Poynter Online
Go


Top Story

Public TV, Radio Stations to Increase Local Investigative Coverage
Most Recent Articles
1.Poynter's Times Publishing Co. sells Governing
5:15 PM Nov. 20, 2009
2.Recommendation for Fewer PAP Screens Sure to Set Off Controversy
10:32 AM Nov. 20, 2009
3.Gene Patterson to Jack Nelson: Save Us a Desk Up There in That Celestial Newsroom
7:03 AM Nov. 20, 2009
4.Public TV, Radio Stations to Increase Local Investigative Coverage
6:19 AM Nov. 20, 2009
5.Woods: Plagiarism Never Justified
3:47 PM Nov. 19, 2009
Most E-mailed
Recent Comments
Recent Tags
Community Activity

Poynter Training
Poynter Seminars
Small, in-person training experiences.
1.
A New Curriculum for a New Journalism - Jan. 6-8, 2010
Apply by November 23
2.
Multimedia Journalism for College Educators - February 1-5, 2010
Apply by December 14
3.
NewsU: Write Your Heart Out: The Craft of the Personal Essay - January 25-February 19, 2010
Apply by January 4
News University
Today's most popular courses on NewsU, Poynter's e-learning site for journalists.
Webinars
Our online classroom is just a click away. Learn more.
All Webinars

Poynter Forums

View Forum Post

Topic: Memos Sent to Romenesko
Date/Time: 5/19/2008 11:39:18 AM
Title: The latest from Tribune's Lee Abrams
Posted By: Jim Romenesko
 
Memo to Tribune employees from chief innovation officer Lee Abrams

May 19, 2008
THINK PIECE: BUSTING DENIALS AND ASSUMPTIONS

We are getting closer to the re-imaging of WGN Superstation. Sooner than later, it will evolve into a leader in their world, something that they
haven't quite accomplished. The look and sound of the Network will be
like nothing else out there. Some may think it's a little weird. It is.
Their problem has been being too average....too "TV". Actually a TV guy
said "Hey, what's wrong with being too TV...after all we ARE TV".
To me--that's a big problem. You aren't TV. You are part of this
complicated media pie and you need to think outside of where you "are"
or else you define yourself by what everyone else is doing. A recipe for
mediocrity.

My biggest challenge in helping with the re-imaging has been WORDING.
De-hyping. Things like:

*Asking questions as if a viewer can reply. "Tired of the same old
movies"? Very 1955 as in "Hey, Mom, Kids wearing you out? Try Geritol".

*Over sell: The Greatest...The Best...the Most...Your favorites...
"Great Movies"---I say let viewers decide what's great. It wouldn't
be
so bad but EVERYBODY is the greatest most and best...so it just doesn't
mean anything. Dumbs it down. Slogans often do more to promote
mindlessness than just about anything. Oversaturation of marketing
hooks...that rarely deliver. Sometimes it's best to just DO it.

Words are powerful. Media throws them away expecting people to buy into
them. They wont. Maybe that's why Apple and Nike don't use every many of
them in their sales message. Can you imagine if Apple worded I-Pod ads
like a TV station (or radio or Newspaper) worded their ads: "Tired of
the same old music? Hey,Try the great new I-Pod...the Best sound...the
most songs"--aint gonna happen.

As my road trips continue, I ran into an interesting 20-something who
unlike a lot of 20-something's, LOVES print...more than the Internet, an
excerpt from an email she wrote me:

you're the first person I've heard to offer even a tiny bit of hope to
the possibility of the survival of newspapers. And, if their survival is
contingent on renovation or even revolution, that makes it that much
more exciting.

I think I mentioned that I just moved back the USA after about 10 years
in Europe. There, I had the opportunity to work in several very
competitive markets and so have seen firsthand the results when the
newsroom is also a waroom. I especially enjoy the British market, where
I've worked at The Guardian and have just completed work on the Daily
Mirror's recent redesign. Not only are they producing excellent
journalism, but they are aware that every day they must engage and
surprise their readers to survive. Compare that to the American markets
where most places have one sleepy newspaper that's been there forever
and has no intention of changing. I believe that American newspapers
have to stop copying the mediocrity being produced in the next town over
and see what is being done right outside the US and learn from that.

...As part of the exercise to park denial at the door, maybe she's
right. Another person showed me some stats that show newspaper
circulation GROWING in many overseas markets, in tandem with the
Internet. While Beijing may be a long way away, maybe there are some
ideas we can look to from the Overseas markets. As patriotic as I am...there's some good stuff coming out over there. It wasn't that long ago when "Made in Japan" meant cheap...now many of us LOOK for products (like cars and electronics) made over there as a stamp of quality. /CONTINUED

View Complete Forum Topic

Username
Password
New User? Signup Now
Poynter Careers
See All Jobs
Add Your Resume
Post Your Job
Become a Member
More media jobs