Fear Mongering: How Local TV News Could Improve and Why
Whether it's a small town in the Pacific Northwest or a city in the South, local TV news in the United States seems to be largely focused on generating fear. When I think of local news, I imagine reporters making "cliff-hanger" statements such as, "What you're eating, and how it can kill you - after these commercials." By definition, fear mongering is the use of fear to influence the actions of others toward an end goal. In these situations, the feared object - whether it be an escaped convict or a potentially dangerous food additive - tends to be somewhat embellished or exaggerated. Even if the news itself is truly frightening by nature, the repetition that is often used by local newscasters (before, mid-way, and after commercial breaks) often creates an unnecessary sense of panic.
While fear mongering tactics are often successful in attracting and maintaining followers, these tactics have an extremely negative affect on the morale of the local community. From a marketing standpoint, there are plenty of other tactics that local news networks can use to create a sense of value for their consumers. To start, local TV news stations can work on switching up the topics that they use as "hooks" to keep viewers listening. From a 5 T's perspective, rather than relying exclusively on fear, local networks can amp up the "talkers" by introducing other interesting "topics" that create equal buzz. Buzz generating subjects can be positive stories or clear explanations of why you would benefit from being knowledgable about what is happening in the community.
Local news stations are incredibly influential over the local community. As such, they have a unique opportunity to positively influence their consumers. I would like to see more local news stations get into a more "cause marketing" mindset. The cause (in this case, community betterment and community solidarity), does not need to be blatantly advertised. Instead, it can be subtly woven into the delivery of news content. Rather than baiting the public with divisive fear mongering tactics, they can take a more empowering approach by explaining the facts rather than extorting them.
Whether it's a small town in the Pacific Northwest or a city in the South, local TV news in the United States seems to be largely focused on generating fear. When I think of local news, I imagine reporters making "cliff-hanger" statements such as, "What you're eating, and how it can kill you - after these commercials." By definition, fear mongering is the use of fear to influence the actions of others toward an end goal. In these situations, the feared object - whether it be an escaped convict or a potentially dangerous food additive - tends to be somewhat embellished or exaggerated. Even if the news itself is truly frightening by nature, the repetition that is often used by local newscasters (before, mid-way, and after commercial breaks) often creates an unnecessary sense of panic.
While fear mongering tactics are often successful in attracting and maintaining followers, these tactics have an extremely negative affect on the morale of the local community. From a marketing standpoint, there are plenty of other tactics that local news networks can use to create a sense of value for their consumers. To start, local TV news stations can work on switching up the topics that they use as "hooks" to keep viewers listening. From a 5 T's perspective, rather than relying exclusively on fear, local networks can amp up the "talkers" by introducing other interesting "topics" that create equal buzz. Buzz generating subjects can be positive stories or clear explanations of why you would benefit from being knowledgable about what is happening in the community.
Local news stations are incredibly influential over the local community. As such, they have a unique opportunity to positively influence their consumers. I would like to see more local news stations get into a more "cause marketing" mindset. The cause (in this case, community betterment and community solidarity), does not need to be blatantly advertised. Instead, it can be subtly woven into the delivery of news content. Rather than baiting the public with divisive fear mongering tactics, they can take a more empowering approach by explaining the facts rather than extorting them.
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