News channels 'must know audience'
Getting a licence to operate a digital news channel is just the beginning. How to operate the channel sustainably 24 hours a day, seven days a week is also a big challenge lying ahead.
Providing news for a mass audience with in-depth market research appears to be one of the best options for the seven TV news licensees to create high yields, marketing experts say.
"The popularity of prime news programmes at each TV news station, either the current ones or those in the coming digital terrestrial TV platform, is very meaningful for media agencies like us and our clients or advertisers," Manee Eabe, managing director of Magna Global, a member of global agency IPG Mediabrands, told The Nation.
TV audience ratings always prove the success of a programme whether it is entertainment, sports, news or a children’s show. So how can a news programme reach high popularity?
Manee suggested that TV broadcasters needed to take customer insight research seriously to understand their real demand and collect the right data and information to develop programmes that attract both ratings and revenue.
Danai Chanchao-chai, chief executive officer of DC Consultants, said newscasters should listen to viewers’ voices.
"News is not just telling the truth with public responsibility but it should be reachable and touchable for all people," Danai said.
More important, newscasters must also understand the fact that sponsors prefer spending their advertising budgets on popular programmes. More than 80 per cent of advertisers want to invest in entertainment programmes, while the remainder opt for traditional news programmes.
"Providing news for a mass audience seems to be a good way to go, but it is not easy," Manee noted.
To reach a mass audience, news producers should train and use proper and presentable news presenters and anchors to make hard news more lively and viewer-friendly. On-the-ground activities through corporate social responsibility or special events, along with news gathering and reporting in high-potential areas, will also increase the popularity of news stations among the target audience.
Though production costs are not a concern for viewers and advertisers, the quality of TV production and useful content with good presentation are important, Manee added.
Newscasters in developed countries set out their brand position clearly by committing to provide accurate and insightful data and information for specific demands.
For example, CNBC, Bloomberg Television and Fox Business Network take business-oriented and financial news reporting seriously. Earth TV and the Weather Channel focus on weather reports and real-time warnings as well as related breaking news. ESPN runs the ESPNews channel for sports fans while E! Entertainment Television, a US-based cable and satellite TV network, features entertainment-related programmes.
More choices are good for viewers but making news different is also a big challenge for the coming 24-hour news stations.
