It’s official; television stations have embraced social networking. According to TV news researcher Bob Papper, a solid majority of stations are using social media in three key ways:
- Covering social media topics in newscasts: 67%
- Using social media in storytelling: 58%
- Integrating social media into websites: 76%
Those statistics have translated into a fundamental change in the way some TV stations are doing journalism.
“The process of journalism is gathering information and presenting a finished product,” says KLAS news director Ron Comings. “But the process of gathering news now includes sharing and gathering information from viewers, users and followers.”
Comings says the interaction between journalists and their audiences encourages viewership. In fact, Comings says his company is thinking about hiring someone dedicated to overseeing social media for the station.
Chris Way, director of digital media for KLAS, is also bullish on the impact of social networking.
“It’s an opportunity to make TV news a full contact sport,” says Way. “Social media is a way of getting people to talk about issues important in the community. We’re creating an empowered news consumer.”
