Five years ago, the job didn’t exist at most TV stations. Today, it’s one of their key positions. Social media, especially Facebook, has become a fundamental platform for stations. It has allowed viewers to participate in the electronic news gathering process. It provides a real-time connection to viewers, giving them a voice in how their […]
Five years ago, the job didn’t exist at most TV stations. Today, it’s one of their key positions.
Social media, especially Facebook, has become a fundamental platform for stations.
It has allowed viewers to participate in the electronic news gathering process.
It provides a real-time connection to viewers, giving them a voice in how their news is covered.
It has removed the curtain that existed between the anchors, reporters, producers, even the photographers, in the newsroom and the viewers, between the editorial process and the finished product.
Who are these people who handle the daily postings on social media?
What are their backgrounds? How is their success measured?
Recently, we profiled the Facebook practices of KARK, Nexstar’s NBC affiliate in Little Rock. Today, we head a little further south to Dallas and Fox O&O KDFW.
“We look for people who are good communicators,” said John Kukla, KDFW’s creative services director.
”There is a perception that we have got to hire all kids because kids know the social media, but I don’t think age plays into it. I think we have people of all ages. It’s just how you feel about communicating and then allowing those people to find the platform that works best for them.”
While there might not be a social media titled position at KDFW, social media is a priority, said Kukla.
“The station has a committee of sorts that contributes to social media to make sure there is representation. We’ve been doing this for four or five years now. People from news, from sales, from programming, it’s just all over the building because social media is everyone’s media and so it just can’t be one point of view or one perspective.”
Kukla said KDFW started a separate Facebook page in addition to Fox Four News, the station’s news Facebook page, to address the station’s Fox entertainment programming.
“What we have done is we have created a separate Facebook page called Fox Four More and that becomes our outlet to talk about all the entertainment and then we have the ability from our marketing point of view to engage with fans on an entertainment basis.”
Success on Facebook, according to Kukla, is engagement.
“We’re thrilled to have the likes that we have, (1,041,716 as of this writing), but what we’re really interested in, and Facebook certainly gives us this, is engagement. What are the comments and what are the shares, what particular stories or topics are resonating with people and are they looking for more information?”
To that end, KDFW started a news segment on its Facebook page called Your Turn, by main anchor, Clarice Tinsley.
“She would find these interesting stories, and then ask for comments and feedback and that was a way of generating shares.”
Above all, said Kukla, Facebook provides another interactive connection so that the station can have a relationship with its viewers.
“It’s not about the platform, it’s another way that we can talk to each other.”
This Your Turn post by Clarice Tinsley has more than 7 millions views.
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