New York Times Webcast Ideas
According to The Daily Finance, The New York Times plans a daily web newscast to stream at 11am Easter Time. Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr has already mentioned that a printed version of the New York Times may end up being an artifact of old technology. A “remember when....?”. This move to video is a sign that the NYT is moving forward. Congratulations!
Dear New York Times,
Welcome to your future. Please, please be smart, in all the definitions of the word. Don’t follow in the footsteps of yet another dinosaur. You have so much technology now, you can bring in reporting from so many locations. You can just let your audience see the stories. And you have the knowhow to bring context. You don’t need to fall into the over-hype/under report trap. Continue to be a newspaper, but let the pictures move. Don’t reinvent your wheel, just start using the newer grade treads.
Citizen Journalism:
In my experiences, I’ve noticed that a 25-year-old with a camera the size of a fist can get access where a guy with a camera on his shoulder followed by another guy with a big fuzzy mic on the end of a pole just can’t. You and I both know that the ability to point a camera and type a blog does not a “journalist” make. But good CJ’s are a useful tool.
Easy on the ads:
Yes, we all want you to pay your staff. But think more Newshour. The internet audience likes things free. I’m sure you are smart enough to already be thinking of a second, more in-depth “premium” show and even topic-specific channels. There will be money to be made there if you do step one correctly. Don’t get greedy.
Skype interviews from people in the field:
Skype brings you the ability to talk, one on one, with people in the most far off places. What I did for a similar project is to produce a one-pager with simple Skype download and setup instructions and tips on how to set up your location (example: no bright windows behind you). This would be emailed to the interviewee after the interview was arranged. Most people already had and understood Skype. For a local Comcast operation, I suggested that area reporters be issued a laptop with a preconfigured Skype setup and an external USB camera. This reporter would travel to any local newsmakers house and setup the interview that would be fed live to the studio for interview by the host. Quality is maintained by having one experienced person in the process, yet costs are low.
Realtime Chat:
Build your site with a moderated chat window to the side. No so much to have a multi-level conversation with guests, but for the audience to interact with each other, and for you to gauge the audience reactions. You can and should use audience input, but the “lets take questions from the chat room” segments will make you look lazy. I want information from people smarter then me.
Allow downloading of the stream after:
People get their news from multiple sources based on convenience. Be convenient.
Do what you do best!:
Journalism. Journalism. Journalism. Don’t fall into “tech-new wave-wow this is cool” traps. To quote Al Gore, “the puppy has to have a purpose.” Remember your audience is coming to you. Unlike old technology, you are not emanating from a big box in the room that just happens to be there. Your audience is seeking you out because of what you are, because of who you are. Your reputation. Do Journalism. Use the new media tools to support that. Don’t do Journalism to support new media tools.
If the Times succeeds, so many other will follow. While I wonder what took this industry so long to catch on, I am glad someone finally did. And someone with such a positive reputation going in.
Good luck!
Welcome to your future. Please, please be smart, in all the definitions of the word. Don’t follow in the footsteps of yet another dinosaur. You have so much technology now, you can bring in reporting from so many locations. You can just let your audience see the stories. And you have the knowhow to bring context. You don’t need to fall into the over-hype/under report trap. Continue to be a newspaper, but let the pictures move. Don’t reinvent your wheel, just start using the newer grade treads.
Citizen Journalism:
In my experiences, I’ve noticed that a 25-year-old with a camera the size of a fist can get access where a guy with a camera on his shoulder followed by another guy with a big fuzzy mic on the end of a pole just can’t. You and I both know that the ability to point a camera and type a blog does not a “journalist” make. But good CJ’s are a useful tool.
Easy on the ads:
Yes, we all want you to pay your staff. But think more Newshour. The internet audience likes things free. I’m sure you are smart enough to already be thinking of a second, more in-depth “premium” show and even topic-specific channels. There will be money to be made there if you do step one correctly. Don’t get greedy.
Skype interviews from people in the field:
Skype brings you the ability to talk, one on one, with people in the most far off places. What I did for a similar project is to produce a one-pager with simple Skype download and setup instructions and tips on how to set up your location (example: no bright windows behind you). This would be emailed to the interviewee after the interview was arranged. Most people already had and understood Skype. For a local Comcast operation, I suggested that area reporters be issued a laptop with a preconfigured Skype setup and an external USB camera. This reporter would travel to any local newsmakers house and setup the interview that would be fed live to the studio for interview by the host. Quality is maintained by having one experienced person in the process, yet costs are low.
Realtime Chat:
Build your site with a moderated chat window to the side. No so much to have a multi-level conversation with guests, but for the audience to interact with each other, and for you to gauge the audience reactions. You can and should use audience input, but the “lets take questions from the chat room” segments will make you look lazy. I want information from people smarter then me.
Allow downloading of the stream after:
People get their news from multiple sources based on convenience. Be convenient.
Do what you do best!:
Journalism. Journalism. Journalism. Don’t fall into “tech-new wave-wow this is cool” traps. To quote Al Gore, “the puppy has to have a purpose.” Remember your audience is coming to you. Unlike old technology, you are not emanating from a big box in the room that just happens to be there. Your audience is seeking you out because of what you are, because of who you are. Your reputation. Do Journalism. Use the new media tools to support that. Don’t do Journalism to support new media tools.
If the Times succeeds, so many other will follow. While I wonder what took this industry so long to catch on, I am glad someone finally did. And someone with such a positive reputation going in.
Good luck!
ShareThis