Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Future of TV News, Headed to New York??
You can usually depend on larger cities to see trends in different industries. However in TV for years, TV stations in smaller towns have had limited employees. Employees often do more than one job like reporting, taking pictures and putting it all together, rather than have separate people report, photograph and edit. As budgets get trimmed many see the wave to "one-man bands" becoming all the norm. If I'm correct I think Wichita has at least one in the city while the stations' outposts all are staffed with "one-man bands." For the most part, I think the stations in Wichita have full crews. In an article in the NY Observer, it appears NBC station, WNBC, is headed in the direction of smaller stations by adding the term "content producer." Maybe "content producer" is the PC way to say "one-man band." If New York gets it to work out, that really may speed up the time frame of changes in the industry. -Hal
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12 comments:
Have you seen New York news? It sucks. Places that are rock bottom are the ones that are "trying" this. And they are still failing miserably! Nothing will ever beat good, solid storytelling. And for the most part that takes a typical 2 person crew. There are a few good one man bands, but they are few and far between!
Go ahead. Keep living in the past. Those who won't change, won't survive. Like it or not, the future will be remarkably different than the past.
Good things those who went before us weren't as close-minded as most of you. Or we'd still be riding horses to work.
Anon 612 - I am sorry you are in denial. I would agree nothing will ever beat good and solid story telling. However, the economy and technology, make it easier for stations to move in the direction of one-man bands. Its crap like we all know, but unfortunately its becoming reality.
How naive anonymous 6:12. Do you think people who are getting their news on the web care about good story telling?
Like so many other things in life, technology has diluted quality, and nowhere is that more apparent than in t-v news.
Do you think if the execs care about quality they'd be hiring kids right out of high school to deliver the news? No. The execs care about one thing: SAVING MONEY!
Those who don't want to shoot, edit and report better have a plan B.
How true, and how sad that it's come to this. And stations that have gone to all OMBs (Like that SF Station) have learned that their ratings take a nosedive when they exchange quality for savings. But look at Gannett. It's aiming to go to one man bands, to save revenue. And all the stations are seeing penny pinching.
Anon 8:01, you're right. All of us who just want to write, just want to shoot, or just want to hold a mic had better have a plan B.
And really, how much of a jump is it anyway? As it is, the reporter sets up the story and writes -- and usually does all the scripting of teases and commands for their story too. They write to video so our photographer knows what to put where. Photographers already get the nat sound, do the legwork, and get those moments that write the stories for reporteres anyway. Producers are often making phone calls, setting up stories, logging sound, and writing VOSOTs.
We already do these jobs, or do two out of three. The only difference: it's currently not in our contracts to do all three.
anon 8:01 is right. I hate to admit it, but well said 8:01. Meantime, I'm sure glad KWCH came on at 10 to update me on their "Breaking News" at 6pm of a missing girl that was never missing in the first place. Glad they jumped the gun for the sake of... for the sake of... nothing.
anon 7:53.. well said also. But I ask this: we all know there is nothing better than a story collaborated on by a solid photog and reporter. I will name something from all three stations-- KWCH: 911 dispatch problems KSN: Greensburg special. KAKE: all their BTK coverage. These are stories that make local news more than cut-and-paste, and that keep the essence of "local news" relevant in the mass media age. Can ANY of these accomplishments be pulled off without photographers? I would say no. Certainly not with the quality they were done. If we concede that the internet-style approach is winning, then aren't we conceding the end of local news? Because won't that mean there truly is no difference between the net and TV? I think we're running scared on the TV side, instead of re-inventing it. Let's reinvent it and do more quality, leaving the cut-and-paste to the internet. This dilemma might actually be breeding BETTER television in the end, though we're waiting on the economics to open the door.
Too bad the police said she was missing and an all-out search had begun. Had they not reported it, you would have bashed 12 for that.
Back on topic: Why do you people fall for Hal's bait. He's put the same "end of the biz" story story a dozen times this year alone.
One-man band's are a failure except above market 125 where they are a necessity. Any station that goes to them deserves to fail. Real journalists don't do "content crap." Go to yahoonews if you want that.
Anon 11:13 is right. I think one man bands have and will continue to fail in larger markets. Until more money is made on the Web than TV (and that's a LONG way from happening, and probably won't until the two merge) then one man bands will only drag your core TV product down.
I'll go over to one man bands when Trisha Takinawa starts shooting her own stuff.
Anon 1113,
I agree one-man bands are a failure but you cannot deny they are knocking on the door and will blast through here before long. I think those who normally would get into the business now are having second thoughts. I hear applications for TV news jobs across the country aren't coming in as fast as they once were and this in a slow economy where you know there are some people out of work.
Folks, have you noticed that worthless company stock you get in your 401-K match? The companies that own TV stations are paying almost EVERY penny they make--to the holders of their debt. There's nothing left. The national debt crisis has hit indebted TV BIG TIME.
You have declining revenues that have turned into plummeting revenues (God help us post election) and everyone is under the gun. OMBs will soon become an economic necessity.
I hate it as much as you. But its one small solution (of many) for survival mode. Who knows how this all winds up. Maybe markets like this will wind up with only 1 or 2 news operations--but with bigger staffs and expanded coverage.
But the news and business model of today is changing historically as we speak.
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