Social Scorecard

One of the most revealing and relevant sessions at the Promax Station Summit in Las Vegas last month was Five Tips For Winning Viewers with Social Media. Today, it’s not likes, shares and comments that measure success on Facebook, said Apryl Pilolli, head of innovation at Social News Desk. “You need reach and ratings. You don’t need likes. Awareness, preference, loyalty and sales are more important.”

With more than 2,000 posts, Market Share will celebrate 5 years of daily articles about television and its marketing in 2019. I say to people that I believe something interesting is going on at every TV station in every market every day in either news, sales or marketing and I just want to share it. 2019 is going to be an exciting year, let share it together.

This week’s Social Scorecard covers the social media scene in New York City where broadcasters are vying for their share of engagement among 140 million actions. WNYW, the Fox O&O, is far ahead of all broadcasters there. Its secret? Fewer posts that appeal to their followers’ emotions. “Sometimes, less is more,” says Dan Carlin, the station’s programming and research VP.

Social Scorecard this week comes from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about 100 miles east of Des Moines, where Gray’s KCRG is on top of social media. The key to its success on Facebook is reliable information, just like on television. “We are your trusted source regardless of the platform,” says Adam Carros, KCRG’s news director. “I think that’s really the value at the end of the day.”

This week, Social Scorecard is in West Michigan’s largest city, Grand Rapids, just 30 miles east of Lake Michigan, to find out what WXMI is serving on Facebook to make it the most engaged. The secret ingredients are an appetite for food and short, easily digested videos.

KGBT down in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is not only leading on Facebook in market 84, but is outperforming stations in markets that are much larger. “We have 332,881 likes on our Facebook page, more likes than some of the stations that are in the top 20, top 30 markets. I’m excited about that,” says Ronald Marley, KGBT’s digital executive producer.

Gray’s NBC affiliate has made a conscious effort to drive its Facebook users back to its TV newscasts. The station was No. 2 in the news ratings and now it’s in first place, and attributes that turnaround to Facebook. “Facebook is fishing where the fish are,” says KVLY’s news director.