Fixing TV News from the inside out, part two

July 19, 1:15 AMTV News ExaminerIrv Kass

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This is the second of two parts on how to fix TV News. Part one was posted earlier.

NEW APPROACHES

When TV news first became profitable it still had a dominant position as one of three main sources of information, along with newspapers and radio. Often, the most outrageous content and presentation would win the day. But over time, the most successful formats and stations tend to be substance driven and consistently well crafted in their presentations. The quick fixes of “flash and trash” fade famously, unless there is substance. The best tabloid newscasts are deceiving, in a good way. By that I mean they are generally well written, clever, and contain interesting but ultimately meaningful content. So what I am about to say is not dependent on style or format. Good TV news connects with, and serves, the viewers. And in that spirit of serving the viewers, leaders of newsrooms and stations, need to wake up and become servant leaders who use service as the key to leadership. For this to work and become a thriving business model, we must also reorganize the way work gets done in newsrooms.

To begin with, assignments and content choices must be less directive and more collaborative. Self directed teams have to operate as independently as possible to create content that is fresh and meaningful. Including social media to interact with viewers is a powerful tool that news operations are just starting to discover. The servant leaders in charge have to set the tone, create meaning, and articulate a shared vision. Smart news staffers can then begin to create and serve in their own way, giving “birth” to stories, ideas, and new ways of getting the work done. Morning story selection meetings become brainstorming sessions and idea incubators. Each reporter-photographer team, and each newscasts team of  producer, anchors, and video editors, make up self directed teams within the newsroom. Teams overlap and fit within a larger structure that is department wide. A good analogy is how a football team is organized. Within one team, there are the units of offense and defense. Within those units it is broken down even further by position groups. Offense and defense have coordinators and the position groups have coaches; the head coach coordinates and leads the entire group so the team can work together cohesively and effectively.

Breaking news is a critical part of any news agenda. To carry the football analogy a bit deeper, breaking news is playing defense. The news team has to “protect” itself and have a solid defense to compete effectively. But building an offense that is driven by enterprise reporting, and solid story-telling that dares to try new approaches, tell untold stories, and give voice to viewers previously ignored, will set the news operation of the future apart and create new value for viewers, and advertisers. To some extent this happens today in the best newsrooms, but the majority of newsrooms must grow and move forward so that the reliance on the police blotter and reactive coverage of car crashes ceases to be the dominant model—the 1970s model—for our time. This will only happen if inspiring servant leaders allow storytelling to flourish, the kind of stories that explain the big picture along with the close-ups of important details, stories that have meaning to the lives of viewers. This is a sharp contrast to the cavalcade of crime and predictable features we see recycled, day-to-day, week-to-week, and year-to-year.

RISK TO GAIN REWARD

In order to create a climate where a new class of newscasts can be born, station and network owners will have to become willing risk takers. But it is the kind of risk with substantial rewards. Properly executed, this strategy will reward the risk by creating content that will serve the viewers in ways that will compel them to watch; it will give birth to workplaces that celebrate individual contributions as part of building a stronger team; it will allow leaders to serve the staff in ways that demonstrate appreciation, shared vision, and respect. This is not a pipe dream. Businesses of all types and sizes have created new models that lead their industries, through servant leadership. Outstanding workplaces bring outstanding work to life. To continue down the path the TV news industry is headed will lead to more cuts, more disaffection, tempered only by occasional upswings in the economy, but ultimately nothing will really change. The slow death of TV news as we know it is the alternative to what we are proposing. The birth of new forms and workplace environments will be profitable and fulfilling; why not begin the process. As with any birth there is pain and a commitment of time. But the rewards are nothing short of transformational.