Knowing your audience, understanding the issues they face, and being aware of what they think about society – and your media organisation in particular – are important factors for fine-tuning what you offer in order to better inform the public debate.

In the module about “Identifying the target audience and its information needs”, we looked at why it’s necessary to be thorough in researching who we aim to serve with our content.

In the module entitled “Establishing a market differential (with original, in-depth journalism), we touched on the need to set up focus groups to help us learn how to improve what we produce and find out what worked and what didn’t work.

Both steps require talking to the audience asking their opinions on our output, finding out about the issues that we might have neglected, and then analysing the results and feeding all the information back into our overall strategy.

The purpose of audience research is five-fold.

1. It helps us produce better content that is more focused on audience need.
2. It helps us continually improve what we do so that we remain relevant.
3. It generates new ideas for producing audience-related programmes and material.
4. It offers our sales and marketing team the information they need to try to monetise the content we produce.
5. It highlights new business development opportunities which can help ensure we are more accessible to more people.

Surveys need to be factored into our overall strategy and plotted on a calendar so that we can make regular comparisons about our performance and how the audience is changing.

Some media organisations have the luxury of being able to afford research teams whose job it is to plan campaigns to monitor the audience response, but for many the research has to be provided using existing resources.

For example, the news department might be set the objective to break seven original news stories a week.

To achieve that objective, each reporter might be set the objective to break at least one original news story a month. Please see our training module on “Managing people and setting objectives”.

To help both the journalists and the news department achieve their objectives, the editor might decide to carry out audience surveys to try to find out more about the issues that most concern viewers, and explore ways of investigating those stories.

It might be that a monthly survey, carried out during the busy rush-hour by reporters with clipboards, will produce a list of stories that have not been covered before, or which have been inadequately covered in the past.

You might want to invite members of a focus group in for coffee and cake, show them items you have published in order to remind them what was broadcast, and then ask them what was missed, what worked, and what could have been done better.

You could also set up an online survey using one of the many free online tools.

It doesn’t really matter how you do it, what matters is that you continually assess your performance and measure it against audience appreciation.

Asking the right questions

Research is not about asking closed-ended questions, it’s about asking the right open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions can be answered with ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Sometimes such answers are useful. However open-ended questions, which require the interviewee to expand their answers are better for our purposes.

For example, you might ask a closed-ended question such as “Did you like the in-depth news item about the flooding?” The answer will probably be yes or no. However, if you ask “What did you like and what did you dislike about the in-depth news item about flooding?”, the answer is probably going to be more helpful.

You might ask the closed-ended question “does our news output meet your needs?” to which the answer will probably be yes or no. Or you could ask the open-ended question “what issues could we cover better and why?”, to which the answer will probably be a list of issues that you can follow up on behalf of the audience.

These issues can be used in your content planning strategy, please see our training modules on establishing a market differential and forward planning.

The information gained from asking the right open-ended questions is essential for developing your media strategy and ensuring you are on the right track. It will also help you grow your audience.

Ideally, you want your news output to be their preferred source of information, and you want to create a dependancy and loyalty that makes the audience members you talk to ambassadors of your brand.

Getting the scheduling right

You might want to ask the audience about scheduling.

Perhaps farmers and agricultural workers are an important segment of your target audience. You might have some great programmes that have been well-researched, are based on earlier feedback, and address the needs of those working on the land.

However, if that programme is broadcast at a time when the farm workers are in the fields, or late at night when they have already gone to bed, it’s been a waste of effort.

the right content is fine, but if it is not delivered at the right time it’s not being strategically delivered.

Getting the platform right

You might have some great TV programmes aimed at teenagers and young adults. You might have decided that such programmes are best broadcast late in the evening when, you think, they will be watching.

But an audience survey or a focus group might reveal that the audience you have identified no longer watches scheduled TV. They might be out socialising and using catch-up services for the media consumption.

It could be that they want news and information on-demand and on the move. You might conclude that you need a YouTube channel to be able to deliver your content to smartphones so that this important segment of your target audience is able to access the information they need, when they need it and on the devices they are currently using.

All this information is invaluable as you develop your strategy for the evolution of your media business.

It’s also valuable for being able to focus resources better, identify internal training needs, and spotting new business development opportunities.

Usability and accessibility

Most broadcasters have websites.

Some are sophisticated offerings which add real value to the material broadcast on TV and on radio. Others are fairly basic sites with video and some text often mirroring what was broadcast on air. Whatever format you have, you must test it with audience focus groups.

One way of doing this is to invite representative from your target audience groups in to the TV station to test the website. Ask their permission to film them.

Try to find someone who is new to the web, someone who is comfortable using websites, and someone who is an expert in the field.

Sit them down in front of your website and ask them to click around, talking out load as they do. Film them and then watch the film.

You will learn a great deal from this, and the information will help you improve the usability of the site and the quality of the content you produce.

Maintaining standards

Another important function of focus groups is to help journalists to remain true to their pledge to deliver accurate, fair, objective and impartial journalism produced with integrity. Please see our ethics training section for more on this.

The audience might ask some searching and, at times, uncomfortable questions about why a story was covered, why we asked the questions were posed, why a particular group wasn’t approached for comments, and why how those interviewed were selected.

This is all extremely valuable material if we are to be transparent and accountable.

We can’t find that information if we sit in the newsroom looking at the world through computer screens. We have to talk to people.

And who better to talk to than representatives of our target audience groups on who we depend for our validity and our survival.

The post The value of thorough research for media organisations first appeared on Media Helping Media.

A converged newsroom operates like a content factory, responsible for all intake, production and output. It gathers and processes raw material, creates different products, and then ensures they are delivered to the target audience.

In this module we look at how it is done.

The superdesk

This module is about the workflows and roles and responsibilities that make a converged newsroom run smoothly.

Below is a graphic setting out what a typical superdesk might look like.

Both intake (everything that comes into the news operation), and output (everything that is delivered from the news operation to the audience on multiple devices) need to be close together.

Ideally, representatives of both will sit around the same desk. If space is an issue, and one desk can’t be set up, then they need to be sitting close together. They need to be able to communicate and collaborate at all times in order to respond swiftly to changes in news priorities.

People give this desk different names. Some call it the news hub, some the news cog; it doesn’t matter what it’s called, what matters is what it does. For this series of training modules we are calling this desk the superdesk.

The superdesk is the newsroom’s central command-and-control. It’s where all the main news decisions are made. It serves as a responsive, dynamic focal point for everything to do with the smooth running of the news organisation.

Who sits around the superdesk?

Those sitting around the super desk need to be breathing the same air, hearing the same news alerts, and be taking part in impromptu news meetings, called to deal with the unexpected.

Choosing who sits at the superdesk is up to you. That decision will depend on your overall strategy and who the main decision makers are in your news organisation.

It will also depend on where you need to prioritise effort, the most popular platforms/devices used by your target audience, and the resources available to you.

However, there are a number of important roles that should be represented on the superdesk.

These are roles, not necessarily individuals. For example, the intake editor role will probably need to be covered 24 hours a day for a large news organisation. In that case, the intake editor position on the superdesk should be a seat, populated by different people as working shifts change.

The exceptions might be the planning editor and the cross-promotions roles. They might be positions that need to be filled during the daytime only.

You will need an intake editor role. This is the person who is responsible for everything coming into the building.

You will need an output editor role. This is the person who provide the quality control for everything going out of the building and who liaises directly with production.

You will need someone from the interactive team. They need to ensure the website is publishing all breaking and developing news updates. They will also report to the superdesk regarding all developments on social media.

You will need someone to manage resources, and someone representing planning.

There are other roles you could add, but let’s start with the main ones.

The intake editor

The intake editor acts as the eyes and ears of your news business. They are responsible for all the material that comes into your news production process. This will include the news gathering efforts of your own team of journalists.

It will also involve responding to stories that are being fed by wires services, and monitoring the stories being covered by the competition.

The intake editor has the authority to call an instant, stand-up impromptu meeting when there is breaking news, in order to help the output team adjust to new developments.

They are, essentially, looking out of the building at all the elements that will inform and feed your news operation.

They are not responsible for output. This is an important point. That role falls to the output editor.

The output editor

The output editor looks after quality control. They are also responsible for ensuring deadlines are met. They are the defender of the news brand. Nothing gets past the output editor that could damage that brand.

They ensure the material is accurate, that it’s objective, impartial and fair. Their job is to focus on production values. They need to ensure all platforms are served.

They can’t afford to be distracted by watching the competition, keeping up to date with the wires services, and responding to input issues and logistics. That’s why those tasks are the responsibility of the intake editor.

However, the two work closely together, although doing different jobs. They are in constant communication. Between them the main news decisions for the whole news operation rest.

Planning editor

We discussed the strategic role of the planning editor in the module about forward planning. The planning editor is responsible for managing the news organisation’s unique editorial proposition of in-depth, well-planned, investigative journalism, which provides your market differential.

The planning editor will attend all the main news meetings held at the superdesk. They will offer at least one piece of original journalism a day, probably more than that.

They will listen to what is happening on the day and will ensure that all the major stories are followed up. The shared planning calendar will help.

The planning editors role will not only take the pressure off the journalists working on the daily output, but it will also guarantee that there is a continuous stream of unique content produced on all platforms.

Interactive editor

Having someone from the interactive team sitting on the superdesk means that the online and mobile coverage will be able to respond faster to breaking news developments.

It also means that the superdesk will be informed about how the audience is responding to developing news, and it will provide a different perspective on newsgathering and how news should be covered.

Similarly, having someone from the social media team, will alert the superdesk to developments on the various social media platforms used by the target audience.

This will ensure that the online and other digital versions of your output are not just an after thought, but are a central part of all you do.

And that will show through in your production values, which, in turn, might encourage the audience to engage with your content more.

This will also help with cross-promotion because your on air presenters can be briefed to drive audience traffic to the online and on mobile versions for any added value content.

Resource manager

This role is sometimes called the production manager. This is the person who is responsible for all the resources required to produce the journalism. This could be the camera crews, the vehicles, and the edit suites.

The resource manager needs to respond quickly once the intake editor has alerted the superdesk of a new story development, and the editorial team on the superdesk decides that information is so important that resources have to be shifted from a lesser story.

Cross-promotions producer

Some newsrooms have a cross-promotions producer. Their job is to ensure that all output areas are aware of what others are doing and that content is exploited for the maximum benefit of the news brand and the audience. They will work across TV, radio, print, online and mobile where appropriate.

In some cases they will design teasers, in other cases they will make sure the material is produced by others. Essentially, they will ensure there are no wasted opportunities.

Next we look at the workflow for a converged newsroom.

The converged newsroom workflow

The roles and responsibilities outlined above are just a guide. You will need to design your own version of a superdesk so that it makes business sense for your media organisation.

But do try to keep intake and output as separate roles. And do ensure that you have a planning function. Once you have reorganised, the workflow is fairly simple.

As has already been stated, the superdesk is your newsroom’s central command-and-control. All the main news decisions are made here. It is responsible for intake, planning and output.

As you will see from the graphic below, once those decision are made the instructions are sent to production – ideally via a representative attending the superdesk meetings.

The production teams then ensure that the appropriate platform-specific value is added to the story based on audience needs, device/platform capabilities, and strategic business logic.

That means that if they are working on the web or mobile versions they will add interactive timelines, infographics, photo galleries, video, and other digital assets, where appropriate.

If they are working on the TV version they will create TV packages that can cross-promote the digital assets being offered on the other platforms.

Production will no longer be carried out in isolation but as a part of a coherent and coordinated presentation on multiple devices.

The post Convergence, workflows, roles and responsibilities first appeared on Media Helping Media.

As set out in the first module in this series, “Strengthening a media business – the four essential steps”, the first step in setting up a media business is to identify the audience groups you plan to serve in order to achieve your goal.

You need to know about their information needs, their aspirations, their lifestyles, how they consume news, whether they share it or not, and why they rely on you for their news.

You can do this by hiring an expensive market research team, or you can do this yourselves by carrying out local audience surveys and talking to your audience. My preference is the latter.

In my experience this works well, and the exercise can be carried out in less than a day. Here is how.

Involve senior managers

Gather your senior team from editorial, sales & marketing and business development.

• Obtain some existing market data; it’s likely that the local audience segments have already been identified. If not, it’s not difficult to work them out.
• Focus on three or four of your target audience segments and aim to meet most if not all of their information needs.
• Try to imagine one character that best represents each group.
• Download pictures from the internet of people who fit the character profiles you have identified.
• Give these people a name, imagine them as real people; these characters will help you define your content strategy.

Ask the following questions:

• What are their interests and what stories would they read?
• What are their concerns? You need to find the answers they require.
• What stories would they probably not be interested in?
• What is their lifestyle, are they married, in a relationship, single, have they got children?
• Are you catering for their personal and lifestyle interests?
• What are they likely to buy and what are they unlikely to buy? Make sure you have the right adverts in your output.
• How do they consume news? Do they watch TV, listen to radio, access news online, or use smartphones and tablets? Are you publishing on all of these devices?
• Do they use social media to engage with content? If so, what platforms are they using?
• Are you stimulating those conversations and engaging with your audience? If not, why not?

Audience profiles

Once you have finished these profiles, share them with your senior editors and production journalists and reporters so they know who they are creating content for.

Print out the pictures of these character profiles and attach them to the newsroom walls.

Make sure every story is written for these audience groups and uses the language that they understand.

Encourage the journalists to look at the images when they are writing their stories to ensure that every fact presented and every question asked are of value to the target audience groups your media organisation has decided to serve.

Do the same with the sales and marketing team so they know what adverts the audience would be interested in seeing. Advertising throughout all output areas should reflect your users’ interests and aspirations.

Focus groups

Consider setting up focus groups representing the different audience profiles you hope to serve. Invite members of these groups in for snacks and a chat. Talk to them about your output and editorial plans.

Consider inviting representatives to join an audience panel to offer you regular feedback about what worked and what didn’t work.

Try to find out what you did well and where you could have done better.

Ask them what stories helped them and what stories they found uninteresting.

Use this information to continually refresh your unique editorial proposition so that it is always focused on the latest feedback from your audience panel.

The post Identifying the target audience and its information needs first appeared on Media Helping Media.