The headline from the
RTNDF "2006 Future of News" study could be this: "Viewers to TV Execs: We're Smarter Than You Think."
Americans are fond of their TV news -- far and away most people cite local television as the place they get most of their news. But they want those broadcasts to be better. They're clear about what they want in their newscasts:
- Weather
- News from around the country and the world
- News about politics, education, health care and the environment -- serious stuff
They're lukewarm about:
- Crime and accidents
- Money and money saving
- Consumer information
They have low interest in:
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Restaurant, movie or entertainment reviews
They are turned off by newscasts and promotions that "cry wolf" about:
- Breaking news that is neither important nor urgent
- Investigative stories that lack depth or significance
They'll back away from newscasts that merge advertising into news, and from anchors or reporters who'd present these things in newscasts:
- Product endorsements
- Product placements
- Stories that seem like commercials
They don't have much interest interest -- at least right now -- in:
- Blogs
- Newscasts delivered on small, hand-held devices
The study surveyed 1,016 adults of all ages and reports a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. In addition to questioning the general public, researcher
Bob Papper and his team from Ball State University surveyed TV news directors. The goal was to see how well the newsroom decision-makers understood the interests of their viewers or potential viewers. Sometimes the news directors knew the pulse of the viewers, but they underestimated the interest in world and national news and overestimated interest in blogs and small-screen technology. The complete
survey is available on the RTNDA Web site.
For more perspective on the study, I posed some questions to RTNDA President
Barbara Cochran via e-mail. Here are her responses:
JILL GEISLER: The research says that people truly enjoy getting their news from television -- but they want stations to make it better. What's your take?
BARBARA COCHRAN: The public is telling us three important things:
- They want serious news and they are looking for more coverage of national and international news. The war in Iraq, the war on terrorism, conflict in the Middle East, national issues such as the economy and energy prices, global issues such as climate change and pandemic flu -- all of these are issues that people have a personal stake in and they want to stay informed.
- They don't want to be deceived. They want transparency. They don't like scary promos for investigative reporting that doesn't deliver. They want breaking, urgent news to be truly breaking and urgent. They are concerned about hidden influences on the news from business or advertising.
- They want more control. They want to be able to access news at their convenience. They want to get more information instantly about something they see on the news that intrigues them. Many even would like the ability to choose their own stories and assemble their own newscasts.
If you were running a local TV station right now, what information from the research would you put to use right away? What changes would you make?
If I were running a local station now, I would look at the mix of stories in our newscasts and make sure we are incorporating national and international news along with local news.
I would look for ways to localize national and international news to make sure viewers find it relevant. I would examine our promotions and make sure we are delivering on our promises. I would look for ways to make our news content more accessible 24/7 through our Web site and our digital capability. I would find ways to make the news process more transparent to the audience through inviting viewers to submit content or comment on blogs. I would make sure our practices on advertising and news content are clear to all staff and reinforced throughout the station.
There's a warning in the results for stations that are tempted to attract revenue by letting advertisers influence news content of things they sponsor. What's your advice to news directors facing increased pressure to find new revenue opportunities? RTNDA's news and sales guidelines, developed for RTNDA by
Bob Steele and
Al Tompkins of The Poynter Institute, are very helpful for these situations. They can be found under
"Guidelines for Balancing Business Pressures and Journalism Values" at www.rtnda.org. The ultimate question is what the audience would think if they knew the reasons the news department is pursuing a particular story, project or program. If you would be embarrassed to disclose a link between a story and an advertiser, it's probably not a good idea.
The report calls on stations to innovate, but not to assume that people want to abandon their traditional TV news habits. While stations are expanding their Web presence, what else should they be doing, and what should they be wary of?The survey reaffirms the strength of local television news. Even as stations innovate on the Web and on digital platforms, it is important to keep over-the-air newscasts strong. It is also important that innovation reinforce the station's identity. If you say you are live, local and late-breaking, then your Web site needs to be updated with the latest news and offer plenty of local content. As stations gear up to produce news for more platforms, they should look at how the newsroom is organized. Is the assignment desk organized correctly? Where does the online operation fit in the newsroom? Do reporters and producers need special training in writing, shooting and editing for the Internet or digital media? RTNDA is pulling together resources to help stations answer these questions.
Journalists from all media are interested in attracting young people to consume news. What tactics does the research suggest for broadcast journalism leaders who hope to attract and retain young viewers?
Young people are voracious media consumers, but the survey shows that they distinguish between news and entertainment. They know the difference between a newscast and Jon Stewart's
"The Daily Show." So it would be a mistake to pander to this audience by making newscasts more like entertainment programs. Because they are so immersed in media, young people seem to detect phoniness readily and are very impatient with promotions that exaggerate. They put a high premium on immediacy, and are the most likely age group to want mobile news available on small-screen technology. They like some of the traditions of television news, such as anchors, but they also are most likely to want interactive news. To appeal to this age group, news has to be fast, personally relevant and free of hype.
Barbara Cochran is a past member of Poynter’s National Advisory Board.Jill Geisler is a member of RTNDA, for which she conducts leadership and management workshops; she is also retained by the organization as Leadership Advisor to RTNDF's ongoing Leadership Coaches project.
