Most programmers have experience and solid instincts.
But the great programmers have both of those, along with a wealth of data they can use to guide their thinking and their strategies.
CNN’s obsession with Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has been ridiculed by many in the serious world of journalism, as well as by pundits throughout the media. But the reality is that they are winning in the ratings, and a big reason why is that they have been guided by a myriad of data points generated by researching and observing their audience.
This is of special interest to me because back in the late summer of 2005, Paul and I were called to CNN headquarters in Atlanta for a research meeting. As it turned out, then-NPR programming overseer Jay Kernis shared a train with then-head of CNN Jonathan Klein. Klein was gushing about NPR’s ratings success and asked Kernis who did their programming research. In those days, CNN was living crisis to crisis. If there was an ultra-hot story breaking in the news, CNN did very well in the ratings. But during slower news cycles, their ratings suffered.
Kernis was kind enough to point to our research and consulting firm here in Detroit as we had designed and implemented research studies for a number of NPR programs. The next thing you know, we’re in a conference room in Atlanta with a bunch of CNN research executives.
It went downhill from there. As we discussed basic research philosophies, I asked the CNN team about how much primary audience research they were doing. One of the execs told me the network has a lot of research available to its news staff – in the form of Nielsen audience ratings.
I asked about other quantitative and qualitative research the network was engaged in, and it was explained to me that the ratings contained all the data necessary to help guide CNN’s strategic direction. Seriously.
The upshot of the meeting was that we walked away with no business, and CNN was saved by yet another crisis just days later – Hurricane Katrina. That horrific event also produced a star they still rely on – Anderson Cooper. In the meantime, the network has suffered with mediocre ratings for years, especially when they’re outside of tragedies, scandals, and crises.
Now a new Mashable article shows just how things have changed under the leadership of CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker.
Research and analytics have guided CNN to “double down” on the MH370 story in spite of the criticism and the snark thrown their way. And data is now being used to inform decisions about all news coverage on CNN, from patterns that develop online, in mobile, and on social sites. CNN uses Dataminir to comb Twitter. Outbrain is used to track mobile usage. And content is now tested using Optimizely. Mashable says that Moat will actually map how stories perform on CNN sites. These are all slick web tools that help the newsroom better understand what is happening news and topic-wise in the digital space.
It appears to be working for CNN. The Nielsen ratings chart below that appeared in the Mashable article indicates ratings success. The huge increase in the gold 2013 ratings line is the Boston Marathon bombing. But the 2014 red line shows how CNN has been able to make ratings progress since MH370 disappeared back on March 7th.
Serious journalists are not amused, and some claim that this reliance on data and analytics is coloring CNN’s journalistic judgment. But on the other hand, doesn’t providing news coverage of stories that consumers are interested in create a win-win for both the network and the audience?
Radio shows and hosts could benefit in much the same way by tracking data, audience tastes, as well as web, mobile, and social trends. LDR’s “Topic Pulse” product is designed to provide some of these same services to news operations, as well as sports and talk show hosts. And any station with a solid database and the staff expertise to craft questions, serve short questionnaires, and intelligently analyze the numbers can provide the same type of “radar” for its brands that CNN is using to track ongoing interest in whatever is the story of the moment. Knowledge of the social base, using online analytics tools, can also shed light on what consumers are talking and buzzing about.
There is strength in numbers.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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