Business News Meets Video Journalism in the Regions
March 15, 2011 1 Comment
By Umar Farooq
The area of video journalism online is expanding and this week saw the launch of a new business video channel from the team at ‘The Business Desk.’
It’s an example of how specialist websites are now using the medium of video to deliver news content for a more specific audience. The website has been the hub of regional business news since 2007 with focus on Yorkshire, North West and and the West Midlands.
The latest development, Business Desk TV is the UK’s first dedicated regional business video channel. I spoke to the man in the middle, David Parkin, based in the Leeds office.
Q1: Hi David, thanks for giving up your time to speak to Video Journalism Online. Tell me a little about Business Desk TV.
“Well it’s an online business news video channel specifically focusing on business video content for our regional membership. At The Business Desk, we’re keen to provide good quality video content for our members be it news, debates, seminars or interviews from the world of business and this channel will allow us to do that.”
Q2: David, this is a video channel online, why video and why online?
“We believe fundamentally that the online technology with the speed in particular allows you to provide a great video news service. On top of this and perhaps more importantly, our focus is on a regional and specific video-watching audience. The online service allows us to focus our content and direct it to the audiences based in the regions we cover.”
“In relation to your question about video, well it really is the media of the future isn’t it? We know our audience and it’s needs well enough and so video allows us to provide them with the vital information in 2-3 minutes.That’s what they want and that’s what we’ll give them.”
Q3: Have you hired a dedicated team of video journalists to put the content together?
“We don’t need to. We’ve already been filming about a dozen events around the UK every month and the team will continue to work hard to add content to our online library. In terms of technology, our journalists who write for the website are multi-skilled. They all produce video content with a number of flip-cams available to them for personal use.”
“We’re also working with professional video companies to produce quality HD content. I’ve invited several media agencies to provide us with high quality editorial content so we’re encouraging more businesses to submit video footage that can help and help us report news and events. Above all, quality of content is massively crucial for our members.”
Q4:Finally David, for our readers who are aspiring to step into video journalism what sort of advice do you have?
“The media is changing and so must the journalist. As the founder of the Business Desk, any journalist working for me needs to have three important qualities. Firstly, know your subject. In our case that’s business. We need people with a genuine passion for business news. Secondly, be multi-skilled. The modern-day journalist needs to be able to shoot, edit, write and work online. Thirdly, just be enthusiastic. We’re looking for people who can create powerful and interesting content and are fascinated about the future of the technology.”
I think David has taken the idea of bringing business news to life and decided to experiment with it. The invitation to PR companies and other businesses is interesting and the online library of content is a cracking idea. This model is one being used by several niche websites to provide content for their audience. Let me know what you think about David’s comments. You can tweet: @UmarOnline / @videojournos or e-mail: videojournalismonline@yahoo.com.
And while we’re at it, here’s another plug for the “Online News Video Watchers Survey.” Some interesting entries in so far, so keep them coming video fans.
* The links in this post can be accessed and shared on the VJO delicious page.
Local News – The Future
March 15, 2011 Leave a comment
screenshot courtesy of Ledger Live
We’re all familiar with a newspaper’s ‘comment’ section. Or, as some of them like to call it, their ‘opinion’.
These have been stalwarts of print journalism for many years. But, as Toby Coaker outlined for videojournalismonline back in January, The Times is the only UK based paper to transfer this type of journalism onto the web in video format.
In the States things are a bit different – one example of local political opinion transforming into online video is Ledger Live, from New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger.
Here Brian Donohue gives an often sarcastic/satirical take on the affairs of local government.
A good example is this not too complimentary assessment of Govenor Christie’s selective economic policy.
How does this relate to the UK?
Donohue’s producing something that doesn’t really exist in the UK, because national broadcasters (the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky) have to be impartial and national newspapers just haven’t got on board with the idea behind Ledger Live.
The Future
David Cameron’s been a champion of local government since his time in opposition.
As Prime Minister he’s devolving power and says he wants to create more vibrancy in local politics – to get people interested in the affairs of their local councils as part of his ‘Big Society’.
And Jeremy Hunt’s plans for local TV news slip nicely into line with this ideal.
But if the whole plan works and political activism flourishes once again in the boroughs and constituencies of the UK, you can bet that intense frustration will be kindled in the general public when it comes to local TV news.
Local output’s required to be impartial too. As a result Council failure won’t be reported with the angst needed to reflect the voters’ views.
In this political climate there’ll be an opportunity for partial ‘comment’ or ‘opinion’, and the websites of local newspapers will be the platform capable of supporting such a development.
Could they afford it?
On one hand it’s unhelpful to draw comparisons between state newspapers in the USA and their British ‘equivalents’ because New Jersey, for example, has a population of about 9 million and the Star-Ledger’s circulation is about 220,000.
Each UK constituency has an electorate about 66% smaller than the Star-Ledger’s readership, and local papers would reach dramatically less than that.
But print journalism’s suffering in the US in the same way it is here.
Sponsoring online video is now an option – adverts screened prior to the content beginning – and could bring in valuable revenue.
And if Ledger Live shows us something else about the future, it’s that you only need basic equipment to bring politics alive for the next media generation.
Here’s The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank proving this very point. Can you imagine a similar video poking fun at 4 or 5 candidates in Garston and Halewood?
Filed under Alex Dibble, Bloggers, Broadcast Media, Foreign Media, Print Media, The Future Tagged with Brian Donohue, comment, Dana Milbank, David Cameron, Gareston and Halewood, Jeremy Hunt, journalism, media, New Jersey, news, opinion, politics, The Star-Ledger, The Times, TV, UK, USA, Washington Post, website