This is a story about listening to your customers - whether you're in sales, news or at the switchboard?   You'll never be successful if you don't pay attention to their needs.

There is a sales manager at a TV station in San Diego who always asks prospective sales people the same question - "sell me a pencil?"  He then sits patiently as they enthusiastically launch into their sales pitch - extolling all the benefits of the pencil.

After they've run out of superlatives about the pencil, he asks them the most important question - "How do you know I even... more »

You do them every night - primetime topicals designed to draw viewers to your late newscast - but do they send people away instead?  That's what I hear from viewers all the time in focus groups.

I remember one woman who said - "I think they are a public service.  You can decide whether or not it is worth staying up for the late news."   That's right, while you may feel these topicals are attracting viewers to your newscasts - they may be helping them make the decision to go to bed instead - based on what your topicals promise.

And, I have heard some... more »

If you had any doubt that network evening newscasts are dinosaurs - and totally out of touch with the needs of their viewers - all you had to do was to watch all three of them tonight.  It also made it perfectly clear why CBS and Couric are in last place.

On a day when oil flirted with $120 a barrel, and there were stories of people forgoing food to put enough gas in their car's tank to get to work and back, CBS inexplicably launched into ten minutes off the top of their newscast on tomorrow's presidential primary.  Why?  So they... more »

I have listened to viewers in four states spread across the country over the last few weeks - and they are saying loud and clear - "It's all about my wallet."

High gas prices, high credit card debt, high anxiety about paying their bills have your local TV viewers focused squarely on their purses and wallets.  So forget trying to entice them with your pre-planned special reports about on-line dating, or slum lords or school safety or any other subjects during this May sweeps - they want basic, solid information on how to survive this crazy economy.

So harken back to the... more »

When you fly on a commercial airliner, can you tell whether the pilot is ex-Navy or ex-Air Force?   Today's blog has nothing to do with TV but hopefully will introduce you to an interesting game to play next time you hit the friendly skies.

I was reminded of the difference today during my "E ticket" ride from Dallas to South Carolina on an American Eagle.  It was a bumpy ride - made even more "thrilling" because our pilot was ex-Navy.

How could I tell?   This guy was flying the plane like it was a sports car - zigging and zagging, steeply banking hard... more »

It is time to revive the ancient art of TNG.  One way to easily showcase your anchors as reporters - and to easily add fresh, updated content to your newscasts is TNG - the two decade's old idea from AR&D called Telephone News Gathering.

Don't have the time, or a photographer to send your anchor out to report on a story?  No problem.  Simply have them pick up the phone and called the sheriff to update an ongoing news story.

Then in the newscast, the anchor can say, "I checked with the sheriff just moments ago and she says..."   It shows your... more »

It is time for local news anchors to get out of the chair and back on the street.  Back in the day, anchors reported all the time.  A relatively few do today, but most have turned into nothing more than news readers.  They come in late and read the news - and you pay them a lot of money.

News Directors have only themselves to blame for allowing this to happen.  Back when I was news director in Phoenix I hired a terrific hard-working journalist to anchor my main newscasts.  She'd been an anchor/EP at her previous station.

For the first few months... more »

For years, I have been pointing out to TV news staffs that they are different than their customers.  News people religiously follow the events happening locally and in the world.  Your customers don't.

Now, some would argue that in this plugged-in world we live in today that more of your customers have to know what's going on.  I mean between the constant drone of the cable news channels, expanded local news times, the Internet, cell phone text updates, radio, newspapers, word of mouth at work etc. - how can anyone not be informed - even if they don't actively pursue news updates?

But... more »

Local TV newscasts have been making viewers angry for years.  Now you're doing it at an even higher level as you try to send viewers to your station website.

Every time we do focus groups viewers complain that local TV newscasts promise a story and then make you "wait for the entire newscast to see it."   That's why I am a zealot about promising one story as being "NEXT" and then delivering that promised story first after the commercial break.

But this approach is a rarity outside of the AR&D clients who have bought into my "Next" rant.  Now I see newscast after newscast... more »

Greetings from the NAB/RTNDA convention in Las Vegas.

It is a lonely place compared to the good old days when news directors would gather in hospitality suites in one hotel and swap stories, network, and solve the world's problems.

There are over 100,000 people at this convention - but only a sliver of them are at the RTNDA.  The NAB exhibits sprawl for hundreds of yards across the Las Vegas convention center.  The RTNDA exhibits are tucked in a corner off the walkway between the convention center and the Hilton.  Many walk by - few walk in.

It seemed like a good idea... more »