Yours is the equivalent of an ad hominem argument. The important point is not KRON’s difficulties, but whether local TV can grow and thrive without fundamental change. To me, the answer to that question is clear.

Ironically shoddy writing, considering the article itself attempts to point out other shoddy work.

I might suggest a title:

“Will the VJ system save KRON from its ever-growing list of managerial screw-ups?”

Did you guys know one of Young Broadcasting’s stations tried another strategy to boost their numbers recently? They hired a numerologist to analyze their street address.

In the words of an infamous broadcast news website: “We’re not making this up.”

Seriously though, I think we may be seeing the first cracks appear in the “citizen journalism” movement as local city portals (outside the major population centers) struggle to get off the ground and become a viable alternatives to the local newspaper. Those cracks will likely widen as more people take on the role of “citizen journalist” for local television stations or vlogs trying to provide local/regional coverage.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that cracks in the system expose weaknesses that can be addressed. Failures of citizen journalism won’t provide a repreive for traditional media but will emphasize the need for editorial focus and quality control. How that focus and control can be provided isn’t clear to me yet - but there are open source models out there that seem to be working.

Thanks for posting this story, Scott. I’m adding it to my list of stories to read for Tuesday’s (12/20) “Much Ado About Marketing” blog.

Regards,

Mike Bawden
Brand Central Station