Talking TV: Tackling Advanced TV At The IAB Tech Lab

Tony Katsur, CEO of the IAB Tech Lab, shares how he’s trying to solve for universal reconciliation, universal audit, audience interoperability and creating strong anti-fraud mechanisms in CTV among an ambitious list of other priorities in 2023. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Reporters Making The Journey From Print To TV

Angelika Albaladejo and Jessica DeLeon are two former print reporters currently going through the Google-sponsored Journalism Journey Initiative to transition their skills to TV at E.W. Scripps stations. They share the tougher parts of the transition, the fresh-eyes advantages they bring to TV and how other former print reporters may follow in their stead. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: CBC’s ‘About That’ Elevates Explainer News For Streaming

About That, the flagship news show for the newly launched CBC News Explore FAST channel, pairs a smart, conversational approach to storytelling with broadcast-quality production values. Host Andrew Chang explains how it does so with a tiny staff and big ambitions for reframing TV news. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Welcoming The End Of News Objectivity

Andrew Heyward, a research professor at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School and co-author of a new report, Beyond Objectivity, explains the problems with aiming for “objective” news and what alternate goals newsrooms would do better to pursue. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: One Reporter’s Work-Life Balance Win

Amanda St. Hilare, an investigative reporter and news content manager at Fox-owned WITI Milwaukee, found a healthy balance between her demanding career and personal life. In her management role, she’s now trying to do the same for others. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: CBS Goes Live With News At WWJ Detroit

After months of building a newsroom from scratch, CBS’s WWJ Detroit flipped the switch on its first newscasts last week. Adrienne Roark, president of CBS Stations; Brian Watson, VP and GM of WWJ; and Paul Pytlowany, its news director, make the case for how its community-based approach to reporting will differentiate the station. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: The Harlem Globetrotters Bring It Back To TV

Keith Dawkins, president of the Harlem Globetrotters, talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about the team’s return to TV with Play It Forward and how the beloved, near-century-old franchise is connecting with new generations across multiple media. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: For Michaela Pereira, Lots Of Opportunities Remain In Talk

The talk show genre has far from played itself out and there’s still room for more comers says Michaela Pereira, whose eponymous new talker debuts from PPI this fall. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: What Will TV News Hiring Look Like In ’23?

Gary Brown, owner and CEO of Talent Dynamics, talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about on-air journalists’ continued pursuit of a better work/life balance, anchors’ salary and leverage prospects and the industry’s ongoing shortage of producers. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Scripps Sports Looks To Edge Out RSNs For Rights

Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about the new E.W. Scripps division formed to leverage its Ion network to draw leagues away from regional sports networks and on to OTA. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: The FAST Track To Streaming’s Future

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with Marco Di Giacomo, CMO of Amagi, about why he believes all broadcasters need to be on FAST channels post haste, the growing revenue opportunities there and where artificial intelligence will play a role in improving their UX and popularity.

Talking TV: Can Direct Response Ads Lift Spot In ’23?

Toni Knight, founder and CEO of WorldLink, says that station GMs need to be thinking strategically about direct response advertising as they downshift out of a lucrative political year. She shares the view from the DR side in conversation with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: How True Crime Podcasts Can Work For Local TV

True crime podcasts tap a deep line into audiences’ psyches and have great potential for local TV news in both audio and video forms, says Scott Weinberger, co-host and creator of the Anatomy of a Murder podcast and executive producer/creator of Discovery ID’s On the Case with Paula Zahn. He talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about how to do them right. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Fox’s LiveNOW And The Art Of DJing News

Andrew Craft, senior digital journalist with Fox’s LiveNOW streaming channel, shows TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp how to multitask as producer, director and anchor while on the air for hours at a time.

Talking TV: Tegna’s Verify Finds Hyper-Engagement On TikTok

Tegna’s Verify investigative team has won a following of 100,000 and growing on TikTok, where a younger demographic has been drawn to its simple reportorial mission and authentic voice. TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Verify’s Ariane Datil and Casey Decker about the dos and don’ts of making TikTok work for news. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Amy Freeze On Fox Weather’s Busy First Year

Fox Weather celebrates its first anniversary this week, and TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with meteorologist Amy Freeze about a year that saw $15 billion in storm damage across the U.S., lessons she and her colleagues have learned in covering major weather events and how climate has become an important part of the reporting narrative. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

BEST OF TALKING TV

Are AI Anchors Coming Soon?

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from Aug. 26, TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Joe Murphy of Deep Brain AI, a technology company that’s creating digital copies of TV news anchors for outlets in China and South Korea, about how the tech works, the ethical issues around it and the likelihood that we’ll be seeing digital anchors on U.S. screens. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

THE BEST OF TALKING TV

Exposing Local TV’s Darker Side In ‘Broken News’

In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from Aug. 19, 2022, TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Erin Kennedy and Megan Glaros, who followed their layoffs as an anchor and meteorologist, respectively, at Chicago’s WBBM with the video podcast Broken News. Their show pulls back the curtain on local TV to reveal the sexism, punishing schedules and career unsustainability they encountered and its aftershocks in their lives. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Tamron Hall On TV’s Next Leaders

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp speaks with talk show host Tamron Hall about how her show is hitting a post-pandemic groove and her work with the NAB Leadership Foundation as its newly named industry ambassador. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: WTTG Keeps Upping The Ante With Local News, Programming

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Paul McGonagle, VP and news director of Fox-owned WTTG Washington, about two new shows that will bring the station up to over 80 hours of original weekly programming, how they manage that volume and hacks for hiring quality people in a tough market. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: TV5Monde Courts U.S. Audiences With Francophone Programming

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Patrice Courtaban, EVP of global growth and development for TV5Monde and CEO of TV5Monde U.S. about the multinational broadcaster’s growth plans in the francophone and Francophile U.S. market and beyond, and how streaming is helping broaden its reach. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: What Viewers Want From TV Anchors

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with talent coach and consultant Barry Nash about recent research to pinpoint what viewers are looking for in TV anchors and how the best coaching is collaborative in nature. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: How ‘Entertainment Tonight’ Went From TV Show To Brand

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Entertainment Tonight Executive Producer Erin Johnson on the eve of the show’s 42nd season about its longevity and how a rethink of its social and digital presence transformed ET into something much more than just a TV show. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Are AI Anchors Coming Soon?

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Joe Murphy of Deep Brain AI, a technology company that’s creating digital copies of TV news anchors for outlets in China and South Korea, about how the tech works, the ethical issues around it and the likelihood that we’ll be seeing digital anchors on U.S. screens. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Exposing Local TV’s Darker Side In ‘Broken News’

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Erin Kennedy and Megan Glaros, who followed their layoffs as an anchor and meteorologist, respectively, at Chicago’s WBBM with the video podcast Broken News. Their show pulls back the curtain on local TV to reveal the sexism, punishing schedules and career unsustainability they encountered and its aftershocks in their lives.

Talking TV: Creative Approaches To Crime Coverage And The Great Resignation At St. Louis’ KDSK

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Carol Fowler, director of content at Tegna-owned NBC affiliate KDSK and Art Holliday, its news director, about the station’s 75-year milestone, how it’s evolving its reporting approach to crime coverage amid a dramatic surge and how the station is creatively navigating the staffing crisis facing the entire industry. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: News 12’s Self-Inflicted Wounds

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp and Michael Stahl discuss Stahl’s bombshell reporting on News 12’s New York area hyperlocal news channels, where multiple sources allege systemic abuse and a damaged, diluted news product. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Ginger Zee On Preparing Viewers For Disaster

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC and co-host of Hearst Media Production Group’s Hearts of Heroes, along with fellow host Sheldon Yellen, about broadcast’s role in disaster preparedness and the frontline workers whose stories they tell in the show. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Ernie Anastos On News Anchoring And Fostering Positivity

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with veteran New York broadcaster Ernie Anastos, who is returning to television this fall with Positively America with Ernie Anastos, a new syndicated offering through which he plans to share accumulated wisdom and compelling conversations. A transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: TheGrio Casts A Wide Net For Black Audiences

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Geraldine Moriba, SVP of news and entertainment for TheGrio, about the company’s launch of a new podcast network and its ambitions for more news, context and analysis as it aims to build a big tent for Black audiences across multiple platforms. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Documentary Advice From PBS’s ‘POV’

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Erika Dilday, executive producer of PBS’s POV documentary series as the show enters its 35th season, looking at what makes potent documentaries work and how local TV stations can make successful forays into the space by drawing on their strong community ties. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Parting Industry Thoughts From BIA’s Mark Fratrik

Dr. Mark Fratrik, BIA Advisory Services’ longtime SVP and chief economist, is retiring at the end of June. He talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about retrans’ slowdown, OTT’s rise and the need for broadcasters to keep their eyes on competitors coming from all directions. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: How Journalism Students See TV News

Two J-school seniors on the cusp of graduation and entry into the local TV news job market share their thoughts on the industry, its future and their place in it in a conversation with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp and the Broadcast Education Association’s Executive Director Heather Birks. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: NYABJ Celebrates Juneteenth

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Bonita Sostre, a coordinating producer with CBS News and president of the New York Association of Black Journalists, about its upcoming Juneteenth gala, how local news can share stories of the U.S.’s newest federal holiday and work NYABJ is doing to bring budding young journalists into the profession. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: The Weather En Español

TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp talks with Sussy Ruiz, editor in chief of the newly-launched The Weather Channel en Español, about the streaming- and digital-only channel’s value proposition to Spanish-speaking viewers, its ambitions to widen its coverage radar further south of the border and how understanding the cultures of its target audience will be crucial to its success. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV: Which Brands Are Flocking To AVOD Ads?

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with Todd Krizelman, CEO and co-founder of MediaRadar, about AVOD’s $369 million quarter, which brands and categories are dominating the space so far and the likely trajectory for AVOD spending this year. A full transcript of the conversation is included.

Talking TV Transcript: Mo Rocca’s Innovation Nation Milestone

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with Mo Rocca, host of Innovation Nation, which has just celebrated its 200th episode, on the show’s enduring, omni-generational appeal, the state of E/I programming and the competition the space is getting from YouTubers.

Talking TV: Mo Rocca’s ‘Innovation Nation’ Milestone

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with Mo Rocca, host of Innovation Nation, which has just celebrated its 200th episode, on the syndicated show’s enduring, omni-generational appeal; the state of E/I programming; and the competition the space is getting from YouTubers. Click here for a full episode transcript.

Talking TV: NBCU Gets More Immersive In New Ad Types

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with NBCUniversal’s Josh Feldman, CMO, and Collette Winn, VP of commercial innovation, about new ad types from the company that envelop consumers more than ever before and venture deep into the metaverse with iterations for both national and local advertisers.

Talking TV: How GMs Are Tackling Programming Needs

TVNewsCheck‘s Michael Depp talks with Kym Grinnage, regional VP for Gray Television and GM of its WWBT Richmond, Va., about spot TV’s resurgence, OTT growth and how he’s reconciling widening programming needs with a newsroom still exhausted and recovering from the pandemic.