Rolling news is just getting too daft. Too many hours of broadcast time and not enough people to do it. The journos are so busy standing there talking endlessly to camera that they don't have the time to do a proper journos job - ie check the facts, pull the story together. Instead its rambling hyperbole to dress up the same pictures as there is not enough staff to get the latest.
Just look at the flood story. The same pics endlessly repeated, the same rolling news reporter spewing out the same endless words on every quarter hour.
Where's the story behind the story. The only development comes when the police, fire, ambulance etc release a press statement. Where's the contacts? Where's the exclusives? Drone drone drone..........
Monday, 23 November 2009
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Press release: Free papers
Surely the time has come for regional papers to grasp the nettle and go free like the Evening Standard. Some of the readership figures kicking around are staggering. I don't think advertisers realise how few people are reading them.
I won't pick on anyone but imagine a local daily paper that sold say 70k copies on average a day 20 years ago. The chances are that the figure is now more like 35 to 40k and the graph is down.
To fight back against the internet they need to cover everything that moves at a local level and go free. Distribute to all the newsagents who give it away. They can charge a higher fee than they used to for delivery and they get the kick back of people coming in the shop.
Advertisers will love. Struggling newspapers can get back on the agenda of national brand advertisers who will not go near a paper unless its shifting 50k a day.
They should do it now instead of re-arranging deck chairs on the titanic.
I won't pick on anyone but imagine a local daily paper that sold say 70k copies on average a day 20 years ago. The chances are that the figure is now more like 35 to 40k and the graph is down.
To fight back against the internet they need to cover everything that moves at a local level and go free. Distribute to all the newsagents who give it away. They can charge a higher fee than they used to for delivery and they get the kick back of people coming in the shop.
Advertisers will love. Struggling newspapers can get back on the agenda of national brand advertisers who will not go near a paper unless its shifting 50k a day.
They should do it now instead of re-arranging deck chairs on the titanic.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Press Release: Petrol
At last a paper has picked up the petrol price story again. The story dropped off the agenda when prices went down a bit but now they are more than when the papers were going nuts about it. It looks like 1.10 a litre by next week. The Daily Mail has finally picked up the baton.
The Sun could have done it and used as an example of how crap the country is to hit Brown instead of their clumsy handling of the "letter" story which was a classic example in how to kick your own arse. Brown came out well - even rank and file soldiers were impressed that a serving PM could be bothered to handwrite their own letter!
Hopefully the petrol story will get some mileage - get it - and shame the oil companies and petrol retailers! Damn well shame!!!!
The Sun could have done it and used as an example of how crap the country is to hit Brown instead of their clumsy handling of the "letter" story which was a classic example in how to kick your own arse. Brown came out well - even rank and file soldiers were impressed that a serving PM could be bothered to handwrite their own letter!
Hopefully the petrol story will get some mileage - get it - and shame the oil companies and petrol retailers! Damn well shame!!!!
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Press Release: Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown took a hammering over the soldier letter the other day. Harshly in my view. The Sun stitched him up good and proper. At the end of the day he hand-wrote the letter which is more than most ministers would do.
He made a genuine error and The Sun went to town. Recording the private telephone follow-up conversation was also bang out of order. They made capital out of a grieving mother.
He made a genuine error and The Sun went to town. Recording the private telephone follow-up conversation was also bang out of order. They made capital out of a grieving mother.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Press Release: Paying for online news
Murdoch admits the plan by News International to start charging for online content is falling behind. The plan was to start charging in June 10 - not a chance.
No surprise really. When they do their hit rate will fall off a cliff. He is talking to other news organisations about doing it together which is the only way will manage it.
Should be interesting to see how Joe Public takes to it. Meanwhile News Corp announced a surge in profit thanks to the TV stations performing well in the US.
The longer the recession the more we sit on our backside and watch TV! No wonder pubs and restaurants are feeling the pain.
No surprise really. When they do their hit rate will fall off a cliff. He is talking to other news organisations about doing it together which is the only way will manage it.
Should be interesting to see how Joe Public takes to it. Meanwhile News Corp announced a surge in profit thanks to the TV stations performing well in the US.
The longer the recession the more we sit on our backside and watch TV! No wonder pubs and restaurants are feeling the pain.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Days like today are when we need the BBC. What commercial station, especially radio, would give so much airtime over to debate
the latest on MPs expenses. News on commercial radio stations is virtually non-existent. Skeleton staff run a few soundbites on the hour with bought-in news from agencies. The beeb may not be perfect but with local newspapers losing their investigative bite through poor resources its up to them to have a go.
Sadly the beeb cut back a lot of its regional programming last year so there is less investigative work being done. But something is better than nothing.
the latest on MPs expenses. News on commercial radio stations is virtually non-existent. Skeleton staff run a few soundbites on the hour with bought-in news from agencies. The beeb may not be perfect but with local newspapers losing their investigative bite through poor resources its up to them to have a go.Sadly the beeb cut back a lot of its regional programming last year so there is less investigative work being done. But something is better than nothing.
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