WSAZ is the local TV station that services the Huntington and Charleston, WV area. I must admit that I don’t watch a lot of local news on TV. I usually only catch it when I can’t find the remote. However this doesn’t mean I am not interested in local news, I just don’t have the time or desire to sit in front of the TV at the same time every night. Unfortunately for local news I don’t think I am unique. They could have just thrown up there hands and given up on viewers like me. They didn’t do that though, they looked around and realized that people like me spend a lot of time on our smart phone. They had a company create an Iphone application for them.
It is a really good application and I use it daily. You can look at local news, sports, weather and business. They provide videos which play through the Youtube application. You can share a story by email, Facebook or Twitter If you observe a local news story, you can upload video or pictures to WSAZ through the application. If you click on weather you can look at the forecast, watch the radar or check for local alerts. Under sports they have news and scores from Marshall and WVU. They also provide scores and schedules for high schools in the area.
Basically it has got everything you need to follow local news. The only complaint I have is I wish it would update more often. If you live in the Charleston-Huntington area I would recommend downloading the application. If you live some other area then go to the Iphone app store and put in your local news station call sign. If an application is available download it, you may learn things you didn’t know about your area.
Are you willing to pay for the news. That is what Rupert Murdoch maybe betting on. Rupert Murdoch is the owner of a media empire which includes the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. Lately he has been talking about removing his news empire from Google Search and putting them behind a pay wall
Clearly for this to work it would depend on if people are willing to pay for their news. I found an article on Technologizer that said that 45% of people surveyed were willing to pay for news. When I saw this article red flags immediately went up in my head, based on what I had previously heard and read. I wanted to find out more about this survey. The original article came from the New York Times, upon reading the Times’ article I found that the survey was done by the Boston Consulting Group.
I went to their Web site, where there was a fuller explanation of the survey. People are willing to pay for the news, but only under narrow and specific circumstances. This is the key paragraph that the New York Times and Tech chose to ignore.
“• Unique, such as local news (67 percent overall are interested; 72 percent of U.S. respondents) or specialized coverage (63 percent overall are interested; 73 percent of U.S. respondents)
• Timely, such as a continual news alert service (54 percent overall are interested; 61 percent of U.S. respondents)
• Conveniently accessible on a device of choice.”
Consumer, however are not willing to pay for news that is freely available all over the Internet. The consumers that are most willing to pay for their news are those that are already paying for newspaper. I suspect that this is an older and increasingly smaller audience. Even if consumer are willing to pay for their subscription, they are not willing to pay enough to make up for the lost of advertisement that newspapers have been dealing with. A pay wall might slow the decline but it will not stop it. The only way that newspapers can survive is to adapt to the new world, the old model is no longer viable and to try to save it is doom to fail
The origins of the Onion newspaper come from my hometown. In fact, I worked with a few of the staffers at other local University newspapers. I did do a couple “Satire” articles for the Onion, but nothing was published.
Apparently, the Onion has a great reach – even to those who don’t understand. Another article was re-published as actual news. This time it was a Bangladesh newspaper – The Daily Manab Zamin – which then was picked up by the New Nation.
The articles talked about a (supposed) news story that Neil Armstrong was quoted “the Moon landings were fake…” The two news agencies soon after learning the Onion is a satirical paper, apologized for the misinformation.You can read the Onion article here
This is not the first time the Onion has influenced another writer. in 2004, the Beijing News first didn’t site the Onion until pressured. The news article was about how Congress won’t resume until a new “Modern” capitol was built. So not only did they use misinformation, they plagiarized it.
It’s interesting how the web can spread a hoax. There was another, also in 2004, where a man beheaded himself on a video. It was posted to see how fast the video could be made into news. An Arab station picked it up and the wheels were set in motion.
As for the Onion, please understand it is not a real news source. It is satire. If I remember correctly, there was only one issue that actually reported real news. But that was years ago and no one remembers it.
The truths:
- News is moving online. People want instant access to news without waiting until the next morning or afternoon.
- The recession has caused a terrifying drop in printed advertising causing a quick but low profit move online.
The conclusions:
- Local news companies must move to quick unabbreviated news online that incorporates local business advertising.
- Local businesses must move online with a web presence that brings both foot traffic to the brick and mortar store as well as an online business.
An example:
The Fargo Forum moved to a CMS and used their site extremely well during the recent flood. The site is not necessarily as polished and easy to navigate as Foxnews.com, but a good start in the online news business. However, the prime advertising real estate on the site is for Forum operated sites. Sites that local businesses can join and participate/advertise in. Really they are ads for the Forum classifieds (i.e. Homes, Apartments, Cars, etc.) There are really very few ads for individual businesses. And once you visit the the business you may or may not be greeted by a discount or sales offer. This must change if local news and businesses are going to make the transition. The Forum is definitely in the game and making progress but it has room to grow.
The online move of news could force more and more local businesses to develop a true online presence. It may not mean an online store, but it will mean an online version of what they would have had printed in the paper. Additionally, they can have the equivalent of an entire sales flier for the price of an online click-through ad. Could this mean a resurgence for web developers as local businesses must build dynamic CMS sites? I believe that the local news agencies and businesses that catch on to this partnership and market will rediscover the advertising gold mine. The early bird will get the worm.
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Watching the news has always been a necessary evil. It seems filled with tragic and depressing stories. On occasion I have doubted the wisdom in showing what is shown. In an unofficial and unresearched opinion, it seems to me that the more murder suicide stories they show about a man and his family, the more that occur. Sick people are not helped and deterred by seeing the stories. Healthy people are no safer. I’ve had the unfortunate task of going with the police to give news of a murder suicide to a family. Should I Twitter, Facebook, or blog about it?
