Most nearly every week, TVNewsCheck publishes an article titled, Social Scorecard, which highlights the leading media outlet’s Facebook performance in a given market over the past 6 months. After last week’s article came out about WAGA in Atlanta, I got an email from Mike Snuffer, the news director for WSIL, the ABC affiliate owned by […]
Most nearly every week, TVNewsCheck publishes an article titled, Social Scorecard, which highlights the leading media outlet’s Facebook performance in a given market over the past 6 months.
After last week’s article came out about WAGA in Atlanta, I got an email from Mike Snuffer, the news director for WSIL, the ABC affiliate owned by Wheeler Broadcasting in Carterville, Ill. (that’s in the Paducah, Ky., DMA, No. 83).
“Hey, enjoy your articles. So I want to make a ‘snarky’ comment regarding weekly stories on station’s performance on Facebook. Why are broadcasters (including me) spending so much damn time ‘feeding’ and promoting a social media platform and that does NOTHING for me?”
Well, that got my attention. I wondered how many other broadcasters out there felt the same way.
I’ve written dozens of Social Scorecards and interviewed digital media managers and news directors all across the country about their stations’ use of Facebook.
While most do complain about the lack of revenue opportunities when posting content to Facebook, most nearly all have positive thoughts about Facebook’s contributions to the station’s overall operation.
So I called Snuffer. And he gave me an earful.
Snuffer said WSIL has about 100,000 followers on Facebook.
“Every time I see these posts I have to wonder when publishers are going to start asking to get paid to put content on Facebook,” wrote Snuffer in the original missive.
“It’s a question I’m beginning to ask!! Yes, I know the argument — social media drives our web numbers. But, I believe publishers must look at other ways to drive traffic. Your digital should be more about a regular consistent audience — instead of trying to focus on a mass number.”
Snuffer said WSIL does post regularly on Facebook, but he thinks the station gives too much content away without getting any news viewership in return, where the revenue is.
He said his competitors in the market, stations that are part of big broadcast groups, post anywhere from eight to 12 times an hour on Facebook, with some of those posts being stories or videos from markets outside Cartersville.
WSIL, on average, according to Snuffer, posts about four or five times an hour, but nearly all of those stories are local to the market.
Snuffer admitted that Facebook has value in terms of generating story ideas from users and that it has helped make a strong connection with viewers.
But Snuffer wants to know from other broadcasters, ‘how much are you making off Facebook?’
“I would like to know if publishers will be honest about how much revenue they are generating from social media. We’ve been at this for several years. Mommy needs to eat!”
Just as we were finishing up the phone interview, Snuffer threw out an idea.
What if content publishers like TV stations were to pick a day and boycott Facebook?
Call it Facebook Independence Day.
Snuffer suggests that might get Facebook’s attention and the social media giant would see the value of what TV stations are adding to its operation and prompt them to open up their wallet for that content.
As Snuffer said, it’s food for thought.
What do you think?
Comments (0)
Reader Interactions