“…at knifepoint.” That sounds pretty dramatic, but demonstrates your point!
I am part of the demographic that appreciates a traditional newscast format. And I also appreciate the importance of identifying ways to make news relevant and available to today’s younger viewers.
I am imagining a future newscast completely consisting of TikTok type videos!
Thank you for sharing your interesting perspectives.
2. Comedians do weather forecasts with the Chief Meteorologist writing the actual forecast.
3. Sports go wild. Loud, fast paced sports with quick "top 10" scores and highlights.
4. A reporter watching and taping the competition to report on stories missed by this station's newscast... also add a little commentary on the competition's newscasters "Did you see the outfit Jack was wearing tonight?".
5. A young, social media reporter who takes trending viewer comments with the announcement "We've got email"
6. A segment weekly live from a well-known resident that tours their house and checks their refrigerator.
I'm right there with you, Dave, as usual. We both aged out of the target demo quite a while ago, and we both remember many ill-fated and short-lived "reinventions" of newscasts. Like the infamous "News Out of the Box" experiment, most were forgotten as quickly as possible, and replaced with painfully predictable, traditional formats.
I enjoy showing my college students examples of newscasts that are designed to lure younger viewers. And yes, I have to show them, because of course they aren't watching on their own. Generally, their responses range from a shrug to a chuckle. A TV newscast trying to look like TikTok is like an old guy trying to look young and cool. It rarely works.
For old guys like us, the answer is acceptance; eventually, we stop struggling to be something we aren't. It's liberating not to need everybody's approval. Television stations don't have that luxury, and I actually admire their efforts, even if I do feel a bit of gentle skepticism. They have to keep trying. Now and then, somebody succeeds.
Very interesting, Dave. You didn’t mention the most important sign-off skill by the anchor(s)… rearranging, then tapping vertically the papers we’re meant to assume was their script. Just for a change why not have them tear the papers into little pieces as the credits roll? Reminiscent of Nancy Peloisi tearing up Trump’s speech after his first State of the Union.😎
Until Americans stop using TikTok, news media have to experiment. Speaking of TikTok, can you imagine growing up with traditional TV and watching the news, knowing that 1/2 of all the news was being presented by TV stations owned by the Chinese. I think people would have stopped watching that news.
An early 60's (in age) viewer here that especially likes the PBS News Hour style of news presentation...fewer stories, more depth, and frequent special segments (e.g. Friday night Capehart & Brooks). That said, I don't watch their newscast regularly. With J. Woodruff soon to depart, and A. Nawaz and G. Bennett set to replace her, it will be interesting to see if they start experimenting more with their format. I'm open to it!
As for local news (I live in Central Iowa), I've gone away from viewing television coverage...KCCI was my preferred choice...for many years now. Easy access to on-line newspapers, a few regular periodical subscriptions (e.g. The Atlantic), weather station data just outside my door (viewed on my phone), and sport websites with detalied boxscores.
I'm not certain any format change will ever return me to regular television news viewership.
It’s been awhile… but always glad to listen to your thoughts on the news biz. I’m five years retired and removed from local and national news. I find it easier to get almost all my information from my phone/iPad… but tonight well really this afternoon, because now my old station KABC has decided to air World News Tonight live at 3:30pm… I saw the beginning of the newscast with David Muir. And you know what, I got out my stopwatch, well who has a stopwatch… ( ok, 60 minutes does) that’s what my IPhones for. 2:22 later…. That’s quite a long cold open… he got into the lead story which was weather…. Taken from the old ABC7 playbook … always lead with weather if there’s an angle. But let’s get back to the cold open…. 9 times… “tonight” or stunning or catastrophic”. You know what you could do with a 2:22 news hole… how about an in-depth look at the war in Ukraine or if you want something more clickable… what about put a team in Hawaii and really report on the volcano erupting. What I’m saying is, the nightly national newscast is 22:30 maybe… and you just gave up 10% to say nothing. Sure you’re trying to grab your viewers, but in this day and age, those viewers aren’t grabbing the remotes… they’re happy to have found the right channel.
Take care
And if you respond … I promise to upgrade to a paid subscription.
It’s a format change that has worked well in Denver for years and is the No. 1 local newscast in the state. It’s a news recipe that takes out most of the typical newscast flash, focuses on telling important stories, good news, and making real community impact. They have a micro-giving segment that raises money for charities and causes that has a huge impact. Strong questioning anchor and team of reporters, strong format and digital savvy elements. Tegna has copied the basics of the format in Minneapolis and beyond.
I usually watch the World News Tonight on ABC but I am getting tired of all the repetition. First the anchor tells us the main story, then he repeats it in telling all of the stories. And he repeats them all again when introducing each story. And, of course, the reporter then tells the same story. It really gets tiresome.
And in the local news, it is almost laughable the way the anchors walk around the set while they tell their stories. I'm just waiting for one of them to trip and fall! What's wrong with them sitting at their desks? They have nowhere to go, so just sit there, why don't you?
“…at knifepoint.” That sounds pretty dramatic, but demonstrates your point!
I am part of the demographic that appreciates a traditional newscast format. And I also appreciate the importance of identifying ways to make news relevant and available to today’s younger viewers.
I am imagining a future newscast completely consisting of TikTok type videos!
Thank you for sharing your interesting perspectives.
The ideas I proposed in the 90's:
1. 5 minutes of hard news at the open.
2. Comedians do weather forecasts with the Chief Meteorologist writing the actual forecast.
3. Sports go wild. Loud, fast paced sports with quick "top 10" scores and highlights.
4. A reporter watching and taping the competition to report on stories missed by this station's newscast... also add a little commentary on the competition's newscasters "Did you see the outfit Jack was wearing tonight?".
5. A young, social media reporter who takes trending viewer comments with the announcement "We've got email"
6. A segment weekly live from a well-known resident that tours their house and checks their refrigerator.
Ads must be quirky, fast paced and not slow.
I'm right there with you, Dave, as usual. We both aged out of the target demo quite a while ago, and we both remember many ill-fated and short-lived "reinventions" of newscasts. Like the infamous "News Out of the Box" experiment, most were forgotten as quickly as possible, and replaced with painfully predictable, traditional formats.
I enjoy showing my college students examples of newscasts that are designed to lure younger viewers. And yes, I have to show them, because of course they aren't watching on their own. Generally, their responses range from a shrug to a chuckle. A TV newscast trying to look like TikTok is like an old guy trying to look young and cool. It rarely works.
For old guys like us, the answer is acceptance; eventually, we stop struggling to be something we aren't. It's liberating not to need everybody's approval. Television stations don't have that luxury, and I actually admire their efforts, even if I do feel a bit of gentle skepticism. They have to keep trying. Now and then, somebody succeeds.
Very interesting, Dave. You didn’t mention the most important sign-off skill by the anchor(s)… rearranging, then tapping vertically the papers we’re meant to assume was their script. Just for a change why not have them tear the papers into little pieces as the credits roll? Reminiscent of Nancy Peloisi tearing up Trump’s speech after his first State of the Union.😎
Until Americans stop using TikTok, news media have to experiment. Speaking of TikTok, can you imagine growing up with traditional TV and watching the news, knowing that 1/2 of all the news was being presented by TV stations owned by the Chinese. I think people would have stopped watching that news.
An early 60's (in age) viewer here that especially likes the PBS News Hour style of news presentation...fewer stories, more depth, and frequent special segments (e.g. Friday night Capehart & Brooks). That said, I don't watch their newscast regularly. With J. Woodruff soon to depart, and A. Nawaz and G. Bennett set to replace her, it will be interesting to see if they start experimenting more with their format. I'm open to it!
As for local news (I live in Central Iowa), I've gone away from viewing television coverage...KCCI was my preferred choice...for many years now. Easy access to on-line newspapers, a few regular periodical subscriptions (e.g. The Atlantic), weather station data just outside my door (viewed on my phone), and sport websites with detalied boxscores.
I'm not certain any format change will ever return me to regular television news viewership.
Hi Dave,
It’s been awhile… but always glad to listen to your thoughts on the news biz. I’m five years retired and removed from local and national news. I find it easier to get almost all my information from my phone/iPad… but tonight well really this afternoon, because now my old station KABC has decided to air World News Tonight live at 3:30pm… I saw the beginning of the newscast with David Muir. And you know what, I got out my stopwatch, well who has a stopwatch… ( ok, 60 minutes does) that’s what my IPhones for. 2:22 later…. That’s quite a long cold open… he got into the lead story which was weather…. Taken from the old ABC7 playbook … always lead with weather if there’s an angle. But let’s get back to the cold open…. 9 times… “tonight” or stunning or catastrophic”. You know what you could do with a 2:22 news hole… how about an in-depth look at the war in Ukraine or if you want something more clickable… what about put a team in Hawaii and really report on the volcano erupting. What I’m saying is, the nightly national newscast is 22:30 maybe… and you just gave up 10% to say nothing. Sure you’re trying to grab your viewers, but in this day and age, those viewers aren’t grabbing the remotes… they’re happy to have found the right channel.
Take care
And if you respond … I promise to upgrade to a paid subscription.
Bruce Cramer
I would recommend checking out “Next” from KUSA-TV in Denver, if you haven’t already.
https://www.9news.com/next
It’s a format change that has worked well in Denver for years and is the No. 1 local newscast in the state. It’s a news recipe that takes out most of the typical newscast flash, focuses on telling important stories, good news, and making real community impact. They have a micro-giving segment that raises money for charities and causes that has a huge impact. Strong questioning anchor and team of reporters, strong format and digital savvy elements. Tegna has copied the basics of the format in Minneapolis and beyond.
I usually watch the World News Tonight on ABC but I am getting tired of all the repetition. First the anchor tells us the main story, then he repeats it in telling all of the stories. And he repeats them all again when introducing each story. And, of course, the reporter then tells the same story. It really gets tiresome.
And in the local news, it is almost laughable the way the anchors walk around the set while they tell their stories. I'm just waiting for one of them to trip and fall! What's wrong with them sitting at their desks? They have nowhere to go, so just sit there, why don't you?