Finding A Reason To Watch

(From ShopTalk)

[If you think KATIE COURIC and THE CBS EVENING NEWS will hit the mark with younger viewers, don't hold your breath.
You might read through this piece sent to SHOPTALK by
CHRIS HARPER, an Associate Professor on Temple University's Journalism faculty. Chris is also a veteran of ABC NEWS with a long career as a bureau chief, correspondent and producer.
Many of us hear these sentiments everyday from our
younger "viewers."]


FINDING A REASON TO WATCH

I asked more than 50 students in my classes at Temple University how many of them intended to watch KATIE COURIC in her debut as the anchor of THE CBS EVENING NEWS.

One woman raised her hand.

"Why are you going to watch the program?" I asked.
She responded that she had been assigned to do so for another class.

I pressed students. Had they seen the promotions? Yes, they had. What was the reason no on really wanted to watch the broadcast?

"I want to get the news when I want it," one young woman replied. "If she messes up, I can see it on YOUTUBE."

YOUTUBE, is a video Web site that my students -- those between 18 and 22 -- watch more often than the evening news on the three major networks.

Why? It's more interesting to them.

In fact, it may be more interesting, period.

YouTube is real. It places the power of participation and observation to those who access the site. It's fun; it's a connection among all of those who see it and use it.

I worked at ABC NEWS for 15 years as a bureau chief, correspondent and producer. I worked with PETER JENNINGS, HUGH DOWNS and BARBARA WALTERS. It was a wonderful experience.

I hold no animosity toward Katie Couric, but there seems to be a notion that she can somehow connect with younger viewers.

People, particularly those I teach, really do want news.
They watch JON STEWART. They understand what is going on in the world. They read and watch news. It may not be the news
I would like them to read or watch, but they seek news and information relevant to them.

Katie Couric is not going to attract a significant following from young people. She is older than most of their parents.
My students will listen to their parents, but it is unlikely -- no matter how hard Couric, BRIAN WILLIAMS and CHARLES GIBSON try -- that my students, who are a wonderful mixture of American society, will watch the evening news. It is at the wrong time. It is not available on line in any meaningful fashion. Simply put, my students will not replace those older viewers who have become the mainstay of the evening news.

The first Couric broadcast may have provided useful information -- news of the Taliban, oil prices and other important issues.
But the evening news broadcasts need to realize that they have to stay with their core viewers -- those who are my age, which happens to be 54. The network news programs need to find their niche and to recognize that the size of the audience will dwindle with each passing year.

Another point. I saw the CBS promotion of a blog, a Web site and a simulcast. I teach computer-assisted reporting and Web-related courses. I have written books about digital communication. So I decided to watch the first installment of the CBS Evening News on the Web.

I use an APPLE computer with a DSL line. I watch streaming video of all types every day on my computer. I tried for more than 20 minutes to log on, using three different browsers.
I never got to see the highly touted online broadcast. I tried to watch the video of Couric's first day, the individual segments and her interview with THOMAS FRIEDMAN of THE NEW YORK TIMES. What I saw on CBS was a series of frozen video slides with audio. I am certain that the Webmasters at CBS can tell me everything that I did wrong. But my students and I want our news EASILY and NOW.

Simply put, I hope that somehow my students will find a reason to watch the evening news programs on television and the Web. I hope I can find a reason, too.

That didn't happen with Katie Couric's first broadcast.

I hope that will change.