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Using the Media to Tell Your Story

Using the Media to Tell Your Story. Brian Barker. Who is The Media?. Overworked 60+ hours/week, holidays, weekends High divorce rate Underpaid Print – $25,000 - $50,000 TV - $35,000 - $60,000 Feeding the Beast Afraid for their job. Schedule of the average TV reporter.

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Using the Media to Tell Your Story

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  1. Using the Media to Tell Your Story Brian Barker

  2. Who is The Media? • Overworked • 60+ hours/week, holidays, weekends • High divorce rate • Underpaid • Print – $25,000 - $50,000 • TV - $35,000 - $60,000 • Feeding the Beast • Afraid for their job

  3. Schedule of the average TV reporter • 2:00 p.m. – Arrive at work – begin searching for story ideas • 2:30 p.m. – Evening editorial meeting – present story ideas • 3:00 – Reporter leaves meeting with assignment for 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 newscasts • 3:30 – Reporter and live broadcast truck arrive at scene of assigned story, begin shooting video • 3:45 – Reporter begins writing script for 4:00 newscast • 3:50 – Reporter hands script to photographer, who begins editing story. • 3:55 – Photographer feeds video, plugs camera into truck prepares for live shot • 4:00 – Live report for newscast

  4. TV reporter schedule • 4:05 – Reporter/photographer leave truck to begin shooting more video and interviews for 5:00 newscast. • 4:20 – Breaking news occurs nearby – Reporter/photographer told to abandon story and head to new location across town. • 5:00 – Reporter/photographer arrive at breaking news scene and begin doing live reports. • 6:30 – After 1.5 hours of live reports, newscasts are over, crew is asked for story ideas for 11p.m. newscast. • 6:35 – Reporter begins making phone calls to sources or PIOs to set up story for 11p.m.

  5. TV reporter schedule • 7:00 – Crew arrives at new location to begin shooting 11p.m. story. • 8:30 – Crew heads to restaurant to eat and write story. • 9:30 – Crew parks live truck at live location, photographer begins editing. • 10:00 – Breaking news occurs, story is scrapped, crew races to new location for 11 p.m. newscast. • 11:30-Midnight – Return to station • Lay awake, worrying about job

  6. Layoffs • TV – Staffing drops 20% since 2005 • Newspapers – Staffing drops 33% since 2001

  7. Why is it so bad? • Old days • 3 Broadcast networks • Major newspapers • New Era – Audience is scattered • Internet • On-line news websites • Social Media • Multiple broadcast/cable outlets

  8. Change in Ad Revenue by Medium, 2008 to 2009

  9. Daily Newspaper Advertising Revenue, 1985-2009

  10. Evening News Viewership Over Time

  11. Total Average Audiences for Local TV News, 2009 2008 2009 Late News 27.9 26.2 -6.4% Early Evening News 24.1 22.8 -5.5 Morning News 11.9 11.3 -6.1

  12. Mainstream Media Still Matters! • American legacy outlets like newspapers and broadcast networks accounted for 80% of all items linked to stories on blogs. • International legacy outlets like the BBC and The Guardian in Britain accounted for 20%.

  13. They’re Counting on You • Newsrooms produce more content with smaller staffs • Print • On-Line • Broadcast • Hungry for content

  14. What They’re Looking For (TV) • Controversy • Visuals • Holding the powerful accountable • Easy/Not complicated • Live • What can you do for me? • Save me time • Save me money • Make me safe • Take me somewhere I’ve never been • Deadline = NOW

  15. What They’re Looking For (Print) • Controversy • Government savings/waste • Stories with broad appeal/impact • Stories that make me care about someone • Deadline = NOW

  16. Major Newspapers

  17. Community Newspapers

  18. TV Stations

  19. Hyper-Local Websites

  20. Giving You Control

  21. Press Releases Still Work • #1 Source of stories from government agencies • Broad reach • Be careful – they may be a jumping off point for critics

  22. Social Media • Reporters are obsessed with Twitter

  23. Pitching Stories • Why should I care? • Who does it affect? • It had better happen now, or soon.

  24. They Don’t Care If… • Someone got promoted/retired • Your pitch isn’t local • Nothing is new • They probably don’t care if… • The story is about a process, not an event • It’s not visual • They don’t have anyone to interview

  25. Ideas • Make “friends” in the media • Call them! • They’re nice people • Use press releases – they work • Engage in Social Media • Remember, they’re hungry for content

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