When WOIO, Gray’s CBS affiliate in Cleveland, launched its OTT desk, little did it know that it would lead to a company-wide initiative at Gray and give WOIO the ability to launch a live 6 p.m. newscast on its Telemundo affiliate WTCL.
When WOIO, Gray’s CBS affiliate in Cleveland, launched its OTT desk in December 2018, little did it know that it would lead to a company-wide initiative at Gray and give WOIO the ability to launch a live 6 p.m. newscast on its Telemundo affiliate, WTCL.
Prior to the launch of the digital desk, there were live events such as press conferences, ribbon-cuttings or parades where the station just had a locked down camera shot of “a live feed with no commentary or anything like that,” says Jim Hays, WOIO’s creative services director.
With the addition of the OTT desk, WOIO was able to connect its multimedia journalists on scene with the digital desk “to provide a more refined approach, adding a little more context,” Hays says.”
The digital desk allows the digital desk producer to use the mouse to switch sources and add supers, Hays says.
Sometimes the digital producer will be on camera, essentially being the producer, anchor and director all rolled into one, he says.
With a digital producer in the station, if “it is good content, we will get it up as quickly as we can,” Hays says. The OTT desk can go live to reporters commenting on events unfolding and bring in experts to interview, he says.
“They can punch it like a mini newscast.”
“We are just adding a dimension to these events that aren’t necessarily a reason to break in on air to cover, but there’s an audience out there for it,” he says.
The OTT desk allows the station to have the polished look of a live newscast without interrupting programming, Hays says.
Whether it’s breaking news or the opening of a new park, that polished look allows the digital producer to edit segments from that event into packages in later newscasts, he says.
One segment done regularly on digital is Crime Stoppers.
“It’s done live on digital and that will get exported out and will make it into various newscasts as well,” Hays says.
WOIO was the first Gray station to launch its OTT desk, and the station showed it off at a GM meeting in February 2020.
At the meeting, Hilton Howell, Gray’s CEO “basically came out and said everybody is getting this desk, make it work,” Hays says.
WOIO did made it work to provide WTCL with a live 6 p. m. newscast.
Hays says the station looked at what the OTT desk could do and asked why can’t we make it work for a Telemundo newscast at 6?
“The folks at Telemundo spent about two months rehearsing and came back and said we can do it live with the OTT desk,” Hay says.
WTCL has been producing a live 6 p m. newscast since July 2022.
“The digital desk gives us more engagement, more video plays, so obviously digital video is king,” Hay says. “That engagement increase has been helpful and having the only live Spanish newscast in the market has also proved beneficial for us as well.”
NOTE: On Thursday, July 13 at 1 p.m. ET., TVNewsCheck will present a Working Lunch Webinar, “Reinventing the Relationship with Local Audiences,” to share more about WOIO’s OTT Desk.
Jim Hays, WOIO’s creative services director, is one of the speakers.
TVNewsCheck Webinar, Reinventing the Relationship with Local Audiences
TVNewsCheck Editor Michael Depp will also talk with leading TV marketing executives from Graham Media, Gray Television and Tegna about how they are promoting substantive local initiatives designed to engage a larger audience across platforms.
CLICK HERE for more information about the speakers and the webinar.
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