Liverpool Paper Makes TV Debut

A live debate about unemployment has become the first programme made in the Liverpool Daily Post’s new digital TV studio.

The half-hour show was streamed live on the business section of the Daily Post’s website using Bambuser technology, reports HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk.

Viewers were invited to contribute by submitting comments in real-time to an accompanying live blog.



Business editor Bill Gleeson declared the online debate to represent “a big leap forward in terms of bringing the digital age to newspaper titles”.

He said: “In the run up to the programme, I looked at how 20 other UK and US newspapers did television, in terms of the standards of presentation, production and research.

“In all of these areas, ours was the best by a long way.”

Following the success of this first digital TV venture, LDP editor Mark Thomas announced that his team is already looking to produce similar offerings in the future.

“We are now working on developing a rolling programme of business debates in the same format and I think this has the potential to bring us in some significant new revenue in the months ahead.”

Interactive Coverage For Jacko Tribute

Social media sites joined with mainstream news groups on Tuesday to offer interactive coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial concert.

Live video was accompanied by real-time comments from fans on the websites of many broadcasters – including CNN, ABC News and msnbc.

Twitter was the social media tool of choice for msnbc.com, which aggregated tweets (powered by Tinker) alongside streamed video footage from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.



New product development director Cory Bergman said that the online coverage represented “a first for both Twitter and msnbc.com on a large-scale news event”.

Meanwhile, both CNN and ABC News opted for Facebook Connect to draw fans to their live video stream.



According to Mashable, the interactive coverage on CNN.com attracted a total audience of almost ten million and thousands of updates from Facebook users.

In an interview for CNN, Facebook’s Randi Zuckerberg talks about her company’s involvement in the broadcaster's coverage of the event.

ITV Ends Web News Contract

ITN’s web division will stop supplying news to ITV.com next month following the cancellation of the contract.

The Guardian cites sources suggesting the agreement was worth an estimated £500,000 to ITN On, which has provided text and video reports to the website.

Video bulletins covering global and national stories will be supplied in the future by the television news division of ITN.

Text articles published on ITV.com will come from ITV’s regional journalists.

A memo from ITN On managing director Nicholas Wheeler published on the Guardian website reveals that job losses are now inevitable.

He concludes: “The loss of this contract represents significant revenue hit for ITN On, and means that we have to review the online operation to see how we can best deliver text stories to our remaining online clients.”

BBC Has Best Headline Writers

Online usability expert Jakob Nielsen says BBC News online editors 'consistently do an awesome job.' Their headlines, he says, are:

* Short.
* Rich in information, clearly summarizing the article's contents.
* Front-loaded with the most important keywords, helping users who often scan only the beginning of list items.
* Understandable out of context, aiding users who find them through search engines.
* Predictable, promising what the story delivers so users rarely waste clicks on an item that turns out to be something other than what they expected.

Nielsen found that the average BBC News headline used a mere 5 words and 34 characters. `The amount of meaning they squeezed into this brief space is incredible: every word works hard for its living,' he says.

`Visit the site daily for a week,' he urges, `and try to apply some of the BBC editors' discipline to your own headlines.'

Paper Plans Investigative Radio Show

A morning radio show devoted to investigative journalism is to be launched by the Washington Times this spring.

The syndicated three-hour programme will be carried by Talk Radio Network and will feature investigations by the newspaper’s journalists and interviews with the key reporters.

“I think the goal here is to take what we’ve done so successfully in print and translate it to radio,” said John Solomon, executive editor at the Washington Times.

He added: “The concept is that when you tune in in the morning, it’s not going to be yesterday’s news.”

A spokesman for Talk Radio Network asserted that the new show could do for radio what 60 Minutes did for television.

More on this story on the Washington Times website.

[HT – Journalism.co.uk]

[Picture - Web Radio, by Alessandro Bonvini on Flickr]

Sun Launching Radio Phone-In Online

The Sun promises that its forthcoming online radio station will be “The Home Of Free Speech”.

Weekday phone-in show Sun Talk is set to launch next month with former Talksport DJ Jon Gaunt at the helm.

According to Media Week, the new show forms part of News International’s investment strategy in multimedia content.

Sun Talk will be transmitted live between 10am and 1pm and will also be available as a download during the whole week.

And the station has managed to pull in an impressive guest for the first live show - Conservative leader David Cameron.

The Sun says the opposition leader will be taking calls and email questions from Sun readers during the inaugural show.

Writing on the launch announcement page, Gaunt reiterates the show’s commitment to the views of the audience.

“This is the station for YOU where you will not only get expert comment, controversy and loads of laughs but also the chance to interact and have YOUR SAY - and say it how you want.”

Further details about Sun Talk can be found on thesun.co.uk.

[HT – Journalism.co.uk]

Reuters To Launch Markets Channel

Thomson Reuters subscribers are set to receive a new markets service heralded as the next generation of multimedia coverage.

Codenamed Reuters Insider, the online video service will offer coverage of money markets, breaking news from the financial sector and analysis of events.

These reports will be available in both real-time and as on-demand content, and customers will be able to personalise channels so they can receive only the news relevant to their sector.

According to Reuters, the new offering represents the “future of news dissemination” as it encompasses both narrowcasting and vertical programming.

The Reuters definition of narrowcasting: “Delivering focused, fast, intelligent and relevant information to make our clients and customers smarter and more successful.”

As for vertical programming, global editor of multimedia Chris Cramer explains it like this: “The key to our success is that our programming will not be linear - one program after another - but will be vertical and will provide the kind of rich content and analysis our clients need.”

Press Gazette reports that Reuters Insider is set for a full launch this summer.

More details about Reuters Insider can be found in this pdf profile of one of its key creators, who was recently named one of the agency’s top journalists of 2008.

How To – One-Man Band Journalism

A digital correspondent in San Diego has been sharing his tips for being an effective one-man band (OMB) journalist.

Joe Little works for KGTV 10 News and is responsible for shooting, presenting and editing his video packages.

A YouTube video showing samples of his work from last year – Joe Little 2008 - has caused a bit of a stir on the Web and prompted Little to share some of the secrets of his solo efforts.



Speaking to Poynter Online, the multimedia journalist said one of the most important tools of his trade is the reversible screen on his camera.

“I can flip the viewfinder over, stand in front of the camera and see where I am framed up in a shot. Without that, I add at least 15 minutes to a shoot.”

He added: “The tricks I use are the same ones a good two-man crew would use. I have to do both of their jobs. I look for meaning, balance and creativity.”

And he assured fellow reporters that the solo stand-ups get easier with practice, allowing him to get the basics sorted and move on to experimenting with effects such as split-screening (see above video).

However, Little admitted that OMBs can’t do everything and certain stories are much harder to put together than others.

“Courtrooms are brutal because you have to stay with the camera. I can’t go grab the attorney or the family member who just ducked out because I’m stuck behind a wall with a judge begging for a reason to throw me out.”

Confrontational interviews can be tough too: “If you have a photographer, it’s easier to fire away questions and make sure you’re right where the action is.

“It looks sloppy if I’m messing with the camera, looking through the viewfinder and still trying to focus on ‘this guy.’”

See Poynter Online for the full interview and Little’s step-by-step guide to split-screening using Final Cut Pro.

Little also shared the tricks of his trade in the comments section of his 2008 showreel on YouTube.

And if you want to know more about the day-to-day issues affecting OMBs, university students have put together a film entitled “One day in the life of Joe Little”.

Journalism Skills Study Published

The full results from a survey about the skills that journalists need in the 21st century have been released.

Carried out by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), the Journalism Skills Survey asked both employers and course providers about the skills they see as most important for trainees.

The study also reveals the skills that companies believe their new recruits working in print, TV and radio are lacking at present.

Among the traditional reporter skills needing improvement according to employers are the ability to find stories, knowledge of media law and language skills.

Employers were also questioned on new skills and responded that incoming journalists need to improve their video skills, writing for different platforms and knowledge of how to use the Freedom of Information Act.

NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher writes in the report’s foreword: “What emerged strongly was that these were not areas for compromise.

“There was no question of old or new: employers were clear that they wanted both.”

The full study is available as a pdf file on the NCTJ website and more details can be found on holdthefrontpage.co.uk.

Mainstream Sites ‘Embrace The Link’

Linking to external sites is becoming a more common practice among mainstream news websites, according to the New York Times.

Writer Brian Stelter points to recent innovations by the Washington Post, NBC and the Times itself as evidence that we are in the middle of an “attitude shift” towards linking out.

Unveiled last month, the Post’s Political Browser points to the best on the web, and this includes scoops on rival websites.

And the New York Times is soon to launch an “alternative home page” which will contain hyperlinks to its competitors.

While this month saw TV network NBC open beta versions of local websites which have links to other sites.

For example, its current Chicago site has links to local news articles on the online versions of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Southtown Star.

NBC’s local media division president told the Times: “We’re looking at the fragmented local market and saying, ‘We’re going to provide a destination where you can come and search across different segments.’ ”

John P Wallace also said that this latest project represents “a change in mindset” with regards to linking to the competition.

Stelter’s article, entitled Mainstream News Outlets Start Linking to Other Sites (may need to register to view the article), also features comments from blogger Scott Karp and has a brief round-up of examples of mainstream sites learning to link.

RTE Launches Online News Channel

Irish broadcaster RTE has unveiled its new 24-hour online news channel which will form part of its proposed media player service.

RTE News Now offers breaking news stories, bulletins and current affairs programmes which can be watched live or on-demand.

According to the Sunday Business Post, the broadcaster is also planning to use the channel to screen events which are currently not televised such as special debates in the Irish parliament.

In addition, RTE is in talks with mobile network carriers about making the 24-hour news channel available via mobile phones.

And a spokesman for RTE Publishing stated that the news channel will add to its present content by including entertainment, business and sports news by the end of this month.