| CHAPTER 16 | |
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Convergence, Cooperation and the New TV Newsroom |
What’s going on online in TV newsrooms has drawn most of the attention, but it’s certainly not the only change that we’ve seen in the business recently.
The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Survey shows again that the TV news business isn’t limited to TV anymore. More than three-quarters (78 percent) of stations provide local news content to one or more other media—beyond their own station or website. Almost two-thirds of TV news departments are involved in some sort of convergence or cooperative arrangement with another medium. The bigger the news staff and the bigger the market, the more likely the involvement.
Behind the scenes, stations are consolidating broadcast operations, running several stations out of one station. The idea there is to cut down the number of people—engineers in this case—needed for each station, streamline operations and save money.
THE NEW TV NEWSROOM
In the table below, “other” was most often a digital channel or a newspaper. Over three-quarters of all groupings of stations (by staff size, region, etc.) provide content to others … with three exceptions: the smallest newsrooms (1–10 staffers), other commercial and noncommercial stations. Those three are all around 60 percent, rather than the 80 percent of every other group.
PERCENTAGE OF TV NEWS DEPARTMENTS PROVIDING CONTENT TO OTHER MEDIA—2011
Stations are running information on their digital channels, but this is an area of greater expectation than reality.
STATIONS RUNNING MATERIAL ON ANOTHER DIGITAL CHANNEL THAT NEWS DIRECTOR OVERSEES—2011
| All news channel | Weather channel | Other | No | |
| All TV | 3.4% | 26.6% | 24.6% | 51.2% |
| Market size: | ||||
| 1–25 | 4.4 | 20.0 | 15.6 | 60.0 |
| 26–50 | 6.5 | 32.6 | 30.4 | 39.1 |
| 51–100 | 6.8 | 33.8 | 33.8 | 37.8 |
| 101–150 | 0 | 29.7 | 17.6 | 58.1 |
| 151+ | 0 | 13.0 | 24.1 | 63.0 |
A year earlier, almost 46 percent of news directors noted they were involved in plans for content on the station’s digital channels. A year later, the evidence says that few of those plans went anywhere. Some of the numbers are up a little (weather and other), but some are down a little (all news and whether they’re doing anything at all). Interestingly, 8 percent of stations with 51+ news employees are now running an all news channel. More than a quarter of TV stations are running a weather channel. Most often, “other” meant another station on another digital channel; just behind that was news but not all news. Well behind were entertainment and sports.
CONVERGENCE
Convergence is the term we loosely apply to anything from cross promotion of media to cooperation in news gathering and presentation to joint operation of two or more media outlets. That might be a TV station and its website; it might be a television station, a website and a newspaper; it could be a radio station and a newspaper. For almost a third of all stations that produce news, it includes a cooperative agreement with another TV station. It’s a mix and match of possible combinations and even more gradations of operation.
Some argue that the term has so many shades of meaning that it probably no longer has any real definition. The contemporary notion of convergence started in 2000 as a way to describe the combination of Media General’s WFLA-TV and the Tampa Tribune. In practice, the combination was more a co-location than real convergence, but it started the ball rolling. Many jointly owned newspapers, television and radio stations started working together, and even stations and newspapers with no business connection started working jointly in a variety of partnerships.
Some of these arrangements are still in operation, but TV-newspaper convergence actually hit its peak in 2005, and has gone mostly down ever since. In 2005, about half the TV stations (that produced news) were in some sort of converged arrangement with a local newspaper. By 2011, that number had been cut nearly in half (28 percent).
What happened to the expectation of more and more convergence efforts between newspapers and TV? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was expected to ease the restrictions on cross-ownership, allowing joint ownership of many newspaper/television/radio combinations in most markets, but that effort got tied up in court and then abandoned. The FCC is again looking at the issue, but at this writing, it’s unclear where that will go, and even the media companies who were earlier pushing for a change seem less engaged in the effort this time around. Blending together newspapers and television stations—owned by different and competing companies—hasn’t been easy.
What happened was the Internet. Although newspapers and TV stations competed against each other in newsgathering, they never really competed for audiences. The decisions to read the paper or watch the news on TV were largely independent of each other, and most newspaper consumption took place in the morning, and prime TV news time was in the evening. Convergence seemed to make sense. Until the Internet. Everyone competes head to head online, so while the convergence of jointly owned stations and papers is likely to grow, convergence among stations and newspapers without common ownership is not. And the newspaper push for online paywalls makes this form of convergence less and less likely in the future.
But there are plenty of other new arrangements going on.
Based on the most recent RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey, almost two-thirds of TV news departments are involved in some sort of convergence or cooperative arrangement with another medium. It’s just not as likely to be newspaper as it used to be. The bigger the news staff and the bigger the market, the more likely the involvement.
Far more common is the link between television and radio … likely fueled by the economic savings of having TV people extend the use of what they’re doing on TV to radio, along with the promotional value of those additional outlets to the TV station.
The running of local news on another TV station is always an economic decision, but that decision has a variety of models. In some cases, we have stations operating under a duopoly agreement, where one company (and its local station) oversees and operates another station (either locally or nearby). In some cases, the station producing the news is being paid to produce a newscast for another station. In some cases, the producing station is buying the time on another station (and collecting the revenue from the sale of ads). Because the models—and, hence, motivations—are different, the future of each such arrangement may change as other circumstances change (ownership, the economy, and so on).
COOPERATION
Born out of the recession starting in 2007, more and more stations have started some sort of cooperation with other media. That cooperation has taken a variety of forms, with a number of Fox and NBC affiliates leading the way in several markets. One example: Planned events like mayoral news conferences would get covered by a “pool” photographer who would provide the video to all the stations participating in the pool. This saved stations money versus each station sending its own photographer to cover the event.
In the largest markets, this kind of cooperation spread to the sharing of helicopters among at least several of the stations. The cost of maintaining a chopper can run hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, so a cooperative arrangement here can save a lot of money.
Other forms of cooperation include sharing information, sharing packages and even splitting the cost of newspeople.
Overall, 59 percent of stations have a cooperative arrangement with another medium.
ASIDE FROM THE LOCAL OR NEARBY TV STATION FOR WHICH YOU PRODUCE NEWS, DO YOU HAVE A COOPERATIVE NEWS-GATHERING OR COVERAGE AGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING?
The steady rise in cooperation with another TV station or a local radio station has stabilized, and so has the steady drop in the percentage of TV stations working with a local newspaper. Overall, the larger the market, the more likely to see a station involved in some sort of cooperative arrangement, but specific cooperative choices also tend to be more and more market specific. Cooperation with another TV station is much more likely to be a top 25 market phenomenon. Local newspaper tends to be higher in markets 26–150. Radio mostly goes up as market size falls (except the smallest markets, which drop again). Generally, the bigger the staff, the more likely a station is to be involved in some sort of cooperative arrangement. CBS stations were more likely to be involved in cooperative ventures than all the other affiliates, and they were especially likely to be involved with local radio (which is now a corporate strategy among CBS owned stations). About two-thirds of the “other” category (above) involved radio or cable.
FOR THOSE STATIONS THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS, WE ASKED WHAT THEY WERE SHARING
| Information | Helicopter | Pool video | Other | |
| All TV | 78.5% | 10.2% | 35.5% | 18.3% |
| Market size: | ||||
| 1–25 | 65.7 | 42.9 | 65.7 | 14.3 |
| 26–50 | 72.4 | 13.8 | 31.0 | 27.6 |
| 51–100 | 86.7 | 0 | 28.9 | 15.6 |
| 101–150 | 83.3 | 0 | 25.0 | 16.7 |
| 151+ | 79.3 | 0 | 31.0 | 20.7 |
All the categories here have been moving up substantially since the recession of 2007. The percentage sharing information was slightly lower for the biggest stations in the biggest markets, but otherwise there was little difference no matter how I broke down the categories. Pool video varied more. Fox affiliates were a little more likely to cooperate there, and ABC affiliates were less likely to do so. Helicopter was market specific, not surprisingly. Almost 43 percent of top 25 markets report sharing a chopper. That dropped to just under 14 percent in markets 26–50, but the survey doesn’t pick up whether that’s because there’s less sharing or fewer choppers. Most of the “other” category involved content, but news directors were more specific—most often noting video and packages.
Two things make the future of these cooperative ventures unclear. First, many involve responses to the recession that started with the housing market implosion in late 2007. As the economy improves, will stations continue to see benefit in these arrangements? Second, in almost no cases is the number one news station in the market involved in this kind of arrangement. TV already faces the widespread notion that “all stations look pretty much the same.” (Over 60 percent of adults in a nationwide survey agreed with that statement.) Clearly, sharing video will do nothing to take away from that notion.
Even if many of the pool video arrangements do not survive, I suspect some sort of sharing of helicopter arrangements will. It’s extremely costly to lease or own a helicopter, and there’s the side benefit of fewer choppers in the sky results in safer airspace for everyone.
MOBILE
The latest study from the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of American adults (47 percent) say they get at least some local news and information on their cell phone or tablet computer. A lot of that appears to be weather and general information like restaurant listings, but mobile is clearly growing in importance. Most of that use involves direct connection online; only 10 percent used an app for local news, and only 1 percent paid any money for an app.
Fisher Communications sees new revenue in mobile—among other places.
A Deloitte LLP online study found that 29 percent of people (who go online) talk on their cell phones or mobile devices while watching TV. Among online Americans, a third own a smartphone, and 40 percent of those who don’t, say they’re likely to purchase one in the near future.
Steve Safran at Lost Remote lists building a mobile version of a station website as the number one thing stations should do as part of their online strategy. Getting an app version of the site is number two. That sentiment is echoed by financial firm Borrell Associates, where Gordon Borrell estimates that nearly two-thirds of all online advertising will be viewed on a mobile device: tablet, laptop or smartphone. Borrell doesn’t say when, but he’s clearly envisioning this happening soon.
A variety of companies (Dish, Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner) are either working on or have already released an app for the iPad to allow for viewing TV and, in some cases, controlling the TV. There’s also court action on this, with the networks questioning the legality. The point is, it’s in the works. So is TV on mobile, with Fisher, Schurz and other companies working on extensive apps for mobile devices. A group of a dozen major TV station owners is also working to deliver live video to mobile devices in 40 percent of the country by 2013. And there are plenty of local experiments going on now in places like Washington, DC, and Raleigh, NC.
MMJ, BACKPACK JOURNALISTS AND ONE-MAN-BANDS
There are those who envision convergence as the rise of the super-journalist who would do it all: cover a story for television, post an expanded version on the website and write 15 column inches for the newspaper. Call them one-man-bands (admittedly old school), multimedia (MMJ) or backpack journalists—their use has been growing over the last four years—but not as much as a lot of people seem to think.
Management saw big money savings, and the future of the multitasking reporter seemed just around the corner. But this money-saving notion ignored the reality that most journalists are strikingly busy just keeping up with the demands of one medium. Even minimal efforts at repackaging a story for a website have been a chore. It also ignores abilities. A newspaper hires reporters for their ability to write and report—not their ability to do live shots and speak extemporaneously. Television reporters, who have to prepare stories not for one newscast, but for multiple newscasts, have neither the time, training, nor, in many cases, the material to turn a TV story into a longer, more detailed print version.
Certainly, we’re seeing the rise of the “backpack journalist”—equipped to do it all and operating out of his or her car more than an office and, perhaps most critically, operating on a shoestring budget. Although some people are ready to pronounce this the era of the “backpack journalist,” it’s too early to be sure. Even the much-discussed rise of the use of one-man-bands in TV news really isn’t backed up by actual numbers nearly as much as anecdotal stories.
Every year, lots of news directors say they’re looking at or considering an expansion of one-man-bands, but over the last five years (as this is written) the use of backpack journalists/one-man-bands has gone up an average of 3–4 percent a year. That’s meaningful, but it’s not overwhelming. The biggest jump is actually in larger markets that have gone from no one-man-bands to some.
PERCENTAGE OF TV NEWSROOMS REPORTING USING ONE-MAN-BANDS—2011
| Yes, mostly use OMB | Yes, use some OMB | Yes, but not much use | No, do not use | |
| All TV | 35.6% | 32.4% | 16.0% | 16.0% |
| Market size: | ||||
| 1–25 | 16.7 | 35.4 | 14.6 | 33.3 |
| 26–50 | 10.2 | 38.8 | 28.6 | 22.4 |
| 51–100 | 21.8 | 46.2 | 16.7 | 15.4 |
| 101–150 | 53.1 | 21.0 | 16.0 | 9.9 |
| 151+ | 67.9 | 21.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Staff size: | ||||
| 51+ | 6.7 | 40.0 | 25.0 | 28.3 |
| 31–50 | 20.8 | 40.3 | 23.6 | 15.3 |
| 21–30 | 40.4 | 32.7 | 13.5 | 13.5 |
| 11–20 | 69.2 | 21.2 | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| 1–10 | 65.6 | 12.5 | 9.4 | 12.5 |
In the top 50 markets, I’ve seen 10–15 point drops in the “not much” category and a corresponding increase in the “use some” grouping.
In the most recent survey, I asked how many one-man-bands a station employed.
HOW MANY OMBS DO YOU EMPLOY? 2011
| Average | Median | |
| All TV | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Markets 1–25 | 4.6 | 2 |
| Markets 26–50 | 3.2 | 2 |
| Markets 51–100 | 3.8 | 3 |
| Markets 101–150 | 5.0 | 4 |
| Markets 151+ | 5.8 | 5 |
| Staff size | ||
| 51+ | 4.5 | 3 |
| 31–50 | 4.3 | 4 |
| 21–30 | 6.0 | 4 |
| 11–20 | 4.7 | 5 |
| 1–10 | 3.1 | 3 |
This table gives a different dimension on how widespread the use of one-man-bands is; the median, or midpoint of the numbers, probably gives a better picture of how the typical TV station operates.
These numbers are very much market-dependent. The typical station in markets 1–50 has two one-man-bands. In markets 51–100, there are three. Markets 101–150 have four; and markets 151+ come in at five.
I also asked what the one-man-bands did before they were one-man-bands. Most often, they were either reporters or in college. Less often, they were photographers. Even less often, they were something else. But the answer varied by market size and staff size. In the largest markets and in newsrooms with the largest staff sizes, OMBs were most likely to have been reporters and then photographers. In markets 101+, OMBs were a little more likely to have been college students than reporters.
Almost 43 percent said the use of OMBs changed who they hired; 38 percent said it didn’t change anything, and 19 percent said it did sometimes. Not surprisingly, generally, the smaller the market and the smaller the station, the less likely that the use of OMBs changed who they hired. Many—if not most—of them have always hired one-man-bands.
If the use of one-man-bands has changed how a station hires, I asked how? All told, 149 news directors answered that question. Over 40 percent wrote about new and more skills that the people hired must bring to the job. Almost 29 percent specifically noted that new hires had to know how to shoot or how to shoot and edit. Several news directors mentioned that new hires must want to shoot and edit or get involved with various new media skills. Some news directors simply noted that all future hires would be OMBs, and a number of news directors also talked of looking for web skills.
What is definitely taking place is a change in the responsibilities that journalists have working with the medium’s website. In television, more than 80 percent of TV news staffers have at least some web responsibilities; in radio, it’s about 86 percent. Both numbers have been growing steadily—even as the number of newsroom employees who work exclusively on the web has just edged up. In TV, the most recent figures put the average TV news operation with 2.1 full-time web people and 1.9 more part time.
Why hasn’t TV news web employment grown more? Because, at its core, it’s still an ancillary part of the TV news business. Even for the relatively few stations making a comparatively large amount of money on the web, that total is still just a small percentage of what the TV news operation brings in overall.
Until the business model changes and stations start to make a lot more money online, web employment is likely to continue inching up. What has changed is the increasing expectation that TV news hires will be web savvy and understand that contributing to the station website is simply another part of the job.
SUMMARY
The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Survey shows again that the TV news business isn’t limited to TV anymore—or just news. More than three-quarters of stations provide local news content to one or more other media—beyond their own station or website: another TV station, a cable channel, radio, another website, mobile and more.
In addition to a variety of convergence enterprises, more and more TV stations—now almost two-thirds of all stations—are also involved in some sort of cooperative venture with other media outlets. Those arrangements include sharing things like video, helicopters, information and even employees. Many of those deals started in the recession that began in 2007, but it’s unclear whether they’ll continue as the economy picks up.
More and more people are getting news and information on mobile devices, but it’s too early to know how that will affect the industry. The use of one-man-bands is increasing at a rate of three to four percent a year. Meaningful, but it’s not taking over the business.
KEY WORDS & PHRASES
convergence
duopoly
cooperation
pool coverage
digital channels
mobile
app
one-man-band
mmj
backpack journalist
EXERCISES
A. Make a list of the TV stations in your market area that run news on another medium (list all the media that each is on).
B. Make a list of all the cooperative ventures that the TV, radio stations and newspapers in your market area are involved with.
C. What are the local stations doing on mobile? Are they using apps? How do those work, and do they charge for them?
D. Which stations use one-man-bands, and how much do they use them? Note the categories of usage in the chapter, and make a list of the stations in your market area and where each falls in the list.