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Stay Tuned: TV Stations’ Use of Pre-Packaged Material Sparks Ongoing Debate

I’ve been reading various articles and reports (here’s one of many) discussing TV stations and their use of what some are calling “fake news,” or VNRs (video news releases). The sticking point revolves around proper disclosure of this video material. The FCC is also closely investigating VNR use by stations, prompting questions about how (and if) VNRs should be used by stations.

First, let’s take a look at what comprises a VNR, or pre-packaged material supplied by a source other than a news station. As a former TV anchor/reporter and producer, I remember getting VHS copies of pre-packaged segments about various topics (environmental clean-up efforts, medical research) and the formats would vary.  Some tapes would contain pure b-roll, or generic shots of a crowded freeway with a couple of graphics about increased traffic. Others contained two or three sound bites sandwiched between b-roll, graphics and narration. The California stations I worked for usually used their own original footage for local stories (even if it was stock b-roll shot for a previous story), while national and international news segments and footage came from the network feeds.

The key to any good TV story, obviously, is balance and accuracy… and in regard to use of pre-packaged footage – transparency and disclosure. Let’s say I’m producing a report on a new allergy drug and I get a VNR from the company that developed the drug. I could combine an interview clip from a researcher who developed the drug along with generic footage of pill bottles from the VNR while shooting original, local interviews with an allergy sufferer and an allergist at the local university. I could explore not only the development of the new drug, but also alternative treatments, common types of allergies and side effects of all allergy meds. Meanwhile, I would source and identify those clips that came from the VNR with on-screen chyrons.

While some VNRs contain clips and footage for sourcing and editing, others are produced to look like regular news reports, complete with a person playing the role of  “reporter.” However, I can’t imagine those VNRs ever making it on-air (unedited) at stations I worked for. We’ll keep an eye on this issue, as I’m sure various organizations, such as the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), will be discussing and sharing more and more guidelines for proper use (and sourcing) of pre-packaged material.

Couric Debuts at the CBS Evening News Anchor Desk

As was expected, a barrage of articles, blog posts, commentary pieces and columns Tuesday marked Katie Couric's much-hyped debut as the first woman to be solo anchor of a major network newscast (and comments about everything from her delivery style, story choices, and flow between stories to her hair and choice of blazer).

And while only time will tell how she will fare in terms of attracting new viewers and keeping existing ones, there are a couple of newscast-related items worth noting now. In the spirit of 24/7 access, the CBS Evening News is getting simulcasted online and is available for on-demand viewing afterward at CBSNews.com. From Red Herring: “…the affiliates know that the web and mobile networks are robbing traditional TV of some of its long-held riches. TV is still the centerpiece of home entertainment in the U.S., but the web is providing stiff competition.”

And there’s also a blog written by Couric, “Couric & Co." From her September 5 post: “We’ll be swapping stories, sharing opinions, asking questions and generally just taking stock. In the little village that is CBS News, you might consider ‘Couric & Co’ the coffee house on the corner, where something is always brewing.”

The bigger issue brewing revolves around the changing delivery mechanism for news. Gone are the days when people sat down each evening to watch the news. Our need for on-demand access to content – when convenient for us – is where the Internet comes in. I’m wondering how many people will access the simulcast version and if we’ll eventually see a day when the number of people watching the newscast on the web is equal to (or greater?!) than those viewing the televised version.

CNN Meets YouTube? CNN Exchange to Accept User-Generated Video

This just in. “Send your story. Share your thoughts. Make your mark.” That’s what CNN’s new “Exchange” site is asking of viewers, welcoming citizen journalists to submit stories, photos and videos related to headline-making stories. Read more here and here.

The CNN Exchange content destination site is the latest example of the convergence point of “traditional” journalism, grass roots/participatory journalism and new media. With the just-announced new program, users can send in digital audio and video from breaking news events in their region – via e-mail or by uploading their reports directly from CNN's site. Submissions and news tips are then checked and followed up on by editors. "User-generated content has the potential to play a pivotal role in journalism whether it’s online or offline," said Mitch Gelman, senior vice president and executive producer for CNN.com, in a statement.

Viewers armed with home video cameras have contributed footage to news programs for years, as we all know, but the emergence of YouTube and other video sharing sites has kicked viewer contribution up a notch. With recent events (think Hurricane Katrina and the London bombings), viewers’ cellphone camera images, photos and video clips were often on the Web long before professional photographers were on the scene.  The new CNN site also offers readers the chance to share their thoughts on breaking news via blogs and quick polls – even tips from producers on submitting their own content, dubbed “I-Reports.”

The added momentum behind user-submitted content reminds me how much things have changed during the last decade. When I shot some random, home video camera footage during Central California's 1997 floods, I offered the clips to a station in Boston that was producing a related documentary. I had to transfer the footage to two other formats before submitting via mail. Now, it’s as easy as uploading and sharing just moments after footage is taken.

Videoblogs and the Future of TV News…

We’ve been tracking how journalism is being transformed by new media – and we’ve also mentioned the offbeat-and-always-entertaining Rocketboom, which reports on media, tech, and daily life.  An AJR article presents a behind-the-scenes look at the popular online newscast/videoblog, which draws more than 300,000 views.

How do these numbers compare with TV newscast viewership numbers (especially when you consider Rocketboom has historically relied primarily on word-of-mouth rather than ads)?

As more citizen journalists capture events (think Hurricane Katrina), upload and share their video with the world – instantly – where does this leave traditional newscasts?

And with this do-it-yourself approach to news, how will the fact-checking or filtering aspect of reporting change (and thus, the very definition of journalism)?

Mr. Moonves's Long Tale

See Lynn Herschberg's profile of Leslie Moonves in this week's Sunday New York Times Magazine.  The CBS chief aims to keep ratings up (CBS is now #1)  by continuing to develop shows with mass appeal, versus niche shows that can only (but nicely) survive on cable.  Reading this article, you get the feeling that Moonves has no choice but to flout the "long tail" (the idea, first advanced by Chris Anderson at Wired, that new distribution channels enable vendors to sell more niche inventory to better defined and segmented audiences) and instead focus on the mass-market hit:  that's the nature of the game at the networks.  The right tools, for the right task .... But we betcha anything that the folks at Viacom, the CBS corporate parent, are taking more of the long view.  After all, the CBS mass audience is just another audience (albeit still a huge one ... today).

Rocketboom Viewership Booming

In its exploration of  vlogs, CBS highlights a favorite of mine - the daily Rocketboom, which features slightly-offbeat-and-always-entertaining looks at media, tech, culture and daily life (recent reports: one man's "revision"  of the Dance Dance Revolution game called Bush Bush Revolution - moving your feet to the political beat - plus "Elvis the Robocat").

The vlog boasts more than 50,000 viewers in nine months. The daily "newscasts" also feature correspondents scattered around the globe.

CNN Seeks Blog Experts

More from the "Broadcast-Blog Synergy" File...

Time Warner Company/CNN is currently seeking applicants to fill three blog-related positions in Washington, D.C. Listings for Associate Blog Producer, Blog Production Assistant and Blog Reporter/Producer are currently on the Time Warner site (and around the Web as well).

I'm just waiting for Larry King's blog to go live...

Associate Producer - DC (Blog)

TimeWarner Division Turner Broadcasting

Posting Job Description Qualifications: Bachelors Degree. Three years experience in network television news operation. Major local market experience, or web-based journalism experience preferred. Flexibility and ability to multi-task is key as well as outstanding knowledge of computer systems; expertise in blogs and knowledge of the blogosphere desirable. Video editing and graphics production experience preferred.

http://www.timewarner.com/corp/careers/jobtools_us/index.html

Does TV Make You Smarter?

Great article in The New York Times Magazine, by Steven Johnson, the author of "Mind Wide Open." The gist:

... another kind of televised intelligence is on the rise. Think of the cognitive benefits conventionally ascribed to reading: attention, patience, retention, the parsing of narrative threads. Over the last half-century, programming on TV has increased the demands it places on precisely these mental faculties. This growing complexity involves three primary elements: multiple threading, flashing arrows and social networks.

Johnson makes a persuasive case that TV shows today are vastly more sophisticated than those of yesteryear. But his case ends there; he offers no argument that our exposure to, say, "The Sopranos" or "The West Wing" is actually making us any smarter. Still, I expect that watching these shows will be less of a guilty pleasure.