Monday, September 5, 2011

The News Is a Two-Way Communication. We're All In This Together.

This video has been running on 6ABC since shortly after Hurricane Irene came through town.

Thoughts?

27 comments:

Kelly McArdle said...

I am not sure what to make of this video. While it is certainly true that the news has become a conversation between the consumer and the producer, the timing of this clip makes it seem like a sketchy attempt by the media to save its own skin. After coming under fire for exaggerated coverage of the hurricane, it is much easier for major news outlets to say that they were merely working for the people and responding to the concerns their viewers had expressed. The two-way communication ploy suddenly becomes convenient for them because they are no longer completely at fault for their actions. They can create this ad, seem a more friendly and collaborative station, and have an excuse for instilling unwarranted fear into thousands and thousands of people. Well played, ABC.

Alexa Miller said...

In 2006 Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" was "you." Society now plays a huge role in deciding the news. The public contributes so much by posting on facebook, twitter, blogs, and casting votes. The two-way communication system is now how the news operates.

Elizabeth Steinmetz said...

I find this video to be more of a commercial than a video that demonstrates 6ABC's message to the people. Yes, the news that is fed to the public is for the good of the public. However, that is so for every news broadcast. Which is why this commercial is so clearly a commercial to say " Look we're here for you, we're looking out for you". I partly give into this message and that's advertising ! However, the media is a business and this commercial was created to bring in more viewers.

Shauna Bannan said...

Like Kelly said, I think it's a little sketchy that this clip arose shortly after Irene hit. Perhaps the media just wants to show a little sympathy for all the worrying they had caused. And with this clip, they're suddenly not the bad guy anymore. On the other hand, the clip simply points out that the public and news really do operate under a two-way communication system. The public makes the news, and in essence, is informed by the media of what's going on in the world.

Alexis Wilkinson said...

I think it is an upbeat message that shows the audience that the news crew cares about our thoughts and reactions, and wants to hear our input. I think that they are utilizing the new media age of facebook and twitter and I have seen, while watching the news, that they directly address some facebook comments and tweets on the air. I think this is a great way for the audience to be more a part of the news and it will help the news station draw more people in.

Nick Filauro said...

One thing I know for sure is this video definitely isn't news :p

Journalists can to talk to people on the street about things - this whole Two-Way thing isn't new. Twitter and Facebook make it easier to communicate with the viewer, but this clip is just advertising. I dunno if it's some damage control for Irene - could be - but it's main purpose, I think, is to attract viewers and make them feel personally connected to this news channel.

Hayley Condon said...

6ABC is the most watched local news station in the Delaware Valley because of the relationship the station strives to have with its viewers. The station tries to convince viewers that the anchors are like family and that the station has its viewers' best interests at heart.

Having Jim Gardner as the star of the video facilitates the station's "we're all like family" message. Gardner, with his pitifully sweet, Grandpa-ish demeanor, sounds as if he's pleading with the viewer.
"Watch our news station, because we care about YOU."

The reality is, 6 ABC is a business. The next time there is something newsworthy (e.g. another hurricane), viewers will have faith in and trust 6ABC and will therefore tune in- at least that's what the station hopes for.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I know that my family is extremely fed up with the twitter portion of the news. I guess some people are interested in seeing reactions to news stories, but I find that every person basically says the same thing. I prefer to hear the news and thats it. I'm not interested in hearing everyone's reactions. I always change the channel when I hear them say "Ok and now to our twitter feed."

Emily Maher said...

P.S. (that was also my comment above) I think it is an unneccasary portion of the news. We talk to other people about the news so the twitter feed takes away our conversations about the news with other people since it's already on the t.v.

Geo said...

Anybody have any fears that news organizations relying upon twitter feeds and facebook posts makes the media potentially less reliable? I mean, are the news organizations verifying the twitter feeds or facebook posts before airing them?

- George
(the teacher who tweets but doesn't read other people's tweets)

Shannon McLaughlin said...

I think it's a good thing for the media to be accessible to citizens. If they are not giving enough attention to the most important stories then the public should call them out on it. But I think that major news stations basing their programs off of twitter or facebook groups is crossing a line. Social media is a form of news in the way that it enables people to learn what's going on in the lives of the people they know, it's a way for individuals to keep in touch and update with their interests, not a way for the media to gain information. In a way getting news sources from twitter or facebook would be like writing a paper based on wikipedia articles.

Samantha Grinnan said...

I get what 6ABC is trying to say/do. They want their audience to feel a connection to them so that they feel like they can trust what they are watching more. Personally I think it is a little over the top, the commercial that is. They stress how personal they are with their viewers, but than they post about how they have a ridiculous amount of followers. How can you have such a personal relationship when their are so many people, so many thoughts, so many opinions?

Emily Garcia said...

I completely agree with Shannon. Take Hurricane Irene for example. Sure, we've discussed how the media definitely over hyped the situation, but that two-way communication between the producer and the consumer allowed for people who WERE affected by the hurricane to tell their story and let the general public know that serious damage did occur in some areas (although we clearly know this made up only a small percentage of the east coast.) Yet, these big news stations can't take small-town stories straight from the "horse's mouth." These are trained and (hopefully) well-educated journalists who know their stuff. They should be the ones out there getting the story, while the general public should be there to just simply enforce it.

Karina Cheung said...

Personally, I feel that the commercial is ridiculous. Twitter and Facebook, although great tools for social networking do not make me feel a personal connection with a news network. There are many people I am friends with on Facebook that are just acquaintances, some people don't even know their friends on the network in real life. To me that's not personal. The point I'm getting from the commercial is that this is just another version of fan mail and the illusion of a personal relationship.

Kaylin Quinn said...

6ABC is playing on the idea that people love social networking. Society is connected through facebook and twitter; its how some people obtain information. News stations are using technology as a means of connecting and obtaining news. Fox 29 did this when they asked people, "Did you feel the earthquake?" right after it happened in Philadelphia.

Liza Branella said...

I think that 6ABC does a good job at promoting social networking by explaining its positive uses just in their newscasting station. People need to start embracing social networking more because it connects, informs, and provides more information to more people and a faster pace.

Jane Quick said...

I think it's a good advertisement and gives you that warm feeling inside like this supposed to be is the best and friendliest news channel ever. But I'm not sure news programs should rely on twitter or facebook, even if it is just to keep in contact with their viewers.

Emma Purcell said...

I agree that viewer feed back is important to media networks to update the way they do things and keep the consumer happy. However, this video does seem like a last resort advertisement or even propaganda to get more viewers. Yet, it is admirable. I mean Jim Gardner is an adorable old man and one of 6ABC's popular newscasters. Hearing him say such nice things about his viewers is a solid technique for advertising but his arguments are all wrong. Twitter and Facebook are not reliable sources for mass media markets, such as 6ABC, should rely. Social networking websites can be a good way to get consumer's opinions and to distribute information but they are not for credible establishment to collect it.

Leigh Cig said...

Viewer created content is cheap content.

Rich Flanagan said...

This commercial promotes in someway that news is a two way communication but it does not truly do it for me as a viewer. Everything from stores, companies, businesses and television stations have Facebook pages. The real question is do they all check their pages on a daily basis. I do not believe so. I believe news networks try to get the major stories out that people want to hear, but I do not believe they really give a damn sometimes about what viewers think. The fact that this commercial shows how many likes the page recently had makes me think its just trying to say, "we're a popular Facebook page. Come join us." i want the news, not how many likes a Facebook page about news received. I understand they're trying to reach out to the public, but this commercial does not make me want to give 6ABC any feedback.

Charles Watson said...

I think this video is an attempt by 6abc to ensure their viewers that they can still trust 6abc's news coverage - despite a large number of residents along the east coast who think Hurricane Irene was over-played and over-hyped. 6abc has a reputation built on the loyalty of their viewers. Their viewers believe they can trust anything 6abc reports.
In this age of technology, viewers can now participate in the actual newscast, in a way. Methods like including the viewer is going to make the viewer feel special - that is what is going to keep them watching. I think this was well played by 6abc. And a little Jim Gardner never hurts.

Anonymous said...

I think this is ABC's attempt to send a positive message to their viewers to basically say "We are here for you and your voice and thoughts do matter", which I completely agree is what being a journalist/news broadcaster is all about. This business is a two way street and invovles input from the journalist and the audience, and by ABC putting this video out, gives viewers a better idea of how to receieve and contribute to the news

Oscar Castillo said...

In response to George's question, the media should be responsible for following up on a tweet or Facebook post before actually airing it, and essentially making it news. I also believe that it is necessary for the public to become smart consumers of the news, and be able to differentiate between professionally reported news and news reported by everyday citizens. The "two-way communication" is the media adapting to the technological age. CNN does iReports which accepts user submitted video, photos and audio from computers and cell phones. It seems like a way of getting more people to watch and care about the news, since they now have direct input to the news.

Meg McNicholas said...

Though it is a nice video and it is a nice idea, I have to admit that I'm not sure I like one of my local news stations portraying the same message as Disney's High School Musical: "We're all in this together." It's a little corny.

Additionally, "intimate" wouldn't be the first word that comes to mind when I think of my relationship with 6ABC. I understand that Twitter and Facebook enable viewers to communicate with different media channels and it does create somewhat of a two-way communication, but at the end of the day, I only really need a one-way relationship with my local news station. I turn on the news because I want to be told what is going on, not so I can tweet Jim Gadrner.

Liz Howard said...

I think it's been said, but basically what I gather from this video is that this news station wants its viewers to feel connected to them, as though they are a part of the show itself. However, that would be impossible. With the amount of viewers this news station must have, they could never hear everyone's thoughts and opinions, and while there may be similar opinions voiced, that's not really the same thing as including everyone in the news. Honestly, if I were a frequent viewer of this station, I would feel as though they were trying to dupe me, and that would annoy me more than if they never mentioned including the public in their broadcasting.

Samuel Botwinick said...

I would defintely agree with this, because with today's technology, it really can go both ways. Bloggers and "regular" citizens can write directly on TV station's webpages, and they all can can get feedback, either on the news or they can be directly contacted on their own webpages. Even in sports, Mike Missanelli answers questions that people have about the Phillies on the post game show after Phillies games.

Jennifer Arcia said...

I think this commercial is just trying to show how people depend upon two-way communication to know what is happening during a situation like Irene. Everyone was either tweeting, or facebooking about how they felt, what was going on, how the hurricane was not that bad as the media made it to be. It's kinda like the media depends on these social sites and social sites depend on the media.