Looking Back on Broadcast News While Moving Forward

During my time working at a network TV station in Philadelphia I often found myself thinking and talking (to just about anyone who would listen) about the state of local broadcast news. As both an employee and an avid news consumer I was bothered by newscasts at my station and our competitors that relied too heavily on crime (not to mention crime reporting devoid of context) and weather (especially something called "big weather").

I was frustrated by the belief that in order for a station to be successful, a newscast needed to be fast-paced and jammed with "reports" ranging in length from just 15 seconds (yes, only five more seconds that what Facebook now considers a video view) to barely two minutes. This strategy is predicated on a now-dated belief that if not followed to the letter, viewers will turn to a different channel.

I was disappointed that smart reporters were too often forced to look less smart, that their reports came across as vapid, that their work was all too often devoid of creativity and that they came across as a hamster going from wheel to wheel -- story to story.

What I heard, often in confidence, from both staffers and consultants alike is that these strategies really didn't work, but that industry leaders weren't interested in change (sound familiar newspaper folk?). That crime was easy and reliable and that weather could draw big ratings. I had a consultant tell me that stations were fighting over a dwindling pool of TV news viewers and that instead of working on a strategy that would grow audience they were sticking with one that focused on their disappearing core.

Finally, a good friend and someone I consider a mentor told me that "maybe one day you'll be able to try it another way." Well, on Monday night that's exactly what I did.

I'm fortunate to be working for PBS39, a Bethlehem, PA-based TV station that determines success not by revenue or ratings but by impact -- a station where improving the lives of our viewers, users and neighbors is more important than winning an award or producing short-lived publicity stunts. So when we decided, just five months ago, to launch our first ever nightly newscast -- the first created by any public television station in approximately 20 years -- that we were going to do something different, something that defied conventional rules. We were going to do what everyone else wanted to do, but was just too afraid to try.

In a relatively short period of time, we hired ten journalists, gave them geographic beats and had them move into the communities they are covering. We spent two-weeks on-boarding and training and then gave them more time to actually develop their beats and sources.

The show we launched at 6:30 pm (and rebroadcasted at 11pm) didn't have any anchors; we wanted our reporters to be the stars. The 28-minute commercial-free show wasn't jammed with "reports" but featured just seven “reports” that ranged in length from two minutes 45 seconds to over five minutes. Also absent was the reliance on crime, weather, traffic and sports. Our goal, true to our mission was to create something that makes a difference for our viewers and users, that improves the neighborhoods and community where our signal reaches and that puts others needs before our own.

I believe that we're off to a good start. While our newscast is definitely a work in progress, I'm proud of what my team has accomplished and their dedication and commitment to our mission and vision. I think we've got the makings of something that will truly last.

But part of me really wishes other local news stations would learn, not just from their own mistakes, but from what we are doing. I wish they would take the necessary steps to create a meaningful and lasting news product because we could use them and because honestly if they don't, no amount of crime, weather, traffic or on-set technology is going to save them.