3 Likes about ESPN Chicago

I turned on ESPN Radio 1000 here in Chicago Monday morning, excited to hear what the midday hosts, Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman had to say about the Cubs opener at Wrigley.

And while we got plenty of baseball chat, we also got a taste of the ESPN promotion machine.

ESPNChicago.com was live for its first day, and let me tell you, our fair city has never been exposed to anything as innovative. A breathless Silverman could barely contain his excitement--any why wouldn't you be? You can link directly to Adam Abdalla's blog!--while partner Waddle (or T-Wizzle as some callers like to refer to him as) was his typical indifferent self, passing the time until the show started its latest Jay Cutler conversation thread.

All of the things you love most about the world-wide leader, Sliverman shouted (the writing, the reporting, Scoop Jackson!), only now it's been compartmentalized into bite-sized, regionalized chunks.

And while it remains to be seen whether the new site will enlighten us consumers of the Chicago sports scene, one thing we do know--it's here to stay.

After a few days of surfing the site, here are 3 things we like about the site:

LIKES

1. It's local! I admit I'm a provincial snob. Although I like my San Diego Padres (being the son of a Navy seaman will do that to you) and my Washington Redskins (John Riggins my all-time favorite NFL player), I care mostly about Chicago sports. With the ESPN machine funding a site devoted to local teams, it's a slam-dunk win for the consumer

2. Deeper, contextual content. Here's a for instance--on the site today, you have a piece by Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson on the Bears 2009 schedule. A game-by-game breakdown of each opponent. About 1,000 words. That probably would have been published on the radio site before, but now with ESPN's synergistic promotion behind it, you can actually find it. This is what online journalism should be about--convergence. There are no space restraints in the internet.

3. Chicago SportsCenter. Now, if you don't want Stan Verrett bloviating into your computer screen like an uninvited relative over Easter, then turn the auto play off. Otherwise, you get about 4 minutes of local highlights, rolling as soon as you log in. If you're like me, I don't want to have to watch a full SportsCenter to get to what I want to watch. Now it's on demand--how I want it, when I want it.

A quick bonus--I am a big fan of the StubHub partnership. OK, this is a bit shamelessly selfish on my part, but as a Cubs season ticket holder, I appreciate the StubHub ad banners all over the site. You need 3 for the Cubs-Marlins on May 2nd? Plenty of options just one mouse click away.

Coming Later: 3 things we don't like about ESPN Chicago

Newton's Law

Covering a war is pretty heavy stuff. Not only must you dodge the noise--bullets, bombs and bust ups--you must also get the story.

This past weekend in Indianapolis, I sat in on a presentation by Jeff Newton (he's on the right), a producer with 60 minutes. Newton's primary job at CBS is covering wars--as a cameraman, reporter and producer. Since 1992, he has done stories in 66 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Newton works primarily with correspondent Lara Logan, although he has also worked on pieces with Scott Pelley, Bob Simon and Dan Rather.

He gave the nuts and bolts about equipment--always have plenty of batteries--but he also shared intriguing insights on how journalists or anyone in any industry should think about their craft. Whether you are a beat reporter covering city hall in Gary, Indiana, covering politics in Columbus or running a software company in Toronto, they are principles that are impactful, no matter what your business.

I wanted to share 3 of Newton's Laws:

1. Don't let resources keep you from the story. Jeff shared an anecdote where he was called away on Christmas for a breaking news event in the Middle East. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and an AMEX card. He hopped on a plane anyway. You can always get what you need on the way.

2. Less is more. Too many characters can make for a noisy story. Overloading a piece with too many interviews will drive away your audience. Learn the art of cutting.

3. It's always the story that matters. Don't get bogged down what you don't have. It doesn't matter. Great storytelling is often hatched from the jaws of limited resources. Find great people. They are your muse.

Anyone want to add to this?

Do you have a 'Newton's Law' of your own?

Social Media Scientist

I've always been a big believer in "educational equity". To me, this is defined by the accumulation of knowledge from continued exposure to new ideas. This weekend, I attended the Society of Professional Journalists' seminar in Indianapolis. After sitting in on 4 sessions Saturday, I've got enough equity to buy a 4 bedroom condo in Manhattan.

I'll have posts related to the seminar all week, but up first is one on Dr. Victor Hernandez.

Full disclosure- Hernandez is not a doctor, nor does he have his P.H.D. No, he is an executive with CNN in charge of domestic newsgathering. A heavy hitter. Hernandez gave an hour or so presentation titled "Journalism 3.0" where he shared his viewpoints on social media and it's impact on the media industry. His message- if you are not engaged via social networking in some capacity, you will cease to become relevant. He talked extensively about Twitter, which is growing faster than any social networking site. Here are some quick tips shared by Hernandez--or tweets for those of you hip to the twit-lingo--on using Twitter:

1. For acquiring new and useful information. This was Hernandez's favorite reason for using Twitter.

2. For crowd sourcing. Hernandez heads up logistics for CNN's hurricane road shows and uses Twitter to not only organize these massive live events, but for connecting with their audience.

3. As a tool to further promote great work or endeavors. If you read something online, or happen to come across a terrific piece of video, Twitter is a useful platform to virally spread this information.

Hernandez made a point of emphasizing to separate the technology from the content. Sure, use social media devices such as Twitter to vet a story. But we still need skilled journalists to write and report.

A converged journalist is a well-fed journalist

The concept of working in a multi-platform newsroom has been around since web creation. The economics of this reality is finally trickling down in newsrooms and academia. It is no longer enough to just be a good writer, or an editor or photographer. To insure a lengthy life expectancy in journalism today, you must be able to do all three. Compartmentalization is out, convergence is in. Darwinism is the philosophy that reigns supreme; adapt or die.

Terrific article on Poynter's website about what's going on at Ball State. Students are learning how not just about new media platforms, but how to apply different skill sets along these platforms. One student took a NASCAR internship--against her professor's recommendation--and helped design a graphic that was used on a race car. This translated to revenue for the driving team.

You think she has a leg up on the competition come job interview time?

Just another example of how we must think differently about our jobs in media today. By attaching a sales and marketing component to how you evaluate opportunities and their outcomes, not you will stand out from your competition, you will be thinking like an innovator.

And you will be employed.

Journalism=innovation=application=employment

Innovative Journalists Series: Amy Sancetta

If you've picked up a newspaper or magazine in the past 25 years and read a story about a big sports or news event--Super Bowl, Olympics, 9/11--the copy was most likely accompanied by a photograph by Amy Sancetta.

For the past 25 years, Sancetta has been a staff photographer for the Associated Press. Her photographs--including the one above--have not only brought illumination to major events, but added the context only pictures can. She is a true photo-journalist, one of a kind.

We interviewed Sancetta as part of our 'Innovative Journalists' series, and here is an excerpt-

How did your career evolve on the track it is on today?
Hard work, good work, being a good teammate in every situation, and impressing the photographers that I encountered along the way. I’ve had three professional jobs in my like post-college. The first summer I interned as a photographer for the Mansfield News Journal. My second was as a staff photographer for the Columbus Dispatch for 2 years. And the last as a staff photographer for the Associated Press, a job I’ve held for the last 25 years. In each instance, someone or a number of someones, recommended me for the job. Both Mansfield and Columbus knew me and my work from the stringing I did at the AP while in college. When the photo editor at the AP in Philadelphia had an opening, he took resumes, but also polled his colleagues for their recommendations. A number of AP staffers recommended me, including some I had met while working for the Dispatch covering away Ohio State football games. The photo editor called me, I applied, and I got the job. Pretty neat. I felt like my good pictures, good teamwork, and willingness to do whatever was asked of me for the job led to my getting all three of those job.

How do you feel about the industry today? When did you notice a shift in consumer habits?
It’s a scary time in our industry today. The tough economy is wreaking havoc in the newspaper world. At the same time, there is a voracious appetite for content. I think this is one of those pivotal times in our industry, when we will see a major shift in how information is passed along to the consumer. More content is being asked for, it’s just the container that’s changing.

What innovations are necessary in order to keep journalism viable? Do you have a big idea?
I think the traditional high standards of journalism will be what in the end saves the business. There are so many ways to get news these days, but very few of them are credible. I think when all the flash and glitter, the cell phone videos and blogs are washed out, that the last man standing with be the voice of record. The voice that is reliable and credible and trustworthy. So rather than looking around for some flashy way to maintain readership or viewership, I think looking back at ways to maintain high standards will separate the winners from the losers in this fight.

What ideas are being applied today that excites you about the industry moving forward?
I love photographer driven video—what I like to call little mini movies, for the web. I’ve had the chance to delve into this brand of story telling, and it’s exciting. The ability to shoot video with a photographer’s eye, and then collect audio, either live from the scene or in the voice of the players in the story being told, and then weaving that all together. It’s the best of the traditional picture story, but coming to life with sound. I love it. I think they are highly watchable, and satisfy one of the things I think I can bring to the table—sharing what I see and hear with others who can’t be right there too.

How to Start Your Own ESPN

If you watch ESPN as much as I do--what is exactly on the other 300 channels anyway?--you understand the power of branding. ESPN is a content factory, a media behemoth that not only delivers news, it frames the daily dialogue about the news. It got me thinking- how can someone without the ESPN brand behind them have the same reach and market penetration? Just because you don't have millions of cable subscribers or PTI, doesn't mean you can't have an impact. Here are 3 quick steps journalists can take to develop their own ESPN brand:

1. Understand and Use Technology More journalism schools are finally catching about the importance of inserting technology into curriculum's. I am in grad school now just for this reason. The tech skills I learned at Michigan State in the early to mid-90's--how to shoot on a 3/4" camera--would be like giving your child an abacus to teach them how to count. Take an editing or web design class, subscribe to blogs like Tech Crunch. Read BreakingTweets. Don't be afraid of technology, embrace it.

2. Harness the power of Social Media OK, so you are on Facebook and maybe you are Twittering by now. But how are you using them both? There is a difference between being on both and actually getting value. Reach out to other journalists you like and offer to Tweet one of their articles. Join a Facebook page such as the In Denver Times and show support for their new business model. Giving before you receive is a lockstep creed in social media. Provide value first, then you will get it back. Many times over.

3. ABM- Always Be Marketing One of the things that makes ESPN so powerful is they have acquired "top of the mind awareness". When A-Rod admits to juicing, when T.O. pops off, where is our cable landing strip? ESPN, without blinking. This didn't happen overnight. They've been around for 30 years. Thanks to technology, you don't have to wait that long. When you publish content, be sure people know about it. Check out sites like RyanStephensMarketing.com and this one on how to virally market your content.

In today's media, your shelf life is no longer dependent on just your ability to be a good journalist. You must also think like an entrepreneur.

Mentorship=Success

In 1996, I was a first-time television reporter working in Augusta, Georgia. I had the basic skills I needed to acquire the job--I could write to video relatively well and thanks to really good face powder, in the looks department, I was passable on camera. What I didn't have was self-confidence, a product of being a rookie reporter. What I needed was experience. And I got it, thanks to a man named Byron Grandy.

Byron saw something in me no one else did. He threw me into situations where he knew I would be uncomfortable, just so I would gain the experience. Leaning how to fail is essential before you can appreciate success. Byron taught me how to fail forward, not backwards. They were lessons that can only come from a mentor.

As part of our weekly innovator series, we interviewed Grandy, currently General Manager of KMGH-TV, the ABC affiliate in Denver, CO. Here is a portion of the interview, the rest we will post later in the week.

What was your first job?

My first paying job was at KBTX-TV in Bryan, TX. I made just over 3 dollars an hour but loved every minute of it. I hounded the ND at the station for weeks, calling with story ideas and to let him know I was available to cover things for them in the neighboring town I was living. I think the ND just got tired of hearing from me and hired me. I appreciate what he did.

Who was a mentor for you in the business? What did they teach you?

All of my bosses have been mentors. I have learned much from all of these leaders. They have taught me the lesson of “to have real power is the ability to empower others.” You must understand you’re not going to do it alone so you must be involved with others. They have taught me the value of compassion in leadership. To make sure you are there for them in the tough times not just the good. I have learned the value of listening and collaboration.

How did your career evolve on the track it is on today?

Who knows. I was a TV weatherman in 1983 and now they let me run a TV station. I’m not sure there is a track. You just work hard each day, learn what you can and look for the job that you enjoy and are challenged in. I’ve always told people you can do whatever you want in this business. You just have to get going and keep your eyes open. After years as a reporter I wanted to have impact on more than just the story I was doing so I got in to managing newsrooms. After years of that, I liked the challenge of running a business so I set my sights on the GM job.


Byron is not only a mentor to many, he has a few innovative ideas on journalism moving forward, and we will share those with you in our next post.