Covid-19 is Changing TV News Delivery Forever!

Los Angeles, CA--The Covid-19 catastrophe may well change forever the way TV news is gathered and broadcast.  

The nation’s news operations have been forced to have some reporters work from home.  They’re suddenly gathering news as they conduct their routine interviews via Zoom, Skype and Facetime. 

The Multi Media Journalist is a mainstay everywhere except where the photographers unions are politically anchored.  That’s all about to change. 

Drones, smaller and cheaper DSLR type cameras are capturing startling video images.  Quality video live streaming has never been so easy.  The technology learning curve for reporters is no longer an obstacle.

The increased efficiency and cost savings connected to news gathering are really monumental. 

There will always be a need for helicopters, and news crews to chase breaking news.  We need to forever end those ridiculous and expensive reporter’s live shots in front of stale crime scenes that serve no useful purpose whatsoever!  

The result of this will be more and better news stories.  More  reporters and producers can be hired with the cost savings. 

News gathered and reported in the field will have a new look of immediacy with the exciting creativity and style of those sucessful modern YouTube vloggers. 

These may be amazing times if actual news replaces those politically divisive talking heads once again.  Viewers want real journalists, not propaganda purveyors.  Perhaps the term, Fake News will finally disappear. 

I’m convinced the talking heads have driven viewers away from their TV sets. 

Lastly let me say that focus groups have led news managers down the same road for far too long.  It’s understandable, they are comprised of idle people that simply don’t have a life!  

The KTLA-TV News War On Aging Continues

Los Angeles—Every TV or print news organization in America is fighting for survival as the readers and audience has evaporated. The only viewers or readers left are those older folks who have steadfastly shunned computers and the Internet.

What’s interesting here is the once desired demographics of people between 18 and 35 have fled from TV news for good. These are the people that spend money to buy the products advertisers want to sell.

Today the demographics watching have shifted to the oldsters. Today’s advertisers have shifted too, selling prescription drugs, reverse mortgages, denture adhesives and of course Viagra.

Many older TV news viewers feel threatened as they watch the older trusted reporters and anchors disappearing from their positions. The push is on to hire youth in a desperate attempt to save money and lure younger viewers back to television. Along with the shift to youth they are short-staffing newsrooms everywhere. Soon they will lose the only viewers they had.

The quality of local and national news delivery has been dropping like a rock. The journeymen have been replaced by green news apprentices barely over their interning days. The blind are leading the blind and it’s a formula for suicide.

I can’t imagine a new positive direction for poorly paid and inexperienced reporters and producers try to fill the shoes of those they replaced

KTLA-TV is at the battlefront of the war on aging as new ownership and management has handed out pink slips to anyone deemed too mature. Last month they axed reporters Willa Sandmeyer, Walter Richards, Bill Smith and Janet Choi, along with news manager Gerry Ruben, long-time Executive Producer Joe Russin, Executive Editor of Planning, John Hensley, Morning News Executive Producer.

Today I learned Marta Waller’s contract won’t be renewed when it expires in October. Waller has given 24 great years to KTLA’s viewers. Waller is an attractive woman with a great broadcast voice and needed credibility. Waller has been an anchor, medical reporters and covered important criminal trials. Just what was Waller’s crime? Waller aged into the station’s current viewer demographics.

I guess KTLA’s new owner has no fear of age discrimination lawsuits. I suspect they’re about to suffer an avalanche of litigation as they have eliminated every producer or reporter they could over 45 years of age. Whatever KTLA will save on salaries will defiantly be paid out in legal fees defending against age bias claims.