained why this web effort failed – but there may be a further clue in a study by HCD Research in New Jersey.  Their on line poll showed that scores for the top Super Bowl spots performed lower in qualities like emotion and memorability that the highest-ranked spots from 2008 and 2009.

They do feel that commercial clutter may have been a problem.  There was a record-setting 47-minutes and 50-seconds worth of ads in this year’s Super Bowl – beating the previous record by a full two minutes.  There were 66 pitches from 41 companies!

So, there you have some interesting info on attempts to send viewers to the web for value-added sizzle for the Super Bowl advertisers.  While I’m not an expert, I assume that the failure was tied to the fact that there really was no great user benefit for going to these web sites.  I watched the Super Bowl with my trusty Mac at my side – but never felt the urge to go to the web for more info on a spot.  I guess the effort in the future must be overt.  It is the same question we see from viewers who are watching/or not watching local TV news – “What return am I going to get for the invest of my time?”

Jim

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The Same Weather Report Over, And Over, And Over…….

February 12th, 2010

I am a big proponent of owning storm coverage but KTVT in Dallas turned that opportunity into a huge annoyance as an unbelievable 13 inches of wet snow fell on Dallas – a one day record.   As I watched primetime television on CBS it felt like I was stuck watching Bill Murray in Groundhog Day!

All of the Dallas stations had strong storm coverage – including KTVT (the CBS O&O) during the early evening newscasts.  But when the early evening newscasts ended – KTVT decided we needed a “Weather Alert” during EVERY commercial break – right through Craig Ferguson (and maybe beyond I hit the sack after Craig).

So, every time the CBS network went to a commercial break – the KTVT weather dude came on with the exact same phrase, “we promise you are not going to miss any of the program, we are taking this commercial break time to update you on the latest weather.”  OK – good idea – but there was nothing to update.

The snow had tapered off dramatically by the evening, and it was just sitting over Dallas without moving – something I learned every time the weather guy from KTVT went to live radar.  Pretty much everyone had worked their way through a traffic mess and were home by now – not wanting to be reminded about the snow every few minutes.  This is especially true when there was absolutely NO new information to deliver.

So, just like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day – we were subjected to the same information over, and over, and over and…   It was really maddening.

Oh, and then at ten o’clock this morning, I flipped over to KTVT – and in the middle of Price Is Right they were still doing the same Weather Alerts during every commercial break.  I could not turn the TV off fast enough.

The message of course is – Yes, you must own weather coverage but this approach was like touting fake breaking news.  It was nothing but an irritant to viewers – no doubt having the opposite effect that KTVT was hoping for.

Jim

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From Aint’s To #1 – You Can Do It Too!

February 8th, 2010

There are lessons to be learned from the rise of the New Orleans Saints from the bottom of the NFL barrel to Super Bowl Champs.  And there are parallels to your local news ratings as well.

For decades the Saints were the doormats of the NFL.  Fans took to wearing paper bags over their heads with “Aint’s” written on them.  Then – just a few short years ago it all changed.

Here’s how they did it:

• Hired a smart, innovative coach with a solid plan and the guts to stick with it
• He was also willing to take risks (like an onside kick to start the second half of the Super Bowl)
• The coach surrounded himself with smart middle managers (assistant coaches) who bought into his plan and were willing and capable to execute it ruthlessly
• The coach did not waver when his rise in the standings faltered last year – instead he went out and hired a new creative, fearless coach to shore up the defense – kind of like hiring a brand manager to be sure your plan gets carried out in the newscasts every day
• Along the way the coach had the courage to move out some players who were no longer on top of their games – or did not buy into his philosophy.
• He also brought in some bright new players to make the team stronger
• Then coach Payton demonstrated strong leadership every day in a myriad of different ways to keep his team believing in his strategic plan

This determined dedication led to the former NFL bottom feeders ruling the roost after their win Sunday.

Take a look at those bullet points again – they all hold the key to building a strong brand at your station.  If you couple the plan with buy-in from the staff, and consistency in your newscasts every day.  You can rule the roost in your market too.

Jim

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This is Personal – A Tale of credit card greed

January 28th, 2010

I ask your indulgence this time around – as I vent about my ridiculous experience with a credit card company today – specifically a MasterCard from a company called Juniper.  My experience really shows why Congress must enact legislation to clamp down on these vultures.

I pride myself on always paying my bills on time – or in many cases ahead of the due date.  That has been the case for the past four years with this particular credit card.  That promptness has kept my rate at 7.99% – with the admonition that they can raise it sky high if there is a late payment.

So, I sent out a check to Juniper on January 2nd -for a payment that was due on January 9th.  That has been my pattern forever.  Well, today I get a letter from Juniper informing me because my payment was late – my interest rate is now nearly 29%!!

I checked my account – and they posted my check on January 11th.  So maybe the postal service was slow and the check may have arrived one day late – two at the very most.  But the envelope was postmarked January 2nd.

I was angry enough at this to wait on hold for 15 minutes to get a human being to finally take my call at Juniper.  Unfortunately it was a woman in Manila who spoke nearly incomprehensible english with a very strong accent and a soft voice.

She was one of those trained robots who kept reading off cue cards – no matter how I tried to engage her in a real discussion.  Of course, I asked for her manager – and waited an additional 10 minutes for him to come on the phone (he was probably just another lowly employee sitting right next to her down in the Philippines.)

Imagine this – he too had a thick accent – was difficult to understand – and just kept reading from cue cards.  I asked to speak with someone who could right this wrong – and he said, “if you want to escalate this I can give you the fax number at our headquarters.”   I said I want a number to speak to a real person – he said OK -and imagine this – gave me the fax number at headquarters.

I was about ready to take the next plane to Manila – but decided instead to call my bank.  An easy to understand voice answered the phone (I actually had met him before) – and he said I was already pre-approved for a credit card with them.  That was it.   Great customer service took over – and we were done in less than 5 minutes.

That proves once again that it is always best to do business with people you know – and people who provide great customer service.   It is also best to avoid doing business with these Juniper people who can’t pronounce – much less spell – customer service!!

Thanks for listening – I feel better already.

Jim

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