When I retired from broadcasting two years ago and taught a class on TV and news production, I told them that I would be good for two years since I wasn’t sure that I would recognize the business after that time period.
Well, its been two years, and….
Broadcasting is alive and well, as one news head stated “I believe the concerns about our future are over-reported and overstated”. While there are many challenges, local broadcasters content is still the best available.
Local broadcasters biggest asset is content.
The many technological and job changes amplify local broadcasters ability to create compelling stories on all platforms, and as a result, they are creating new job classifications.
MMJs
I just had a student get a job as an “MMJ/Anchor.” A multi media journalist, anchoring and reporting on air, web, and social media. An “MMJ” has the skills to create compelling content for all the places that viewers and listeners get their news.
Preditors
Another job: “Preditors”—producer-editors, a journalist/producer that writes, produces and edits for all platforms. Not a new concept to many, but now it has a name.
Smartphones and cellular bonded transmission equipment allow live from places you could never get to with a live truck. This provides the ability to add depth and context to a story using all of a station’s “footprint,” air, web and social. Your local station is the place for news no matter your choice of how you choose to receive it.
So how have things changed in the two years? Some job classifications have changed and the technology gets easier and more powerful. Most importantly, I recognize that the new generation of Wisconsin students are terrific storytellers and Wisconsin Broadcasters remain the best place for your local news. Not much has changed at all.
