KTAL in Shreveport, La., saw ratings increases in its main newscasts thanks to a more focused direction and a marketing campaign with a call to action.
In the span of just six months, KTAL, Nexstar’s NBC affiliate in Shreveport, La., changed its fortune in the market.
Two developments were happening: one behind-the scenes, and another in full view, that would pay big dividends in a few months.
First, a call-to-action marketing campaign asking viewers to make a switch was launched.
At the same time, a new management team, led by GM Mark McKay, a 10-year veteran at KTAL, was solidifying, crafting a well-defined mission statement.
The results were ratings increases in December 2021 from December 2020 of 59% for the station’s 6 p.m. newscasts and 28% for the late news.
The Make the Switch to NBC6, KTAL’s brand name, began airing about six months ago, just as the station was welcoming a new management team.
“In the span of about six months, [McKay] he had an entirely new content and marketing team,” says Katharyn Deville, KTAL’s marketing and creative services director.
That team includes Marcus Stroud, news director; Marissa Diaz, in the newly created position of digital director; and Adam Dozier, the senior marketing manager, also a newcomer.
Once all were on board, McKay held a leadership meeting to develop a mission statement, DeVille says. “We ended up putting together an internal video of the mission statement with our employees.”
DeVille says the video “encompasses our whole culture. I had chill bumps.”
That in-house video led to an on-air spot which debuted during Super Bowl week, culminiating on Super Bowl Sunday.
Meanwhile, The Make the Switch to NBC6 campaign was airing on KTAL and outside media including radio, digivision billboards and social media.
The campaign focuses on the station’s news talent who have been together for 10 years, DeVille says.
Although DeVille herself was new to the station, she saw that the station’s anchors were “outstanding, I would put them up against anybody.”
The Make the Switch to NBC6 included promos and social posts promoting KTAL’s main weekday anchor team, Dan and Jacque Jovic, who are married.
“Even though they have anchored here for many years, a lot of viewers did not realize they’re married,” DeVille says. “They’re invested in the local community. We wanted to showcase that.”
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The campaign also featured Todd Warren, KTAL’s chief meteorologist, who was just certified as the most accurate in the market for 10 years in a row.
“Weather is the No. 1 reason people watch local news and we have a gem in Chief Meteorologist Todd Warren,” DeVille says.
KTAL also wooed Ron Young out of retirement to rejoin the station, a well-known, well-liked weatherman with a lot of brand equity in the market.
Deville says the Make a Switch campaign was really “trying to get people just to come give us a try.”
And they did.
NOTE: Using a QR code, KTAL’s promo for their weather app got more than a 1,000 scans. DeVille says the results was “strictly the promo. Here is empirical data that shows that it works.”
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