How About Some New News?

Dear Mr. Local TV News Producer and Ms. Local Newspaper Editor,

How about some new news? I'm tired of the same old stories over and over again. Do these examples sound familiar?

Every time Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft releases a new video game system, you're there to report on how early the first person started camping out at the local Circuit City or Best Buy or how many (crazy) people are in line waiting to get their hands on the latest game system. What's even better is when you interview the folks standing in line. Here's what the interview always sounds like...

Reporter (asking the first person in line): So, how long have you been waiting in line for [video game system]?

First Person in Line: I've been here for a week now.

Reporter (chuckling in amazement) : Wow, that's a long time. Is [video game system] really worth it?

First Person in Line: Yeah, it's cool. I want to be the first person on my block to get [video game system]. (What he doesn't say is that he's going to turn around and auction it off on eBay as soon as he gets it...)

Now, the great thing about this formula is that you can reuse it for more than just video games. Instead of the Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii, it might be the next Star Wars movie or Tickle Me Elmo doll. There will always be (insane) people who wait for days/weeks to be the first on their block to buy something; but is it really news?

Mother Nature is always good for a few stories, especially during the winter months. If I read another newspaper story or watch another segment about how people go nuts before the next big winter snowstorm, I may pull my hair out! Here are the places your reporters always go:

• Lowe's or Home Depot
• Grocery store
• Sand/salt storage facility

Is there ever anything newsworthy that happens at these places? No! At the hardware store, you always show hoardes of people buying chemicals to melt ice or snow shovels and/or the empty shelves where the ice-melting chemicals or snow shovels would be. At the grocery store, you always interview people standing in line with enough milk, bread, candy and toilet paper to last for the next month. At the sand/salt storage facility, you always interview the truck drivers who are getting their trucks loaded or sitting by the side of the road. Is it really news? Just tell me how much ice/snow/sleet we're going to get and where the traffic problems are.

Black Friday is another great one. For those who have been living under a rock for the past fifty years, Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, and, for most retailers, the busiest shopping day of the year. The reason it's called Black Friday is because that's when the holiday shopping season starts and retailers finally turn a profit and "get in the black." In some ways, the same formula for the latest video game/toy/movie works for Black Friday. You always show the lines of people waiting to get into Target, Walmart or the local mall at 5AM in the morning to buy stuff. It's not news...

With so many outlets for news and information now, it can be hard to be heard and/or seen; however, that's even more reason to avoid these overused and cliched news stories, go out into our local communities and find the unique newsmakers and stories to lead your 6-o'clock broadcast or place on the front page of your newspaper.

Sincerely,
Stream of Rants