NTF 2020 | Local TV News’ Longer-Term Future Needs More Relevance And Inclusion
Executives from NBCU Owned Stations, CBS Television Stations, Graham Media, SmithGeiger and the Local Media Association envision a future for TV news in two years’ time that is more inclusive in its coverage and among its decision makers, holding on to the heightened sense of relevance it struck with viewers in the pandemic. “It’s incumbent on news departments not just to serve facts, but relevance, perspective and helpfulness,” said CBS’s David Friend at last week’s NewsTECHForum.
NTF 2020 | Broadcasters Hold Firm On Remote Workflows
Tech leaders at E.W. Scripps, Meredith and Hubbard Broadcasting as well as at tech vendor Avid say that remote production workflows are getting more refined, while vaccine promises also have them hopeful of a return to newsrooms. “The adrenaline that goes through a newsroom is hard to duplicate at home,” said Scripps CTO Ray Thurber at last week’s NewsTECHForum.
Exclusives
MipTV in April is moving online as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the film and TV calendars. Organizer Reed Midem confirmed the news today. Sister events MipDoc and MipFormats will also be digital.
The University of Maryland canceled its last football game of the regular season on Thursday after more than a dozen UMD players tested positive for COVID-19. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday against Michigan State, may not be Maryland’s last of the season if the team decides to compete in the postseason. Six members of the Terrapins’ coaching staff also tested positive, according to the school.
One of the most recognizable figures in sports news, ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt announced on his Twitter account Thursday that he has contracted the coronavirus and will be taking some time off.
Collins | COVID-19 Effects Extend To Company Taxes
The disruption that defines 2020 seems to extend into every corner of our professional and personal lives. It’s even affecting the tax calculations and reporting responsibilities for media businesses’ accounting and financial professionals.
This month’s virtual Devoncroft Executive Summit took the measure of a media technology market radically altered by COVID-19, from a 10% hit to its overall market size, a reassessment of how of it does business and a big potential shift in its sales and marketing efforts. Above, Devoncroft’s Josh Stinehour emphasized that technology investment by broadcasters is an opportunity to drive increased revenues, not simply a cost center.
The Rookie is modifying its production schedule after a number of positive COVID-19 tests. The ABC cop drama is going to reduce the shooting schedule for the rest of December as a result of the new cases, which were discovered through its strict health and safety protocols.
NTF 2020 | News Storytelling Sees Creative Flourish In Pandemic Year
Journalists from AJ+, NBCLX, NBCU Owned Stations and Graham Media said 2020’s confluence of major stories prompted a surge of creativity and experimentation in video news storytelling. They told a NewsTECHForum panel that working conditions prompted the acquisition of new skills and more elasticity in their story length.
In a letter addressed to the leaders of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Hulu and HBO Max, Sen. Angus King of Maine urged the platforms to make their content available to the masses for free during the holidays, which he believes could encourage Americans to stay home and therefore slow the spread of COVID-19.
NBC’s ‘Mr. Mayor’ Pauses Production Through 2020
Production on the upcoming NBC comedy series Mr. Mayor, starring Ted Danson, was shut down Monday following multiple positive COVID-19. On Tuesday, the shutdown was extended for the rest of this week, leading to the scheduled holiday break.
TV networks are feeling the strains of disappointing NFL ratings, as they are forced to restructure deals with advertisers to make up for the smaller audience, and their opportunity to make money off remaining games during the lucrative holiday season narrows.
Today, Dec. 11, NBC News is dedicating the full NBCNews.com homepage to coverage of the most important topic on the planet: The coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time the site’s homepage will devote all of its content to a just one topic.
Trends driven by the pandemic are likely to persist into 2021 and beyond, while transitions to IP infrastructures will accelerate and aging on-prem infrastructure will give way to increased reliance on the cloud. NextGen TV will also likely pick up speed after COVID’s cooling effect on its rollout this year.
Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres revealed Thursday she tested positive for COVID-19. She said on Instagram she is “feeling fine” but will be following the CDC-approved guidelines and will see her audience “after the holidays.”
The Ad Council is orchestrating a new campaign to encourage Black Americans to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The organization is working with the Hearst and Verizon-owned Complex Networks on the effort.
Fourteen organizations note the risks of COVID-19 exposure during necessary newsgathering.
TVN Focus | Stations, Vendors Meet Challenge Of Nonstop News
News and technology executives from Fox Television Stations, Graham Media, Gray Television, Avid and Latakoo have embraced new technologies and workflows in a year of huge stories and largely remote production. They’re going to need to maintain that embrace while producing even more content in 2021, they said at a TVNewsCheck webinar last week.
Hollywood soldiers on, but the return to set has been fraught with shutdowns, positive tests and budget spikes. Above, ABC’s The Conners has been among a number of prime-time shows to shoot and return to the air during the pandemic.
More than $1 billion will soon start to flow back to U.S. pay TV subscribers in the form of refunds and credits, compensating them for the year’s many pandemic-related sports cancellations.
The co-hosts on Fox News Channel’s The Five went to a remote format Thursday, with reports that Juan Williams tested positive for the coronavirus.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an emergency authority order to city residents on Wednesday evening, directing the community to “cancel everything” amid rising COVID-19 cases. The new order comes after Los Angeles County reported a total of 5,987 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, one day after a record high of 7,593 cases. Currently, 2,439 people are hospitalized with the virus in the county, with 40 additional deaths reported on Wednesday.
The eye network is about 75% to 80% sold out of commercial time in Super Bowl LV, with about eight to 10 spots left, according to media buyers and people familiar with negotiations. Buyers say there is a contingency plan in place to play the Super Bowl later in February if COVID complications make that necessary. While Super Bowl LV is slated to air on CBS on Feb. 7, there is a makeup date of Feb. 28, according to media buyers.
The host of the Fox Philadelphia O&O’s Good Day Philadelphia announced today on Facebook that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently quarantining.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said Tuesday that all of its awards shows will remain virtual through 2021. This includes the Daytime Emmys, Sports Emmys, News and Documentary Emmys and Technology and Engineering Emmys.
