Is anyone watching KGMB9's 5 p.m. newscast? They've made it an "interactive" newscast, incorporating live feedback via e-mail and Twitter. A story is designated the "i9News" story, and then comments from viewers is shared throughout the broadcast.
Here's my review of the first interactive news broadcast. Jared Kuroiwa, the station's Director of Interactive Strategy, has also posted some blog entries about the experiment:
I find it an interesting mix of newsgathering and interactive technologies. Newspapers have op-ed pages, but apart from random "person on the street" soundbites, usually there's not much of a feedback platform on the broadcast side. It certainly makes connected viewers feel like they're part of the show, and maybe gets more people to watch as friends tell friends their comment was on TV.
On the other hand, a lot of news is left on the cutting room floor as it is to fit into a 30-minute broadcast (minus commercials, national stories, sports, and an incredibly disproportionate chunk of time devoted to weather). I can see how critics would find this exercise way too gimmicky, and from a journalism standpoint, you can wonder if "giving viewers a voice" is really a core responsibility of a television newsroom.
Here's my review of the first interactive news broadcast. Jared Kuroiwa, the station's Director of Interactive Strategy, has also posted some blog entries about the experiment:
- Hawaii’s Interactive Newscast… What Does That Mean? It Means Social Media… It Means You Get Involved!
- Hawaii’s Interactive Newscast… Day 1 - So What Did YOU Think?
- KGMB9 News at 5: Hawaii’s Interactive Newscast - 1st Week (and a Little About Yelling into the Void).
I find it an interesting mix of newsgathering and interactive technologies. Newspapers have op-ed pages, but apart from random "person on the street" soundbites, usually there's not much of a feedback platform on the broadcast side. It certainly makes connected viewers feel like they're part of the show, and maybe gets more people to watch as friends tell friends their comment was on TV.
On the other hand, a lot of news is left on the cutting room floor as it is to fit into a 30-minute broadcast (minus commercials, national stories, sports, and an incredibly disproportionate chunk of time devoted to weather). I can see how critics would find this exercise way too gimmicky, and from a journalism standpoint, you can wonder if "giving viewers a voice" is really a core responsibility of a television newsroom.
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