KTNV Holds Winning Hand On Vegas Social

KTNV is relying on video, not luck, to win Las Vegas social media honors.

The E.W. Scripps-owned ABC affiliate had almost 3.9 million total social actions in the last six months according to data from audience insight firm Shareablee. That’s 38% of the DMA’s overall 10.2 million actions in the period and marks a 98% boost in social engagement for the station from the previous six-month period.

On the total fans/followers count, KTNV was beat by Meredith’s KVVU, however, which boasted almost 519,000 to KTNV’s almost 479,000.

Platform-by-platform, KTNV won both Facebook and Twitter but lost on Instagram to KLUC-FM, according to Shareablee.

KTNV’s Carol Viso, director of digital, says playing to Facebook’s video-centricity is a major part of the station’s strategy. “We use a lot of video,” she says. “We try to put video in whenever possible.”

Putting a local face on larger national and international issues is also key, such as a story following a local sex trafficking victim that resonated deeply with viewers.

“We were able to capture the emotion and impact that’s having on people locally,” Viso says.

Just as impactful was a series of stories about a World War II veteran who experienced a home vandalism, including having his flag burned. Viewers responded to the incident in droves, including replacing his destroyed flag and flagpole and helping to fix his damaged car.

Viso says the cluster of social posts and stories around it generated over 33 million reached and more than 16 million video views.

“We told a character-driven story that was about much more than vandalism,” says News Director Mike Dello Stritto of why it connected so strongly.

Other times, it’s about localizing national events, such as extensive overage of the Day Without Immigrants protests around the city, which is rich in immigrant labor.

Like a preponderance of socially-successful newsrooms, KTNV makes ample use of Facebook Live. Viso says it frequently employs its news chopper to that end, live streaming from major traffic snarls and street-closing crime scenes, nearly on a daily basis.

And the station makes further inroads with viewers via some of its most active Facebook posters, including morning breaking news anchor Dayna Roselli and morning meteorologist Justin Bruce. Bruce is a relative newcomer to Las Vegas but has already cultivated a strong local following thanks to bringing a bright personality to the city’s arid climes, Viso says.

Having such people on the team helps KTNV realize its biggest goal on Facebook, Viso notes. “First and foremost, we want to lead the local conversation on social media.”