News changes daily. Always has, by definition.

But rarely – if ever – have the platforms, players and processes changed this much.

In the last decade, we’ve evolved from top-down monologues from NY, Washington and LA – to the ‘Wikinews’ of the internet, in which every blogger is a source with a global sounding board. We have tweeting, chirping and buzzing devices that keep us perpetually connected. Screens in elevators and above the urinals. Ubiquity is everywhere.

So – the newsroom of the future will have to reflect these radical developments. How? Three major characteristics:

(1) Pro-Am Team of Journalists. Newsrooms that ignore amateur and citizen journalists do so at their own risk. Stories break on Twitter, Youtube and Blogs every day. The challenge of the news organizations will be vetting and authenticating. It was the same issue a short time ago with TMZ. Journalists must recognize that tips and topics come from all corners. The most successful modern newsrooms will embrace the trend and find ways to include a variety of voices. In fact, it’s already happening with weather and sports video, and the op-ed page is full of citizen voices.  Bureaus run by student and retired journalists. Daddy bloggers. High School sports fans. They should all be able to contribute content. Smart newsrooms will become the ‘watering hole’ of media for the communities they serve.

(2) Mixed Media Storytelling. Each of us have unique and divergent appetites for media consumption. Journalists should understand and accommodate. Maybe I prefer to download a daily podcast and listen to the news during a morning walk. Maybe my daughter prefers to read a short article online. Maybe my mom still likes the 6pm news. Modern newsrooms will be able to narrate the latest news on multiple outlets, for multiple audiences. To some degree, this is already happening. In many cases, however, newsrooms only give lip service to the ‘supplemental’ channels and stay the course with the big, traditional platforms that have driven the revenue for decades. It’s time to recognize that the days of appointment TV and ink-on-paper are fading and the traditional business model will soon only be a small piece of the pie.

(3) Relevance. Make it matter. This is an OLD concept, but never more important. In an era of “shoot and show” journalism, it’s usually cheaper to shoot the crime scene, show it at 10pm, and worry about the impact later. But eventually the audience starts asking “what’s the point?”. The relevance piece has always been the hardest part of the puzzle. Does a raging fire 90 miles away from me really matter? Does the heinous murder three counties over really affect my life today? Does the weather in Haiti make a difference for me – now? Possibly. But only if the writers, reporters, editors and producers have the perspective and judgement to widen the scope and the skill to add real context.

Big Picture – what viewers & readers REALLY want is hyper-local news. What’s happening today in my ZIP code? In my kid’s school district? At my church or synagogue? Newsrooms of today will argue that they don’t have the resources to deliver this much targeted and geo-specific content. Newsrooms of the future will provide it.

Modern newsrooms – like the slick new look at KPBS in San Diego (photo) – will have to adopt all three characteristics. Not easy. But essential. Stay tuned.

Texas Back Institute of Plano recently featured on WB33 with unique new ‘AdaptiveStim’ implant. Device uses “Wii” motion sensor technology to ease chronic back pain.

Masters of Aikido, Judo and TaiJiQuan all leverage the inertia, strength and mass of their opponent to win the match – and small business can do it, too.

How?

By hyper-focusing on the client to build a brand that actually competes with major national brands. As a small business owner, you can over-deliver the tailored, neighborhood-specific, home-town features of your product or service that the big boys across the street cannot offer. That kind of specialty stands out! That helps develop a powerful local brand.
National chains cannot hope to know your customer as well as you do! So leverage that ‘disadvantage’ against the powerhouse national company!

Sorta like Pace Picante Sauce advertising that the competition came from “New York City”!
Yikes!

Yes we all know that Pace is owned by the Campbell Soup Company, and they don’t exactly fit the “small business” label, but even leveraging even a perceived strategic advantage is powerful stuff.
…and of course Texans want to buy their salsa from people in Texas who ‘know salsa,’ right?

My point is, big national companies rarely get to know customers by name, sponsor local high school athletic teams, send store managers to speak at local Rotary clubs, or give their store managers the authority to speak to local media without approval from the “corporate headquarters”.

But you can.

We followed that approach with one of our clients. A small independent pharmacy with no real advertising budget or media footprint. And right across the street – fierce competition from one of the “big boys”!

It’s Texas Star Pharmacy in Plano, Texas.

The owners – Mike and Donna Barsky – wanted to build their brand and expand their client base despite the proximity of a major national chain pharmacy nearby. How did they do it?

By leveraging the opponent’s ponderous weight as a tool! Senior pharmacist Donna Barsky is a marvelous speaker and writer. So she wrote articles and gave educational talks to local civic groups.
With decades of pharmacy experience, she was able to explain complex medical topics to local newspaper and TV reporters, and offer media interviews on health issues at the ‘drop of a hat’ – with no big bureaucracy to navigate for approval.

During flu season, they offered low-cost vaccinations at a local church.

We taught them how to start blogging, podcasting and developing content for YouTube. (She was a natural!)

They offered home delivery, one-on-one counseling for drug compatibility, longer hours, competitive pricing – and every customer got a hug!
Yes, that’s right. Donna’s a hugger!

How could the pharmacy giant possibly compete?

Over the course of the last year, Donna Barsky has been covered by local or national media at least 60 TIMES! And business has grown about 30%! And now they’re opening a new location!
This stuff really works.

A hyper-local focus. Listening to the client and putting their needs first. Becoming a resource for local media. And developing content for yourself (articles, videos, podcasts).

So borrow a page from the Judo Master and make your ‘strategic disadvantage’ into a powerful weapon.

Why?
The powerful pipes of Ted Williams, homeless radio announcer who’s become the year’s first YouTube rockstar of 2011.

In the unlikely event you haven’t heard, Mr. Williams was homeless earlier this week, hawking handouts on a Columbus highway. A self-confessed substance abuser and absentee dad, he had all but given up on his former career behind the microphone. That’s when a Columbus Dispatch videographer, on a whim, shot a clip of Williams using his golden baritone.

“When you’re listening to nothing but the best of oldies, you’re listening to Magic 98.9!”

The video went up on the Columbus dispatch website, then Youtube, and then PR “lightening” struck – as the short video drew millions of views. Viral pixie dust. It’s competely unpredictable. But amazing when it happens. Soon the Dispatch newsroom was fielding phonecalls for Williams, which led to local interviews, then a spot on the Today Show this week, then the offer from Kraft foods to provide the voice-over for the company’s iconic macaroni and cheese products tonight on ESPN.

Here’s a preview of the spot:

Kraft Mac & Cheese Ad w/ Ted Wilson Voice-Over

The company already had a mammoth publicity campaign surrounding it’s ‘Huddle to Fight Hunger’, an outreach to provide 20 million meals or more to a hunger relief organization. But this swift move has quickly dwarfed the rest of the positive pub in free mentions alone. (Was anyone planing to TiVo the Fight Hungar Bowl? Heck, had anyone even HEARD of the Fight Hunger Bowl – before Williams made media magic happen?) Kraft comes across as a company that cares, that is engaged in public discourse, that wants to do more than talk, and that is nimble and smart enough to do the right thing on short notice. Plus… every recent mention of Kraft is completely free of charge. What CMO wouldn’t be pumped over such a coup?
Williams recorded four TV spots – some of which will be seen during the Golden Globes next Sunday on NBC.

Kraft Brand Manager Noelle O

If you’re lucky enough to get a journalist to pay attention to give you good PR, are people staying on your website once they go there after they see you on the news? The point of PR is to get noticed, but if there’s no conversion, of any kind, what’s the point? You can also use your website to show journalists you know what your talking about. Guess what? They look to see who the experts are too!

Your 3 takeaways:
- Put content on your site that your potential clients and current clients want to see or read (the journalist don’t care, they just want a good story)
- Once you find a journalist or reporter that reports on your industry, send him a few videos about you solving a problem or having an answer (the video should not only be about YOU or your company…again, they don’t care! They want a good story!)
- Keep people coming back to your website for more updated information and news releases
- Oh yeah… PR can have a short shelf life…but your website? Well, whatever you put there stays, for as long as you want!

Ok 4 takeaways…but who’s counting?!

Got it? Good! Come back, we’ll have more great info for you!