More than $1 billion over 70 years. And still counting. Dirty Deeds, an investigation going back several years, WVUE, the Fox affiliate in New Orleans that’s owned by the Louisiana Media Co., shows how former state governors Huey Long, O.K. Allen and James Noe set up a company, Win or Lose, to collect oil royalties from […]
WHIO Dayton Storytelling Is Making A Difference
Earlier this week, I wrote about how an inspiring, emotional story on 60 Minutes brought a tear to my eye. I wondered if stories like it were being reported by local TV news and asked for examples to share. James Brown anchors the 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 o’clock news on WHIO, Dayton’s CBS affiliate […]
KNTV Investigation Helps Change California Law
A joint investigation into day care centers by KNTV, the NBC O&O in San Francisco, and The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has changed the way parents access information about day cares in California. The investigation exposed that state law required day care inspections once every five years, and that in order to view day […]
Hey Mom, I Got A Job In News Promotion
I get calls all the time from TV station marketing managers looking for writers, producers, editors, the so-called preditor. It’s one of the more important front-line positions in terms of recruiting news viewers. Of the more than 70 open positions in local TV marketing, promotion and production listed on a popular website, more than half […]
’60 Minutes’ Story Brings A Tear
I cried when I watched a story last night on 60 Minutes. Not a sobbing, out of breath deluge, just a tear. Maybe two. But according to the story, many of the men featured in the story also needed a box of Kleenex. It was a two-parter about a musical in New York that auditioned […]
313 Reasons You Read ‘Market Share’ In 2014
Actually, make that 314. Since TVNewsCheck’s Market Share column went daily on March 24, this will be post No. 314. I want to thank all of you who shared your stories, and I look forward to sharing more of your stories next year. I considered listing each article’s title and hyper link by category in […]
KSBW Continues 61 Years Of Ratings Dominance
KSBW, Hearst’s NBC affiliate in the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz market of California, has the No. 1-rated newscast in every time period, seven days a week, extending its record of ratings dominance to 61 consecutive years. Personally, I don’t think that’s fair. You get to live in a beautiful area along the coast of California and dominate […]
WARNING: Do Not Watch This Trailer
If you’re afraid of heights. Or if thoughts of tumbling endlessly down extremely steep mountains gives you nightmares. When I watch the trailer for Outdside Television’s episode of Higher, featuring snowboarder Jeremy Jones, I think about his family, and how they must worry about him. If I were a member of his family, I would […]
Global News Year-Enders Tout Performance
In November, I wrote about how Global News in Toronto believes its news coverage makes the city a better place. Not a bad ideal to stand for. Thanks to Buffy McGaw, director of news marketing at Global News, which is owned by Shaw Media, for sharing these year-enders, powerful image promos, that bolster the claim that […]
WSB Atlanta Markets ‘How They Make The Promos’
A good magician never reveals the secrets to his magic tricks. But a good TV marketer knows there’s value in showing viewers some of the tricks of his trade. And while most people are content not to know how the magician pulled a rabbit out of his hat or sawed a woman in half, most […]