HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED NEWS GATHERING AT TELVISION STATIONS

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED NEWS GATHERING AT TELVISION STATIONS

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A Thesis

Presented to the Faculty in Communication and Leadership Studies

School of Professional Studies

Gonzaga University

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Under the Supervision of Dr. Michael Hazel

Under the Mentorship of Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

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In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Masters of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies

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By

Robert J. Hermes

May 2013

Abstract

This thesis provides an investigation into the changes that have occurred in news-gathering in television newsrooms since the inclusion of social media on station websites. Studies note that social media is a growing avenue through which consumers and television viewers may expand their access to the news and may often become part of the news-gathering process. This thesis includes a survey of small and medium-sized television markets. It was delivered to news directors, promotion directors, content providers, executive administrators, consultants, and network personnel. These individuals provided answers to ten survey questions and were given the opportunity to supply additional information in an open comment section. There were 20 respondents participating in the survey from the states of Montana, South Carolina, New York, Colorado, California, Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Arizona. Also included in this thesis is an auto-ethnographic analysis of my 35 years in the television broadcasting business and the observations I have made regarding the introduction of social media into this industry. From a news-gathering perspective, the principal question of this is study is whether or not the Internet and social media have changed how television stations perform news-gathering functions on a daily basis.

Keywords: Social Media, Dominate Marketing Area (DMA), Multi-Media Journalist

(MMJ), Tablet, Smart Phone.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………....1 Importance of the Study………………………………………………………………………1 Statement of Purpose………………………………………………………………………….2 Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………………...4 Organization of Remaining Chapters………………………………………………………....4 Chapter 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE…………………………………………..…….6 Philosophical Assumptions…………………………………………………………………...6 Theoretical Basis……………………………………………………………………………...7 The Literature…………………………………………………………………………………10 Rationale and Summary………………………………………………………………………18 Chapter 3. SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY……………………………………………….....20 Scope………………………………………………………………………………………….20 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………….20 Chapter 4. THE STUDY………………………………………………………………………24 Results………………………………………………………………………………………...25 Auto-Ethnography…………………………………………………………………………….29 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………….33 Chapter 5. SUMMARIES AND CONCLUSIONS……………………....................................37 Study Limitations……………………………………………………………………………..37 Recommendations for Future Studies …………………………………………………..........38 Conclusion.…………………………………………………………………………………. ..39 References………………………………………………………………………………………42 Appendix ...…..…………………………………………………………………………………45

Running Head: SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 1

Chapter One: Introduction Importance of the Study

Dramatic changes in reporting news have occurred at local television stations with the addition of social media and Internet websites. It has not taken the broadcasting industry and local television stations long to understand that their future is tied to the inclusion of social media into their reporters’ and anchors’ broadcasts. The ability of the press and media to report on government issues and express the public’s concern on issues remains an important freedom in the United States. The advent of social media in television newsrooms—and the ways it opens discussions and influences the reporting of issues—is a recent occurrence and warrants study and consideration. The television broadcast industry has embraced social media and the Internet and has incorporated it into core operations within local stations (Heaton, 2011). Beginning in 2005, this change has swept through stations and has grown at a fast pace since its inception (AR & D, 2012). Stations now attempt to follow and update the viewer everywhere throughout the day. This thesis and the primary research of surveys with industry leaders examines how social media and the Internet have changed news-gathering inside local television stations. The secondary research through an auto-ethnography demonstrates the changes in news- gathering in the last seven years and shows the strong influence of the Internet and social media in our society, an influence that is on the rise (Heaton, 2011). This fast-paced change has also occurred within traditional media, including newspaper, radio, and magazines (Gumbert, 2009). For the purposes of answering the research question, this thesis focuses on local television stations and includes responses from CBS network news personnel.

The agenda-setting theory discussed in this thesis is from McCombs, & Shaw,

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 2 (1972). The theory of agenda-setting analyzes the creation of public awareness and concern about issues presented by the news media. In Communication, Griffin (2009) writes about the agenda-setting theory, stating that “The mass media have the ability to transfer the salience of issues on their news agenda to the public agenda” (p. 359). Media ecology communication theory from McLuhan and Fiore (1989) also informs this work in that it is not possible to understand social and cultural change without knowledge of the working environments of media. Media ecology is the study of personal and social environments created by the use of different communication technologies (McLuhan, 2003). The theory is grounded by the socio-cultural tradition of communication theory. According to the socio-cultural tradition, people produce and reproduce culture as they talk. From a media ecology perspective, media used by people help create and maintain the social, personal, and cultural environments in which they function as they communicate in the environment. Given that the medium is the communication mechanism, the medium utilized creates, influences, and determines the social reality in which people interact (McLuhan, 2003). Television stations have broadened their ability to communicate and interact with viewers. Due to changes in technology and increased use of smartphones, tablets and mobile devices station’s news departments now attempt to follow their viewers throughout the day and to follow them wherever they go with mobile connectivity. Statement of Purpose The study will analyze how social media has impacted television news gathering. Data collected via a survey, provided by professionals in the business of broadcasting and professionals in marketing will measure the impact from social media on television reporting. Surveys with 20 different industry professionals on the topic will directly link the information to

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 3 the research question. The professional surveys in this thesis demonstrate the power of the Internet and social media in our society. The cumulative body of the research will provide a large sample of evidence that addresses the research question. The shared and personal features of the evidence offer understanding of the changes in news-gathering at local television stations. Provided in this thesis will be a narrative auto-ethnography discussion of the research in which I reflect upon the changes I have observed during my 35 years in television broadcasting and how these changes have impacted the framework of the study. The purpose of this auto- ethnography is to supply another form of qualitative research for the thesis. This form of writing (Ellis & Bochner, 2000) offers a chance for the researcher to share his own experience on the topic of investigation rather than seeming “as if they’re writing from nowhere by nobody” (p. 67). Since my observation of the evolution of social media into local television newsrooms has been from the inception of the practice, I feel confident that the narrative auto-ethnography will help answer the research question, “How has social media changed news gathering at local television stations?”

The primary sample collection used in this review will be interviews with top professionals and consultants in the industry who specialize in social media and its additive quality for local television stations. The interviews will include executives at CBS, ABC and NBC broadcasting companies. The critical findings discussed will provide the reader with an answer to the research question. The data is from many facets within the television industry and demonstrates a common theme as it is presented. The findings of the thesis demonstrate whether or not the use of social media in television newsrooms has changed operational protocols of if this is a passing trend. It appears that the use of social media newsrooms will continue going forward, and business plans will need to be based upon it in order to have success.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 4 Definition of Terms

Throughout the study different terms are used that the reader should understand in order to realize the full implications of the thesis. These terms will be explained in more detail as they are mentioned in the text. Listed below is a review of key terms used in this paper.

- Social Media. Social media consists of a variety of social networks (e.g., Facebook,

Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, MySpace) that provide the ability for individuals to establish and

maintain communication with friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, or strangers online.

- Smart Phones. Hand held mobile device that is Internet capable and can record audio and video. It can also be used as a phone and has text message ability.

-Tablet. Hand held mobile device that is Internet capable and can record audio and video. It is a cross over device that combines laptop and smart phone capabilities.

-MMJ. Broadcast industry term for Multi-Media Journalist a position in the newsroom that requires a person to perform all phases of reporting for multi-platforms that the station uses to release information to the public. This includes writing news content, shooting video, editing and recording audio back to the station for use on-line and on-air.

-DMA. Industry term which stands for dominate marketing area. This is used to

designate the area that each television market in the United States represents. These markets are ranked from 1-to-210 in population size. Organization of Remaining Chapters

This thesis is comprised of five chapters. Chapter two will provide a theoretical basis for the framework of this thesis and will review literature on this topic. Chapter three will review the scope of the study and methods used for the data collection. Chapter four will discuss the analysis of the thesis. Chapter five will outline conclusions and limitations and will

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 5 offer areas for future study. Chapter five will also include a summary of the study and new information that was recently reviewed on this topic at the National Association of Broadcasters’ annual conference.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 6

Chapter Two: Review of the Literature Philosophical Assumptions

The underlying importance of this thesis and the philosophy of communication that it represents is that a democratic society needs to protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The philosophical assumptions of both the agenda-setting (McCombs, Shaw, 1972) and ecology of communication (McLuhan, 2003) theories are framed with a free press and freedom to speak by citizens. The necessity to report without fear of prosecution from the government or those in power is an ideal John Stuart Mill offered in 1859. Mill was a British philosopher and a leader in communication and social theory in the 19th century. His philosophy of communication persists to this day. In his speech “On Liberty” (1859) Mill said: The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the

human race: posterity as well as the existing generation: those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. (http://www.constitution.org/jsm/libery.htm)

The quote above while true in the 19th century still applies in our current society and media environment. A reporter or citizen must be able to offer communication without fear of prosecution. Now that the ability to communicate includes writing, audio and video this ability to provide information is more important than ever. The Constitution of the United States offered in the first amendment, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or


prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (US Const. amend I)

In summary, the ability for the press to report without intervention or intimidation from government and those in power is still critical for free speech and divergent opinion to be shared. The cornerstone of social media is instant communication, or responding to current events as they happen. Television stations’ ability to capture, review and report on social media posts is now the focus in content centers inside television newsrooms. The media ecology and agenda- setting theories of communication help in considering why news is reported the way it is. These two theories link the findings of the survey and auto-ethnography reviewed in chapter four.

Theoretical Basis

This literary review is both integrative and exemplary, with information from current published sources that discuss social media and television stations’ implementation of social media within the news and promotion departments. These sources help answer the research question that the thesis attempts to answer: “How has social media impacted news-gathering at local television stations?” The following two theories of communication will be helpful in this thesis because both relate to local television newsrooms environments, as they work to produce news that will be compelling and relevant in the contemporary convergent environment for consumers. Agenda setting theory

The agenda-setting theory of McCombs & Shaw (1972) informs this thesis. The theory

reviews the creation of public awareness and concern about salient issues presented by the news media. McCombs and Shaw focus on two elements in agenda setting: awareness and

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 8 information. They investigate the agenda-setting function of the mass media in the 1968 presidential campaign and review the relationship between what voters in one area considered important and the actual content of media reports during the campaign. They found after the review that the mass media exerted a large influence on what voters considered the major issues of the campaign. Contemporary examples of the agenda-setting theory include Entman (2007), who proposes shaping and altering audience-member interpretation and preferences through priming. Priming is a media theory based in psychology and reviews how media can control interpretation and judgment by relating it to prior context. His theory raises the significance of certain ideas and feelings, encouraging target audiences to think, feel, and decide in a specific way. The rise of social media and the digital technologies that facilitate them have been accompanied by a growing interest in participation and user-generated media (Enli 2007; Bruns 2008; Christensen, 2012) and thus has increased the opportunities for agenda setting priming. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are seen as instruments for the public to interact and engage in conversations on news events (Boyd and Ellison 2007; Marwik and Boyd, 2010). The agenda-setting theory has been transferred to studies of two social media where intermedia agenda-setting is analyzed (Wallsten, 2007, Ragas & Kiousis, 2010). Enli (2012) writes, “Issues related to the impact of social media on democracy and public debate raise significant questions of global interest, both in academic and popular arenas” (n.p.). The intermedia agenda-setting analysis reviews how multiple national news operations report on a news story and have the ability to place importance on that issue through reporting. Social media plays a part in this, as issues can become ‘global conversations’ through platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Two core assumptions undergird most research on agenda-setting. One is that the press

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 9 and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape it. The second is that media concentration on a few issues and topics leads the public to perceive those issues as having greater importance than other issues (McCombs, 1972). A major factor in the concept of agenda- setting is the time frame these items are reported on and the number of days the reports continue. Different media have different agenda-setting potential, and the addition of social media in local television stations has enhanced that potential for television stations, as viewers spend more time throughout the day monitoring news on station websites. As this theory suggests, the more times an item is read, viewed, or considered in a day, the more importance that story takes in the minds of the viewers or readers. Media ecology theory

McLuhan and Fiore’s (1989) media ecology communication theory applies to this thesis

in that it is not possible to understand social and cultural change without knowledge of the working environments of media. Media ecology is the study of personal and social environments created by the use of different communication technologies (McLuhan, 2003). Media ecology aligns with the socio-cultural tradition of communication theory. McLuhan (2003) writes: “Given that the medium is the communication mechanism the medium utilized creates, influences and determines the social reality in which people interact” (p 125).

Television stations (and other media) broadened the ability to communicate and involve

viewers with the implementation of changes in their use of technology. Smartphones and other mobile devices now allow viewers to follow the news throughout the day, and because mobile connectivity they can follow it regardless of where they are. Heaton (2011) notes that, social media is being more involved than ever in developing leads and providing information. Thus multi-media journalists are tasked to a greater degree of checking for accurate information prior to publishing it. The news directors in the survey all agreed checking data from social media

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 10 platforms before using it is critical. Review of the Literature

The Internet has influenced consumers’ ability to access news and information with

iPads, personal tablets, smartphones, and mobile video devices throughout the day. Now viewers armed with social media and multi-screened technology can interact with television reporters whether at work or during leisure activities. The new convergence of media has given local television newsrooms and the reporters compiling local news more influence than ever (Heaton, 2011). It allows these multi-media journalists to engage with the viewers like never before. The station I manage, KPAX, has seen viewership grow on its website (KPAX.com) to over one million page views per month, a number that seems staggering when compared to only 30,000 page views per month when the website was started. My station is adding “fans” at a quicker pace than ever on a weekly basis. On Oct 1st2011 we had 4,300 fans, garnered over three years. As of March of 2013 KPAX-TV had 10,000 fans adding 5,526 fans and doubling our amount of fans in half the time it took to reach the first 4,300.

Sweeping changes in reporting local news have occurred at local television stations with

the addition of social media and websites at news stations. The broadcasting industry and local television stations understand that their future is tied to the inclusion of social media by their reporters and anchors (Heaton, 2011). The television broadcast industry has embedded social media and the Internet into core operations within local stations. Since its introduction within the industry in 2005, the inclusion of social media in all aspects of television news has only continued to increase at a dramatic pace. (AR & D, 2009). Social media changes in news practices Technology has changed for both consumers and television station newsrooms in the new digital environment. Newsrooms and consumers of news have undergone a paradigm shift in

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 11 how news is consumed and reported (Heaton, 2011). Reporters in newsrooms are now called multi-media journalists (MMJ). This has occurred at the same time citizens are becoming active in providing journalistic reporting on social media platforms. Multi-media journalists have tools such as smartphones equipped with cameras that record video and take still pictures that can be sent back to the newsroom for posting online within minutes of the story being recorded. These reporters now produce first for the station website and update and shape these stories, based on viewer feedback, throughout the day. They then reedit and expand on the story for the evening newscasts when they return from the field (Heaton 2001). Television stations embrace citizen journalists and correspond with them on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook platforms located on the stations’ websites. Factual reporting is critical for a station’s image and creditability. The impact on accuracy using citizen journalists is causing concern for stations that use citizen journalist reporting (AR& D, 2009). Convergence: Fewer People Doing More

Media ecology engages the user in a new multiple screen world with 24-hour access. From a media ecology perspective, people help create and maintain the social, personal, and cultural environments in which they function as they communicate in the environment. Convergence of devices like iPads and tablets delivering information to consumers in the new multi-screen environment has created unique opportunities for stations and gives an edge to those newsrooms that are early adapters (AR&D, 2009). Reporters are required to do more using more tools but often have less support behind them. The term multi-media-journalist (MMJ) now mandates that a reporter be proficient in shooting video or pictures for the story, lighting the setting of the story, writing the report for the story, editing the story, uploading it back to the station, and providing online content minutes after the story happens. In past years, stations might have used four to six people for these tasks, but now a single MMJ may handle this.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 12 Many stations have seen large turnover of staff who have had trouble adjusting to the new convergence of demands. News directors, reporters and even general managers have had to adapt to the use of social media in newsrooms and the re-engineering of station workflow (AR&D, 2009). Senior strategists of AR&D (2009) write of the rapid changes occurring in the broadcasting industry. Writers discuss the new responsibilities of news reporters as they become multi-media reporters. They are involved in gathering news on smartphones with photos or video and sending it from the field for nearly instant posting on the stations’ websites and for providing mini-stories that tease the readers and encourage tune-in to evening newscasts. This change began in 2008 and has spread across all small, medium, and large market local television stations in the United States. The senior strategists of AR & D point out that content is not hard to obtain with the use of social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, where the public can get news and information quickly and for little or no cost. Young people ages 12-34 years are the primary consumers of this information and rely much less on tuning into evening newscasts than older generations. Senior strategists of AR & D (2009) quote Charles Darwin—“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change” (p. 67). To illustrate their point that the broadcasting industry must change with the new use of Internet and social media to retain viewers and be relevant in today’s multi-screen world. They indicate that a station owner can no longer manage the change by merely cutting expenses. Rather, station management must re-engineer for the future by using mobile media (smartphones and tablets) for news-gathering and interaction with viewers via e-alerts, text messaging, and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. They add that the future

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 13 newsroom must be a “collective work;” no longer can an anchor just read the news a couple times a day. Stations need to have new content management centers inside the newsroom. This “collective work” concept is true of the station’s newsroom that I oversee as general manager and is true in our company’s ten other stations. Our anchors now report throughout the day and participate in posting to Facebook and Twitter on our website.

A top industry consultant, Terry Heaton from AR &D (2011), offered his thoughts on the research question: “How has social media changed news-gathering at television stations?” As an expert in the field of television news gathering, he points out that stations have been able to actively involve their fans in gathering news. By soliciting comments online and by gathering pictures or video during breaking news events, social media puts viewers in direct contact with newsrooms. According to Heaton, social media has strained resources inside television newsrooms because it requires attention and resources. The process of monitoring social media in newsrooms requires the attention of managers because marketing opportunities exist throughout the process. This is evident in my station and the eleven stations that our company operates. Comments from the news directors and online content managers in the survey offer testimony on the assertions Heaton made regarding changes in work loads and in personnel due to the strain caused by implementation of social media as well as the opportunity to utilize marketing strategies presented by social media.

Brueli (2012) writes that stations are “…also working to create more integration with advertisers and device companies, according to panelists at the Socializing Local TV session during the 4 A’s Transforming Conference in L.A.” (p. 154). Brueli (2012) writes that talent at television stations are using their personal connection with viewers to retain tune-in and ratings. The author writes of industry executives explaining the plan the television industry is pursuing: “We’ve taken the tradition of that emotional connection our viewers have with anchors and

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 14 reporters and gone into the space in which they live, which is Twitter, Facebook, mobile and online, to have that connection” (p. 155). Again, the drive for ratings and retention of audience has been a major factor driving operational changes at the properties my company operates, as our reporters and anchors are actively engaged with social media and the many platforms listed above. Social media helped a local NBC affiliate beat the dominant station in the market during Hurricane Irene, according to Valari Staab, president of an NBC-owned television station. Stabb said, “We were watching the Facebook page and it just lit up…The conversation got bigger and bigger and more people became involved” (p. 3). She said, “The station went on-air at 3pm instead of 6pm and stayed on. We slaughtered our competition on the coverage” (p. 3). When asked if social media could challenge traditional news providers by breaking and spreading news, the panelists indicated they did not see a problem with that. Even when Joe Paterno’s dismissal from Penn State broke on Twitter, the local stations had plenty of opportunities to advance the story.

Dunn (2008) presents the concept that the Web cab be a direct source for local news: “The more instant news is, the more useful it becomes” (p. 20). He also notes that news does not start at the city or county level; it starts at the neighborhood level. He also points out that, “Web advertisers can target their message specifically to the neighborhoods whose residents they believe are most likely to be interested in their goods or services” (p.21). Dunn and former publisher George Boehme have started a new enterprise called InstantNewsNetwork.com, which has “reporters” armed with Palm Pilot devices that combine telephone and e-mail using Bluetooth technology to provide Internet access to reporters’ laptops. Reporters use their cars to serve as mobile news delivery “stations” to file neighborhood news. The reporters can cover a

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 15 meeting, a fire, a press conference, or traffic accident and file reports with video from their car and have it on the website within 20 minutes. Dunn feels his start-up company has a big advantage over newspaper and television stations in the area because, he writes, “production and distribution costs are far lower, while the timeliness and usefulness of our product—constantly updated neighborhood news – is unmatched” (p. 21).

Gitlin (2007) discusses the new challenges consumers face in the digital media age, where a vast torrent of images and sounds are constantly offered to the public. His book illustrates why local television broadcasters must add social media to their offering for consumers. He implies that the new model for consuming media is multi-tasking:

open envelopes while on the phone, read e-mail while on hold for ‘customer service,’ play a video game while watching a soap opera --- the reader is familiar with these attempts to stretch time, to turn sequence into near simultaneity. Bored with channel 46, switch to 47. We multi-task because we are busy, and we are busy because we cannot multi-task fast enough. (p. 108)

He points out that no matter how fast we are at processing all the digital media opportunities, consumers cannot possibly keep up with the pace of media unlimited. Broadcasters he writes,

scramble to enfold the new-style narrow-niche communication. In the all- encompassing media world, cable television co-exists with garage bands, satellite radio, YouTube, The New York Times with the political blogs. The growth sector is definitely one that accommodates customers’ desires to become producers themselves --- the cameras and phones, the blogs, the talkbacks, the cut-and-paste and remix technologies, the MySpace and YouTube. (p. 214)

Eastman, Ferguson & Klien (2006) discuss how television stations use this social media

tool. They point out that the “primary goal of local television stations is to attract and maintain

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 16 audiences, which translates into ratings and ultimately into advertising dollars” (p.13). In recent years, ratings for stations and revenue have been on the decline. Owners and managers of broadcast properties have added social media sites to slow the erosion of audience and revenue. They offer, that contributors to the erosion of local television audiences are the increasingly competitive media environment and the growing use of the Internet and mobile devices (The Neilsen Company, 2008). Twitter use has grown dramatically, as of February 2010 an estimated 17 million people in the United States use Twitter. The authors offer that local stations use Twitter to connect with their audiences and find the “system useful for disseminating news updates and for obtaining tips about potential news topics” (p. 14). The article documents how television stations explore the use of Twitter for promotion and branding. They write, “Applying newer strategies to older media is often complicated, as audiences find different ways to receive information. Social media was adopted by stations that sought to stay relevant in a changing media environment” (p. 14). This article follows the trend local television stations are taking to stay competitive in the digital media world.

Heaton (2011) discusses how the Web’s widening stream of information has forced media companies to rethink how consumers of news data take delivery of content. Organizations like Google have changed the media landscape and will continue that change in the foreseeable future. Heaton continues his analysis in his book “Local Media is about Local Audiences,” arguing that while the Web is worldwide, people in local communities want to know local stories first. Local stations that can enlist an army of citizen journalists to file stories and photos from local events will generally dominate in their communities.

Heaton’s book demonstrates why local television stations are changing the way news is produced and why the news content can be delivered online first and promoted for extra information in the evening newscasts. The station I manage has a website, KPAX.com, that has

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 17 grown, as I stated earlier, from 30,000 page views a month 3 years ago to one million page views a month in September 2012. Our team of reporters produce for online first. Using smartphones and digital cameras, they file reports from the field and add more details later that day to the stories for evening’s and the next morning’s newscasts.

Kelly (2004) describes in Wired Magazine some of the major highlights in the history of the Internet. He states that, “the Netscape IPO wasn’t really about commerce. At its heart was a new cultural force based on mass collaboration. Blogs, Wikipedia, open source, peer-to-peer behold the power of the people” (p. 14). Kelly also writes that Google is allowing the public to dependon checking data by ‘Googling it,’ and memories are not as crisp due to a new reliance onchecking data on the Internet. He also notes, “There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants first wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it is born” (p. 15). This article helps illustrate that broadcasting has changed business models and that social media on the Internet will continue to add to the television business plans and news operations of the future.

Malone (2012), discusses how local TV is using social media to drive ratings and revenue. He reports that two stations (owned by my company), “KATC in Lafayette, La. and WLEX in Lexington, Ky. drive fans with incentives that include iPads, gas cards and automobiles” (p.11). KATC has 49,000 social fans on their site, and WLEX has almost 77,000. These two stations, WLEX and KATC, are sister stations of mine (KPAX), and our corporate ownership has enabled our stations to be early adopters of social media and has given our properties the lead position in each market due to early inclusion of social media and full development of websites with interactive platforms for viewers. Malone, of Broadcasting and Cable, also filed a story in November of 2012 called “All

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 18 Politics is Local.” He felt that the 2012 election coverage proved again that television stations remain the prime source of news in time of crisis and when election information is “breaking.” He cited a Pew Research Center study in late October show[ing] that 38% of U.S. adults regularly get their election news in October from local TV – more than from the Internet (36%) and network news (31%), while trailing only cable news (41%). One station, WCPO, employed a tactic that allowed viewers to ask questions online and then presented video answers from the candidates in the news segments of the local news on the station’s website and on mobile devices for the station from September 2012 through the election in November 2012. The article points out that, “Stations are more and more including social media in a way that is truly additive” (p. 11).

McCafferty (2011) reviews how three different individuals in three different countries

use Facebook, Twitter, and other social-media tools. McCafferty offers, “today social media is emerging as a dominant form of instant global communication” (p. 12). He notes, though, that users have to be self-filtering and self-censoring. This is one reason stations using citizen- journalists need to check for accuracy on all platforms they post on stations’ websites. Rationale and Summary

This literature review examines trends in the current use of social media at local television stations. It demonstrates why local television stations are changing the way news is produced and why news content can be delivered online first, then promoted on-air throughout the day for return viewer tune-in with updated information in the evening newscasts. As the agenda-setting theory explains, the press and the media do not reflect reality but filter and shape it. If media concentration on a few issues and topics leads the public to perceive those issues as having greater importance than other issues (McCombs, 1972), then how has that been affected by the new social media convergent newsroom? This is likely still a work in progress, and the

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 19 data in this thesis may help reveal the answer. The surveys with top consultants in the media industry, CEOs, and managers at various television groups who added social media to their business models for local television newsrooms also frame the study and add factual data to the information garnered in the literature. The hypothesis of this study is that local news-gathering at television stations has changed dramatically since the introduction of social media on the Internet. This change looks to be universal now in broadcasting and will likely continue to cause dramatic increases in adaptations made to news-delivery models. None of the literature examined in this literature review contradicts the hypothesis that social media is going to stay and grow increasingly important in producing television news in the future. The literature supports that change is underway in the television news industry and social media has been driving this change. There is a need for more study in local television markets now that this change is underway. Television stations have expanded communication and interaction with their viewers through changes in mobile technology. This increased connectivity allows the television station to provide news to their viewers throughout the entire day rather than only during the regularly scheduled broadcasts. This increased connectivity also allows the stations to reach their viewers in any location rather than only in front of a standard television.


Chapter Three: Scope and Methodology

Scope

This thesis focuses on the dramatic changes in local television newsrooms as social media alters how stations’ viewers obtain news. This study is based on the findings of local television stations in the United States and pertains to news-gathering at broadcast stations in America. The Internet and social media have allowed citizens to become “citizen journalists,” and the television industry, realizing this, has adapted to include social media as part of the news conversation with viewers. This thesis includes a set of ten qualitative survey questions that will help uncover patterns in newsrooms pertaining to the use of social media in news-gathering. It also includes an auto-ethnographic analysis of my experience in television news broadcasting for the last thirty-five years. The scope of the study reviews how methods of news-gathering have changed in local television newsrooms with the inclusion of social media. Interviews with twenty leading industry consultants, television managers, Internet content directors, and news directors are included the study. These people are included because they are the decision makers who influence the workflow of reporting from reporters in newsrooms and citizen journalists in the field. These decision makers also determine when to include social media posts in local stories. Methodology The ethnographic research used in this study presents a qualitative approach that reviews the patterns of social media used in newsrooms across the United States. These patterns help to compile themes that provide evidence for answers to the research question.

The primary sample collection used in this review is surveys with top professionals in the industry and with top consultants in media who specialize in social media, bringing additive quality for local television stations. The surveys include network executives at CBS, ABC, and

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 21 NBC broadcasting companies, with additional interviews from consultants and administrators from broadcasting companies, including General Managers, CEOs, Promotion Directors, and News Directors. These surveys were delivered in person at a yearly conference of these leaders during winter meetings in Tucson Arizona and via email to CBS executives in New York. Also, KLAS managers were handed these surveys when I visited their station during the work on this thesis (2/23/13). The questions were chosen to demonstrate common usage patterns at various locations to discover if common uses were in place. These questions are included in the appendix. Also, the survey questions were intended to examine if the answers from the participants supported the theories of media ecology and agenda setting. These sources help reveal the answer to the research question with firsthand and frontline knowledge of social media as it pertains to news-gathering at local television stations.

The narrative auto-ethnographical analysis of research supports this study by applying

my observations of the television broadcasting industry for the last thirty-five years in television broadcasting. The auto-ethnography supplied another form of qualitative research for the thesis. This form of writing offers a chance for the researcher to share his own experience on the topic of investigation rather than seeming (Ellis & Bochner, 2000) “as if they’re writing from nowhere by nobody” (p.57). Experiencing and observing social media’s evolution in local television newsrooms is something I have witnessed from the inception of the practice. I feel confident the narrative auto-ethnography helped answer the research question, “How has social media changed news gathering at local television stations?” I have watched firsthand as stations have gone from no online reporting in 2005 to a full emersion today of newsroom staff monitoring social media throughout the work day, staff filing stories while following leads,and staff checking sources online and on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 22 Survey Design The design of the survey establishes the background and years of experience the interviewee has in television broadcasting. The questions include: review of accuracy issues with the use of social media, the effects of social media in newsrooms, and the growth of social media in newsrooms. The survey also includes several other questions on social media, its impacts on viewership, and potential for growth in newsrooms in the years ahead. Validity

The cumulative body of research provided a large body of evidence that answers the research question and provides verification to the answer of the research question. The study also offered many comments and points taken from industry literature written on the subject of the Internet and social media. An example of this recently occurred in Las Vegas when KLAS, the local CBS station, added a video taken from a cell phone by a woman located in a motel room at the Bellagio as she captured the burning of three automobiles on the corner of Las Vegas and Flamingo Boulevard on the Vegas strip. The accident occurred when a drug-related argument broke out in the parking area of the Aria Resort, and a gun battle followed two cars to the intersection. One car hit a taxi cab and killed the driver and an innocent passenger in the incident. The citizen-journalist allowed the video to be used, and KLAS was able to offer “exclusive” on the scene coverage of the incident on their evening newscasts and on their website minutes after the video was given to the station. This was a big break for the station and gave viewers reason to tune in to KLAS for updates on the big story that happened on the strip. This exclusive breaking news was also used for station promotion as the local radio stations spoke with reporters about their on-the-spot coverage. This type of cross-media promotion benefits both the radio station and the television station as they partner in this effort. The above example validates the importance of citizen involvement in bringing viewers and interest to

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 23 television newsrooms through social media. Ethics In order to ethically gather data for this paper, I have protected the identities of the people by providing them with aliases for the purposes of my thesis. The identities of those interviewed will be protected by providing them with these aliases when their answers are included in this paper. Each respondent was informed that the answers to the survey questions would be used for this thesis and that the data collected would be published. They understood that the data was important due to its contemporary nature and that their names would not be used in the study. This allows for frank answers and helps to relieve the respondent of worry that a competitor in their market might discover how they are reporting news through social media and how they are putting online and web-based strategy to use.


Chapter Four: The Study

Introduction The data presented in this study was obtained from two primary research instruments. The first was a qualitative survey in which twenty television professionals shared answers to questions on social media and news-gathering at television station newsrooms. The respondents included network television executives from CBS, local affiliate station general managers, local affiliate station news directors, local station on-line content managers, leading industry consultants, and executive management of a company that operates 11 television stations. The second instrument is an auto-ethnography analysis from my 35 years in the television broadcasting industry. I have observed news-gathering practices evolve over time from film, ENG, linear editing, and non-linear editing to digital, smartphone, laptop technology, and social media. Social media has transformed television stations’ newsrooms and the ways reporters now produce news stories.

The need for accuracy and training is as critical as ever in newsrooms. Facebook posts from citizens need to be checked and verified. New technology must be learned and used in the field for reporting. No longer can a reporter merely gather information and file a story. They must be able to shoot, edit, light, gather compelling video and pictures, and file stories from remote locations over smartphones and tablets, often on their own with no additional staff in the field. Critical thinking by reporters with the willingness to study and embrace new techniques is a constant learning process and will be essential for talent inside newsrooms. The information garnered in the study addresses each of these unique scenarios and applies the information to the central question in this thesis: How has social media changed news-gathering at television stations?

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 25 Results of the Survey The survey used for this study offered ten questions on social media (see appendix) and its use in television station newsrooms and one open comment regarding social media and news- gathering. The survey was given to the consultants, general managers, news directors, and corporate administrators at an annual gathering in Tucson Arizona. The total surveys given out was 21 and 20 of the surveys were returned. This resulted in a response rate of 95% overall. Of the 20 surveys returned, 8 were from general mangers, 3 were from consultants, 3 were from corporate administrators and 6 were from news directors. There were 16 men responding to the survey out the 17 asked giving the men a response rate of 94%. Four women responded giving the women a response rate of 100%. The average age of the respondents was 45 years of age, with the average years in the industry being 25 years. The respondents belong to a diverse group of 11 television station properties in small and mid-size television markets from a cross section of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, and Texas. Also included was a broadcast industry leading consultant firm located in Dallas Texas, Audience Research and Development (AR &D), and executives from the CBS television network executives in New York, New York. The survey was conducted in February 2013. Four questions used in the survey were designed to determine what trends have occurred in television stations using social media and social media’s use in news-gathering at these stations. Changes in news-gathering that have occurred with social media were also measured with three questions.

Survey Questions The questions used in the survey help establish length of time in the industry of broadcasting and news-gathering. Three questions also addressed changes and effects seen by the respondents on use of social media in the newsrooms.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 26 Survey The responses to the survey questions demonstrate that, overall, the inclusion of social media has benefited stations. The ability to interact with viewers and engage them throughout the day engenders more loyalty from the viewers and creates a relationship between the reporters and on-air talent and their viewing audience, according the to the majority of the responses. Survey Response

Question 1: How has news-gathering changed with the advent of social media and local television stations’ websites?

Answers to this question reflect a positive trend in personal contact between content distributors and content providers with 100% noting this. The positive trend shows that citizens that are sending posts and data to newsrooms are being seen as a resource by reporters and news directors at television stations. The need to provide concise writing and storytelling was mentioned, along with the news being more immediate than ever before. Also, it was reported that viewers help influence the coverage and create a two-way conversation. “Faster news” was mentioned over and over again, as were the phrases: “The news cycle is 24 hours,” and “Engage directly with our end users.” All 20 of the respondents, 100%, felt social media is now a key factor in newsroom content centers.

Question 2: How does the station check for accuracy of information provided via

social media?

Eighty percent of answers to this question centered on the need to check for accuracy prior to using the information. One respondent described social media leads being similar to a “police scanner,” with the information providing a starting point for the reporters. Fifteen of the respondents mentioned they check for accuracy in social media leads the same way they would check any lead or tip that is given to a reporter, they verify before reporting it or note that the

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 27 information is not yet confirmed. Two of the respondents mentioned the need to “investigate” and confirm the information before using it on-air or on-line. Question 3: What are other media outlets doing to embrace social media and news

Gathering?

Answers to this question indicated that 100% of the respondents felt other media outlets are including social media in their news-gathering. One respondent noted that all the major media companies in Missoula Montana have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Question 4: How long have you been in broadcasting? The average length of time in broadcasting for the 20 respondents on this question was 25 years. There were 3 respondents having the longest tenure which was 35 years and the respondent with the least amount of years in the industry had a tenure of 6 years. Question 5: How long have you worked in local news-gathering? Three of the 20 respondents did not directly work in local news-gathering. The average length of time for the other 17 respondents working in local news-gathering was 12 years. The respondent with the least length of time working in local news-gathering had worked in the industry for 7 years. This question helped to establish if veteran respondents had less enthusiasm for social media than those who had more recently been involved in news-gathering efforts at the local level.

Question 6: What is the most dramatic change you have witnessed in gathering news for local television stations?

This question received several interesting comments that indicate a vast increase in work environment efficiencies inside the television newsrooms. Comments included the convenience of wireless transmission on mobile devices and the proliferation of media devices used for news gathering, for example Skype on iPads, iPhones, and mini cameras. Seventy

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 28 percent of the respondents also noted “social media’s seismic shift on how information is presented to the public;” that “viewers now expect the information immediately,” and that “news now is produced on an ongoing basis using the company’s website, social media platforms, news apps, and not just relying on the over the air platform as your main supplier of news.”

Question 7: What effect has social media made on local news-gathering at

television stations?

Answers from those surveyed show there is a substantial need for additional training for all staff in television newsrooms. The ability to use smart phones in the field to shoot, edit, record, and file stories is critical. Respondents noted that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are used on a constant basis and these platforms must be employed correctly. Ten of the respondents mentioned the need for training. Five respondents mentioned social media has impacted the expense budgets at the station with the need for additional personnel and training on how to use social media correctly. Two mentioned the need for news directors and reporters to be more proactive when tips and information arrive in the newsroom. The turnaround time needed to report on stories has greatly increased according to 4 of the 20 respondents. No longer can a news department ‘hold’ a story for the evening newscast, as viewers and followers expect nearly immediate reports. Question 8: How has social media affected network news-gathering? Ten of the respondents felt the networks were slower to adapt to using social media into there news reporting efforts than local television stations. Five of the respondents believed social media was being added into network news reporting at a fast pace and had added value to the network reporting in their news presentations nationally. Three felt there had been a rush by the networks to be first in adding social media to their presentations. Two of the respondents

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 29 indicated since networks are trying to attract mass audiences social media was less important to their reporting because social media tends to be more locally focused. Question 9: What social media outlets impact local television news-gathering the most? Seventeen of the respondents felt Facebook had impacted local television news reporting the most. Three felt Twitter was the most impactful on news-gathering.

Question 10: Do you believe the impact of social media will grow at local

newsrooms in the year(s) ahead?

All of the 20 respondents felt the impact of social media would grow in the years ahead, and many (10) noted that it will grow in ways they do not yet understand. The changes in news- gathering have been dramatic, as was also indicated in the survey results. One respondent offered that, “social media is a great tool to grow an audience and a great tool to get information. Get on board or get run-over.” The respondent from CBS offered, “Social media has had immense impact on news-gathering. First the way we interact with our viewers and listeners. The development of citizen journalism, where people with mobile devise are on the scene first of breaking news.” He also mentioned that news organizations like CBS don’t have “carte blanche” access to updates; the network still needs to get permission from the “poster” to use their material. Auto-Ethnography

The television station I manage has a news department of 25 fulltime employees who all contribute to the production of three full hours of on-air broadcast news content Monday through Friday and two hours of on-air broadcast news content on weekends. In addition to the on-air news content, all employees are engaged in providing news content for our station’s website and using social media to expand stories while searching for news stories from various Internet

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 30 platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Our station website, kpax.com, launched in 2003 and had about 10,000 page views per month at its inception. Currently, the website gets over one million page views per month from ten thousand unique users.

I have been involved with television news since 1979, when I started my broadcasting career as an intern at the NBC affiliate in Missoula Montana, KECI-TV. I moved from intern to full-time newscast director, then to sports director, followed by account executive. In 1987, I was hired at the CBS affiliate in Missoula, KPAX-TV, as sales manager. In 1997, I became President-General Manager of KPAX-TV and have held that position since that time. I have served as President of the Montana Broadcasters Association and as a board member of the CBS sales advisory committee. Our company owns 11 television stations. The company began adding social media and various Internet platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and blogs to our news gathering methods in 2005. The news staff at my station, KPAX-TV, and all seven of the CBS stations in Montana devote their workdays to producing news for our websites and then expanding the online stories for the 5:30 pm and 10 pm television newscasts. If there are updates that can be added for the following day’s morning news programs, those changes are made after the evening newscasts. Our social media initiatives have become part of the culture in the newsroom. They are considered and embraced by the staff as a highly important part of news-gathering and news coverage. Our reporters arrive at the scene and send back photos and information for posting to the website. They tweet the information and post to it Facebook all in a matter of minutes. The news staff understands the importance of social media and how it connects our viewers to our online and on-air products. Our viewers have come to demand immediacy in the news-gathering process. An example of the demand for immediacy occurred recently when we covered the trial of a two-year starting quarterback for the University of Montana accused of raping a woman.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 31 The pending outcome of the trial was of high interest to the public, and when the verdict was announced, our team of reporters tweeted the outcome back to our on-line producer at our newsroom. Within seconds of the acquittal verdict being announced by the judge, the final verdict was on our website, Facebook, and Twitter platforms. We had nearly 20,000 followers reading the outcome on our sites. This supports the media ecology theory that the medium is the communication mechanism: the medium utilized creates, influences and determines the social reality in which people interact. This example supports the agenda-setting theory in that our constant coverage of the story kept it in the viewer’s consciousness and increased its relevancy. My station launched the station’s Facebook page on October 14th 2008, followed shortly by our Twitter platform. It has allowed viewers and “fans” to post stories that they see happening. For example, if an auto accident occurs on a highway 40 miles from town, as our reporters are dispatched, the Facebook followers at the scene provide updates while our staff is en route. Our Facebook platform has helped develop a sense of community between our viewers and our station which demonstrates the basic premise of the media ecology theory. For example, our current Facebook fans include nearly ten thousand followers. In March, of this year, when the University of Montana basketball team headed out to national competition in San Jose, California, the station posted a tournament logo and “Good Luck Grizzlies.” It was liked by 44,000 fans. Our community of support for the basketball team nearly quadrupled our Facebook followers for that posting. Weekly, our Facebook page receives 111,000 posts from followers who contribute Facebook posts, pictures, news stories, or status updates. A News Director surveyed offered, “When big events happen in our community, we now have the ability to reach the public and get information through social media about what might be happening before we can even get to the scene.” An online station content manager stated, “There is a greater use of

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 32 Facebook and Twitter in pursuing ‘tips’ that are generated by those posting to social media. In our market, Facebook especially has become an important tool in pursing news.” His point also supports the media ecology theory for this paper.

Our station has been able to add personal and human touches to stories in ways that had not been possible before the arrival of social media at the station. An example of this happened recently when our weather anchor shared the progression of her pregnancy with out television viewers and our Facebook followers. As the changes to her body were evident on-air it was discovered by her doctor that the baby was going to be born with a heart valve deficiency that would require surgery as soon as the baby boy was born. She had to move to Seattle two months before the delivery and be ready at the hospital in Seattle that specialized in this type of infant heart surgery. Our anchor told the viewers of this condition and shared the progression of events via her Facebook page. She took photos of the baby and even brought him on the weather set when she returned to work full-time. She had thousands of fans following her condition, the issues with her son’s birth, and subsequent surgery. The station “likes” on Facebook skyrocketed, and she now has viewers who feel emotionally connected to her and our station because of this social media interaction. This supports the agenda-setting theory that was reviewed in chapter two in that the focus of the stories helped set the importance of the health of the mother and baby. It also supports the socio-cultural tradition mentioned in the media ecology study in that it defined the social interaction that developed into sympathetic viewers who were emotionally tied to our weather anchor.

The straining of resources is an area of concern in the station I manage. The term multi- media journalist (MMJ) is now common in television station news departments. These reporters are asked to multi-task in the industry. They need to be able to investigate and write a compelling story, shoot the video with proper lighting and sound reproduction, edit the video, and send the

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 33 story back to the newsroom in a short window of time. Also, they need to be able to do much of this with smartphones and/or tablets in the field. These tasks now done by one person were often accomplished by three or four employees. This being said, whereas we have downsized the number of employees needed to report a story, we have needed to add as many as six employees to monitor social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter—including our competitions’ posts—on a constant basis. There is now a need for audience sensitivity as we monitor the stream of information throughout the day.

One of the surveyed news directors offered, “The term ‘MMJ’ is a fancy way to say ‘one man band;’ having only one person in the field is a slippery slope as it pertains to resources. It puts additional pressures on the station’s employee who now has to wear many hats.” Social media offers more angles and potential stories for stations to report on but still requires investigation and verification prior to being reported as fact. One of the respondents in the survey offered, “The shift in mobile use has also increased the need for television stations to be aware of continuous news all day, both before and after the newscasts air.” Another stated, “It’s often an extra burden to constantly feed the social media outlets with news; it’s valuable by allowing us to reach our to viewers, inform them of breaking news via ‘text alerts,’ get feedback and promote our stories.” Stations have had to transform the news culture from one based on the scheduled daily newscasts to one based on a 24/7 news cycle that includes the website, mobile apps and active social media.

I concur with the points offered in chapter 2 by Heaton concerning a recent article in TVNewsCheck (2013), in which General Manager John Cardenas of WTHR TV in Indianapolis stated, “We’ve had to learn how to communicate on social media, on how to cross-promote and or cultivate news leads in a socially acceptable way, not in a news gatheringway” (p. 6). In my survey a promotional manager from a statewide group of affiliate stations offered, “Facebook

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 34 fans and ‘likes’ are important to station ratings as it offers another opportunity to stay connected with the viewers throughout the day.” Primetime for news online occurs precisely during the time that KPAX is gathering the news, so the direct connection between us and our fans/viewers gives us a tremendous opportunity to involve them in our daily tasks. It also provides a unique tool to help steer their loyalty during the day, which will help ensure our overall marketing efforts. We can actually promote viewing just prior to newscasts.

Social media is not only a sustaining innovation for professional news organizations; it's also a powerfully disruptive innovation. Most media companies treat it only as a digital product extension, and this can be a professional news organization’s blind spot, because the potential for disruption expands as more and more people become comfortable with the tools and processes of becoming "media" themselves. This is where the greatest challenge lies for those who use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, blogs, and a host of other social tools and applications as ways to extend themselves into the digital space. The challenge here is that social media allows for viewers to become involved on many levels; reporters and television news directors need to make sure the content they are providing is unique and original. Social media has changed much in the news-gathering process and offers reporters at television stations more options to interact with viewers. A respondent from the survey portion of this study commented that “The crash of the US airways flight in the Hudson River is probably the first breaking news event to go viral – covered first by social media. But don’t fool yourself that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube has made our job easier.” He pointed out all sources have to allow permission to use the material, and all angles of the story still have to have independent verification. Discussion The impact of social media on television newsrooms has been substantial. The survey and the auto-ethnography of this study have allowed for a broad range of diverse reactions

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 35 and comments from experts in the television and news broadcasting industry. According to the responses from those taking the survey the influence of social media and its importance to television stations is constant across the United States. Television and social media appear to have forged a partnership that is viable and that will likely only grow more in importance to television stations and the consumers who want the latest news of the day. The survey and the auto-ethnography were similar in light of the media ecology and agenda-setting theories of communication in that they both support the findings that social media has transformed news gathering in television newsrooms. Both provide evidence that the impact and use of social media in newsrooms is likely to grow and the survey results show this growth trend as well. The need for education and training by all news staff will be important to stay relevant in the future with social media.

Commercial television stations’ bottom line for profit relates to viewership ratings. The need to maintain or increase viewership has been the dominant reason stations have added social media to news-gathering practices. This change appears to be nationwide and growing throughout the industry. The 24/7 news cycle affects all stations now, from large markets to small. General Manager John Cardenas from Dispatch Broadcast Group’s WTHR in Indianapolis (DMA 26) offers, “As we’re increasing the time spent on our site and the number of visitors coming to it, there’s no doubt that it parallels with our ratings that, we’re fortunate to say, have gone up” (p. 6). One rating point in Indianapolis in the adult demographic of 25-54 year olds is worth one million dollars in revenue to his station, according to Cardenas. He also pointed out that “We’ve had to learn how to communicate on social media, on how to cross- promote and cultivate news leads in a socially acceptable way” (p. 6). His point concerning rating growth and retention is well taken in that all General Managers are held to profit expectations set by ownership. Achieving the revenue budget is critical for General Managers,

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 36 and without rating increases, their continued employment is in jeopardy. This fact provides added incentive for stations to embrace social media as a tool in television newsrooms. The changes in how social media has affected news-gathering at television news departments have gone much deeper than just news departments. Indeed, the changes have impacted all departments in television stations, including management, sales, production, promotion, and engineering and has necessitated the creation of an “online department.” Social media has created a new order in stations and has brought about changes no one thought possible just five years ago. Social media and the effect of its use in television newsrooms is still in its infancy. It will be very interesting to see what changes develop in the future. I predict based upon my research and experience, news reporting will become a two-way process, with viewers being actively engaged in the news process and the story-telling of local news. No longer will viewers passively sit and watch the news as in the days of anchor Walter Cronkite reading the news. Newsrooms will rely more and more on citizen journalists and social media in the news gathering process.


Chapter five: Summaries and Conclusions

Study Limitations

This study has limitations for concluding results and interpreting data. The survey was administered in person to most respondents and conducted via e-mail to the rest of the group. It was dependent upon honest responses from those surveyed. Additional research is needed to corroborate the findings and to extend the understanding of how social media impacts news- gathering at local television stations. The inclusion of social media and the Internet in television newsrooms is still a new phenomenon and will likely continue to evolve as it matures and develops in television station news operations causing difficulties in definitive conclusions during this evolution. Applications of social media have even changed in the short time I have been researching this topic. News stories such as the unfolding one in Boston has employed social media in heightened measures that warrants new research as to the public’s acceptance of social media’s inclusion in the news-gathering process.

Another limitation of this study is in the measures and procedures used to obtain the interviews and data collection from those involved with the survey. The distribution of the survey required a call to each person or group involved explaining the research question and how the survey would be conducted. Each participant involved was made aware that the data collected was to be used for educational purposes. No data was revealed to competitors, and names of companies and individuals involved with the data collection would not be used if they wanted those kept confidential. Station call letters and media companies were not identified but were indicated with made-up call letters or company names. Confidentiality was assured by the omission of call letters and names from television stations, general managers, news directors, or other staff interviewed or by those who provided information used in the review.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 38 A limitation of the auto-ethnography would be that as the person providing the

information and examples used in the study I have less objectivity than a larger group would offer. I do benefit from being part of a larger group of 11 stations and gain knowledge from the practices and social media use in our group. The survey responses from the general managers indicates they understand fully the need for social media inclusion in their newsrooms. Recommendations for Future Studies

The role of social media in news-gathering will continue to grow and deserves ongoing monitoring and research. A more detailed analysis of emerging social media platforms will be helpful as new applications are put into service in television newsrooms. If the past five years are any indication, major changes are likely, with new social media platforms emerging that will be used by consumers. As these new platforms become mainstream and are incorporated into television newsrooms, new study and review of the impacts on news- gathering will be necessary. Evidence supports the assertion that social media can have such an influence on a global scale. As this influence is likely to grow, frequent reviews and conversations will be needed. As younger consumers seek news and information, their reliance on traditional media versus social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook would be worthy of study. Just yesterday (4/19/13) all national television networks and cable news channels broadcast the coverage of a man hunt in Boston for one of the alleged people involved in bomb attack at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15th. Social media was used throughout the day long coverage as news operations wanted to include data from the public near the scene and report the feelings of those near the man hunt. I would recommend yearly review and update on the use of social media by television station news departments to obtain a greater understanding of the changes and trends that will continue to evolve. I think a study of public perception of the trustworthiness of social media generated news content is worth

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 39 review also…Boston has added a new sense of urgency and credibility to these technological advances. The data and use of social media is constantly changing and example of this is listed below. I recently attended the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, where nearly 100,000 industry professionals attended, reviewing the latest equipment, news trends and information relating to issues in broadcasting. At the convention, many breakout sessions were held on social media and their use in television newsrooms. The industry’s publication, TVNEWSCHECK (April, 2013), published a major article on social media and multiplatform workflow that is now being used in newsrooms. Deb McDermott, CEO of Young Broadcasting, a leading broadcast television group, argued that using social media in newsrooms is not easy but is necessary. She continued, “We are officially a multi-content company. In the past the hub of the TV station was the assignment desk. Now the content is that hub” (p. 5). Her points are well taken especially by me as a general manager of a television station that is undergoing the same transformation in using social media in our newsrooms. The transformation has been a fast-paced change for all of our reporters and news staff. The fast pace is likely to accelerate for the foreseeable future and challenge our staff to keep learning and evolving in the new digital media environment. One aspect of future study would be to focus research on better understanding the relationship of social media and the impact it has on consumers’ trust of the information that it provides. The Internet has many accuracy issues that impact social media, and studies concerning these issues would be helpful to newsrooms when checking for facts and striving for accuracy.

Conclusion

It has not taken the broadcasting industry and local television stations long to understand that their future is tied to the inclusion of social media in their programming.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 40 Chapter 2 discusses the need for freedom of the press and the right for citizens to speak without fear of prosecution. These are rights that were written by the framers of the United States Constitution and the forefathers of our country. Extending these rights into television newsrooms impacted by the addition of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and others will be critical to allowing free-flowing news streams in the 24/7 news cycle. The necessity to report without fear of prosecution from the government or those in power is an ideal John Stuart Mill offered in 1859. Mill, a British philosopher and a leader in communication and social theory in the 19th century, helped frame communication philosophy that remains relevant in today’s media environment. The ability to follow leads and data provided through social media is becoming a major part of television stations’ news-gathering procedures. It is critical that a free press and a free society be able to communicate without fear of reprisals from the government, as Mill points out. I believe this fear of reprisal will be important for news operations and for the citizens who are active in providing content as citizen-journalists in the years ahead.

McCombs, & Shaw (1972) focused on two elements in agenda-setting: awareness and information. These areas remain a major part of how social media is being used by television station newsrooms. The craving for awareness and information drives the public to know what is happening on a near instant basis in today’s 24/7 news cycle. McLuhan (1962,1964) and Postman’s (1985, 1995) media ecology theory investigates how the physical aspects of the communication media change not only how we communicate but also the very nature of what it means to effectively communicate within a society. Evidence supports the assertion that social media can have such an influence on a global scale. As this influence grows, frequent reviews and conversations will be needed. The large amount of information used throughout the thesis helped me to determine the magnitude of change in how television news departments gather and report local news due to social media. The research does indicate that a new fundamental

SOCIAL MEDIA AT LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS 41 process with new departments, new job descriptions, new devices and new platforms for reporting local news has occurred, and those television stations that have not adapted to the change are already at a distinct disadvantage compared to the stations in the markets they share and with which they compete.

Change has been universal for all markets across the United States, including the network-level CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox. This social media change has affected traditional news-gathering in all of these markets. The data collection strategy and procedure for data analysis offered a review of each of the sources discussed. These sources offered insight on best practices in how they manage social media and what tactics they use to best expand breaking news. This gave me an opportunity to evaluate where my station stands in the midst of this change and what I need to implement to remain competitive within the industry. It also gave me confidence that the changes I have already implemented are moving us in the right direction to stay relevant in our ever changing market. In closing, the data from this thesis shows clearly that social media has emerged as a major tool for television newsrooms. Television managers and owners need to understand that their very future is tied to the use of social media in their news operations. Every market from the largest in the nation to the smallest will need to add and adapt as the use of multi-media platforms present themselves. This social media inclusion is not a threat to the existence of television station news efforts but offers new opportunities and community connections that are exciting and boundless in possibilities for continued partnership with their communities.


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Appendix Survey Questions:

Question 1: How has news-gathering changed with the advent of

social media and local television stations websites?

Question 2: How does the station check for accuracy of information

provided via social media?

Question 3: What are other media outlets doing to embrace social

media and news gathering? Question 4: How long have you been in broadcasting?

Question 5: How long have you worked with local news-gathering for television stations? Question 6: What is the most dramatic change you have witnessed in gathering news for local television stations?

Question 7: What affect has social media had on local news-gathering at television stations?

Question 8: How has social media affected network news-gathering? Question 9: What social media outlets impact local television news gathering the most? Why? How?

Question 10: Do you believe the impact of social media will grow at local newsrooms in the year(s) ahead?

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED NEWS GATHERING AT TELVISION STATIONS

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