I remember when I started in television 21 years ago. Back then – as in many newsrooms – you dreaded answering the phone in case a ‘viewer’ had a question or wanted to tell you what they thought of the newscast. Who wanted to hear that?
How wrong we were.
Today, I rarely say we have viewers; we have customers. And we definitely want to know what stories are on their minds, what they think of our newscasts and more!
I know we have a lot of work left to do – when I respond to someone’s e-mail or join the comments on our website, customers are amazed someone at the station actually cares about what they have to say.
Do we have a lot of work to do!
So, we have set up a lot of ways for people to give us the feedback I argue we don’t just want, we need in order to thrive in the world. One example is the live chat my station, News10, does on big story days.
- One Way of Connecting
We’re building a culture where everyone realizes how important this is. And hopefully, in a year or two, people aren’t so surprised when we talk back.
Take the poll, comment – give me some feedback.
October 13, 2009 at 11:57 pm
I rarely say we have viewers; we have customers
I see it a different way. The people who watch FOX40 News and read FOX40.com are more than just viewers or customers — they’re people first. Every other way of labeling them comes second to that one term.
It’s one thing to connect with customers, but it’s an entirely different thing to connect with people. People don’t like the feeling being “sold” something, they like feeling respected and heard. That’s why every Twitter message we send is hand-typed by a real person, never syndicated by RSS. Same with our Facebook (there’s no cross-syndication between Facebook and Twitter either). We stop sending Twitter messages at a certain hour, and start at a certain hour every day, so the people who follow us never feel like they’ve missed out on something.
And we’re fast, which is why our profiles are the most-trusted and most-respected social media outlets in Sacramento journalism. When CBS13, News10 and KCRA were worried about MySpace getting clicks for ads or Twitter not bringing in any revenue, FOX40 took the jump in July 2008 to set up both a Twitter and a Facebook profile — the other stations joined in foot. Who cares if someone clicks on a MySpace ad? Connecting with people should be what counts, not how much money you can make off them.
Just my two cents though, for whatever it’s worth. It’s worked for us.
October 14, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I also see it a little differently.
They are all still “viewers”, they just don’t all watch on traditional television anymore. Some watch on their DVR, some watch clips on a station website, some watch on YouTube, and some watch their Twitter or Facebook feeds.
It’s not all about the newscast anymore. News-people will have to come to terms with the fact that some of their most loyal “customers” may interact with the brand exclusively on twitter. And that’s okay!
It’s all about getting the brand out there. The brand is “News10″ or “Fox40″ – not News10 at 11 or FOX40 Morning News. Viewers are agnostic these days, but the good news is it’s an additive medium (if they follow you on twitter or friend you on facebook, they are more likely to watch your newscast).
Matthew is right on when he talks about connecting with people. The web is not powered by technology alone. Web 2.0 technologies require qualified and passionate people to make them successful. Tweets through RSS feeds, as Matthew points out, are not the right way to go. I’d rather see one interesting insight each day from a reporter expanding on their story, then to see a robotic feed of headlines.
Matthew says, “Connecting with people should be what counts, not how much money you can make off them.”
The bottom line is that there is now a significant number of ways to connect with viewers, customers, followers or whatever you choose to call them. If your brand is communicating effectively through these channels to enough of an audience, the money will come.