There is no tried and true formula for coming up with story ideas or what types of stories should be included in a newscast, but there are several considerations that should be part of the decision-making process. Asking ‘what are people talking about’ or ‘what should people be talking about’ is a good starting place for identifying relevant content (Rickel & Sardella, 1995). MMJs should also be observant and curious about what is happening in their communities. During a drive in to work, for example, an MMJ may see a parcel of land being cleared. After calling the planning and zoning board, the MMJ learns that a new hotel will be built. That could be developed into a story about the need for more hotel rooms in the city, complete with an explanation from the tourism committee about why the need is growing and how they plan to address it. Other sources to consider for story idea inspiration include, AP wires, news releases, meeting agendas, news conferences, follow-up ideas from previous reports, environmental scanning of traditional media and incoming calls, emails, or social media messages (Papper, 2015).
The web/social media strategy I developed as news director was designed to set realistic expectations for MMJs, to engage news consumers through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, drive them to the station’s website to read stories and watch video, and to give them a reason to watch the broadcast product. It was written after reviewing social media and web analytical data that illustrated when and how our news consumers were most available. MMJs are expected to post preliminary versions of their stories onto station websites before they leave the station. This should be a two to three sentence summary of what they’re covering and pushing to the next newscast (Example: “The Planning and Zoning Commission is discussing the South Railroad Spur. We plan to talk with county leaders and residents about the proposed ethanol pipeline. We’ll have a full story tonight at 6:00.”)
MMJs should update their web article when they return to the station. This could be a two to three sentence update of what they learned while covering the story (Example: “The Planning and Zoning Commission has postponed the decision of South Railroad Spur. Find out why, and what residents have to say about the proposed ethanol pipeline. We’ll have a full story tonight at 6.”) MMJs should update their web article with the complete story, including some added information that did not make it on air due to time limitations. Web articles must be done for every story. If a reporter is covering three different stories, he/she should post three different web articles (and update all of them throughout the day).
It is important to remember that there is an audience for social media at all times, and that engaging content adds value to the platform for the news consumer. Similar to web postings, MMJs should post to social media before they leave the station. This should be a text posting of about two sentences and that promote the next newscast (example: Ten singers and songwriters from the city are being featured on an upcoming CD. We’ll have the story tonight on the news at 6. LINK). MMJs should make a video tease for social media while they are out on their story. This should be about 15 seconds (Example: “I’m John Smith, and I’m out at Classic Theater in downtown where ten local singers and songwriters are getting an opportunity to showcase their music. It’s part of a collaboration between local chamber members and a well-known producer. Find out more tonight on the news at 6:00. LINK”). Finally, MMJs should post a picture, a sentence about their story or the headline, and a link to their web story. That amounts to a minimum of three social media posts a day per story.
Time management is the key to being able to effectively multi-task all of the responsibilities that MMJs must complete (Tompkins, 2011).
