New York, NY – November 16: (LR) Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan and President-elect Donald Trump … (+)
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The news industry, like many Americans, is still trying to make sense of what happened in this year’s election and what it means going forward. But while the “civilians” of reporting will primarily return to more balanced media consumption, those in the news industry will revamp their approaches to reflect an unknown but vastly different environment. We must focus on this immediately.
This week I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion with three key figures who will help determine the future of the news industry. John Klein, a longtime network news executive, most notably as president of CNN; and Abby Livingston, an experienced parliamentary correspondent now with the Pack. As Klein pointed out, this election exposed “revolution, not evolution” not just in politics, but also in technology, the news and media business, and broader culture. I have summarized some of my own takeaways from a series of great insights.
take nothing for granted
Whether we consume more or less news, we all exist in our own bubbles in some way, shaped by the environments we choose. With so much data at hand, the public now knows that the U.S. economy is fundamentally strong, inflation is far below where it was two years ago, and that government investments in the green economy will pay off big. Surely? As Pack’s Livingston pointed out, the impact of inflation locally in her hometown of Fort Worth is much different than it is for many in perennially expensive places like Manhattan or West Los Angeles. It felt like something. It turns out that human feelings (and emotions) can still have a greater influence on voter preferences than the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Looking back, many will say they saw everything coming here, but I take such claims with complete discount. Presidential debates are always a game changer, right? Joe Biden is a big yes, Kamala Harris is a clear no, and Donald Trump is a “nobody knows” (from missing all primary debates to a wildly uneven performance against Biden and Harris). And of course, you shouldn’t believe any of it because the polls are a mess. But once you get past the “harsh opinions,” months of polling have shown hypothetical voting results for most of the major presidential and congressional races, much closer to what actually happened. And after the first Trump administration, the people will never aim for the next administration, right? Oops. Consistent with NBC News’ Blumenstein’s advice, the best way to separate the wheat from the chaff, or perception and reality, is to invest more in better reporting from producers and consumers. Detective Friday is always looking for “just the facts,” and sometimes all you have to do is listen.
After all, in politics and advertising, demographics are not destiny
I’m not a political scientist, but I was one in college, and I’m hopeful that this presidential election will easily track the demographic and geographic patterns of recent decades. It certainly made a difference for the people who lived there. Mr. Trump showed surprising strength with black, Latino, and young voters. Even in deep red places with very diverse populations, like the Bronx and Queens in New York City, it turns out there are hundreds of thousands of past Democratic votes that never showed up. All this despite historical female candidates who are both Black and South Asian, as well as a history lesson. I’m not going to jump to the idea that we are a “post-racial society.” But those running or covering campaigns cannot be satisfied with expectations based on demographics.
The need for a nuanced approach to the news business and demographics is precisely the challenge for media business models that increasingly rely on advertising. Multichannel video subscription numbers continue to decline, and Comcast is in the process of separating NBC News from CNBC and MSNBC to reduce its dependence on its cable business. News-based subscription streaming services are unproven at best. Content creators and advertisers supporting that ecosystem will need to use vast new data sources to better understand their target audiences and how to enhance their engagement. Yes, you can’t avoid the AI guys. What kind of content resonates with which consumers, on which platforms, and where?
John Klein said that one of the benefits of AI is its ability to make connections between things that are not at all obvious on the surface. The deeper we dig inside groups and understand in more detail how they respond to news and advertising, the more we can bring individuals within very (ostensibly) different groups closer together. It becomes more sexual. It seems like a cliché, but not all women between the ages of 25 and 54 think the same way or consume the same news sources.
You have to meet your audience where they are.
The nominees range from Richard Nixon in Laugh-In (“Sock it to me?”) to Bill Clinton playing saxophone on Arsenio Hall’s show to Zach Galifianakis in Between Two Ferns. He has appeared on non-traditional platforms over the years, including with his co-star President Obama. But this felt like a Joe Rogan election. President Trump’s interview with the “brother”-based podcaster has racked up 46 million views on YouTube (Harris, by the way, declined Rogan’s invitation). News consumers are flocking to digital newsletters like Puck and Substack, as well as thousands of other podcasts. Mr. Blumenstein will oversee NBC’s commitment to news production, going far beyond the familiar pillars of NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and the Today Show to the soon-to-be-separated CNBC and MSNBC, as well as NBC Livestream. The evolution of the “flywheel” approach was explained. Deliver News Now to platforms like the NBC News app, Snap, TikTok and more. Even in the direct-to-consumer world, distributing your content and reaching the audience you want requires many platforms beyond your control.
Trust and authenticity are essential and viewers choose where they get it
When I was a kid, there was a famous commercial in which the genius actor John Houseman said that a stockbroker (ironically, the now-defunct E.F. Hutton) was making money the old-fashioned way, saying, “They made money.” there was. Gaining audience trust and linking the authenticity of the content with the people delivering it must be earned as well, and can’t be taken for granted and often happens in unexpected ways. .
Kamala Harris was seen by many as infinitely more trustworthy than Donald Trump in the news and elsewhere, but whether it was fair or not, it was not accepted as genuine by many voters. . In fact, Trump spent years building a following on Twitter, not just as a TV personality, but at a time when many of us were barely paying attention. NBC’s Steve Kornacki has built a unique following as NBC’s de facto election numbers guru, while cementing his “data nerd” credentials through his khaki-wearing brand. One TikTok video during election coverage garnered more than 20 million views. Pack is a relatively new player on the news scene, but has quickly become a trail of uniquely talented reporters and writers who provide solid reporting. And influencers develop a unique connection and trust with their audiences, regardless of whether they fit mainstream profiles or requisite standards of objectivity (see FOX News on this).
Future candidates and newsmakers are also passionate about the need to understand the characteristics of true trust and how to earn it. Are you saying you want a revolution? Not one, but many.
