Some say TV news is dead, especially for those in the millennial generation. We’ve grown up around social media and have a strong thirst to get only the information we want, when we want it. From my personal experience, if I see a news topic of interest, I will find just that clip online and only watch that. That’s the beauty of on-demand news.
It’s becoming even easier for this to happen with devices like Apple TV, which allow you to use your favorite apps and stream clips of interest. Social media is inevitable, and if you try to fight it, you won’t get anywhere. It’s time to move with the times and embrace it. So how do local TV news operations adapt?
As with WPXI, the first step is to consider an app for news consumers to put on their mobile devices and tablets. Next, get your reporters, anchors, meteorologists and others in your station active on social media. One of our favorites here in the WordWrite office is Stephen’s WPXI colleague Scott Harbaugh. He does a great job of providing the information you want and he still has fun with it.
Those who say local TV news is dead are right about one thing, asking if TV is relevant in a social media world. I say yes. But if you aren’t appropriately integrating social media, then forget about it. And it’s not just true for newsrooms. A recent study by Nielsen showed that advertisements with a social media component are more effective than without. Lately a lot of social media has been integrated into television shows as well. People are going to be talking about the show whether you have a hashtag or not, so it’s better to provide them with one and try to get all the conversations in one place.
We’ve only just begun to see the possibilities of social media and television integration, including in the newsroom. What are your thoughts on the topic? Do you think television news is still relevant in a social media world? Share your thoughts in the comments; I’d love to hear them.
Want to see pictures from our WPXI trip? Check out our album on Facebook!
_____
Emma Walter is an account executive for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @emmasreallytall.
