A Local News App That Works
Plus - users flee Twitter and we introduce a new chat service for our readers
THE LEDE
NewsON is a service that aggregates local TV newscasts, putting them all in one space. Its lead product is an app, which is available for mobile and OTT watching. It’s a great app. We spoke with NewsON Vice President/General Manager Ron Stitt, about his company and the state of local news online.
IMAGE: Ron Stitt, VP/GM of NewsOn
Tell us about NewsOn
NewsON allows users to watch local TV news from anywhere in the country, so if they are a business traveler, or have family in another city, or there’s a big breaking story somewhere in the US, or any of many reasons to want to follow local news from elsewhere, they can do that on NewsON. We also make most of the newscasts available on a VOD (Video On Demand) basis after the live broadcast, and watching these newscasts on their own schedule is very popular with our users. We are the top pure-play local news offering in the OTT (Over The Top) space, consistently in the top five news apps on Roku. We’re also available on Amazon Fire, Samsung, Apple TV and have iOS and Android mobile apps, and on our website NewsON.us.
How do affiliates react when you first pitch them to join?
This has really changed over the last couple of years. They used to have to think through how a presence on NewsON might affect their own digital media efforts, or fit with their OTT/CTV strategy – which for the most part didn’t really exist. Now, the strategy is becoming clear and, for most, distributing their content is a big part of it. So NewsON’s “give us a feed and we’ll send you cash” model works well in that context. The conversations are much easier at this point.
What’s the demand for local news right now? What kind of viewing numbers are you seeing?
Well as you know, news is a top content category – arguably THE top content category, and local news is the most viewed/important component of that. Of course, there are ebbs and flows – huge stories like the Miami condo collapse or hurricane Ian drive big upticks and spike traffic to our stations. Overall, there was a huge surge in demand for all kinds of news during COVID; that has subsided now but our underlying growth trend is still in place and we are well ahead of where we were pre-COVID.
What is the biggest challenge for NewsON?
User acquisition. It’s particularly difficult, as in, expensive, for CTV (Cable TV) apps. But we – and our partners – benefit from our collective scale, which was the driving concept behind the creation of NewsON, so we are able to make significant investments to drive growth.
Do people visit NewsON more via the app or the website?
Apps, mainly CTV. Not even close.
What’s your take on the state of local news right now?
I don’t have any special insights. I think everyone knows we’re trying to change the proverbial tire on the car going seventy miles an hour. But there’s a lot of focus and investment in innovation – new types of content, form factors, distribution, etc. to serve younger users and I’m optimistic. The back-of-house content creation infrastructure has already undergone enormous change and I think viewers are going to see that more and more reflected on the front end now.
Anything else we should know?
Local broadcasters’ traditional USP (Unique Selling Proposition) has been REACH. As the universe of cord-cutters and cord-nevers continues to grow, they need to have a presence and be discoverable where these potential incremental viewers are. NewsON is a great way to do that!
NEWS AND NOTES
INTRODUCING OUR PRIVATE CHAT: We have a brand new addition: Remote Notes subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app (messages are sent via the app, not email). Turn on push notifications so you don’t miss a chance to join conversation as it happens.
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
I’ve already started my first chat thread so come on over and say hello!
TWITTER USERS, ADVERTISERS FLEE: Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has led to an exodus of more than a million users and, potentially, a loss of billions in advertising dollars. According to MIT Technology Review, the firm Bot Sentinel believes around 875,000 accounts have been deactivated and another 500,000 suspended.
“We have observed an uptick in people deactivating their accounts and also Twitter suspending accounts,” says Christopher Bouzy, Bot Sentinel's founder.
My own experience with New Twitter is that the racists and bigots are back, and in full force. Advertisers are halting their spending on the platform. Twitter is still suspending people who break the Terms of Service, but their hate speech policy is handled unevenly and may not last. Musk has hinted heavily that he will change the TOS, effectively allowing more hate speech to flourish.
HBO CANCELS WESTWORLD: There won’t be a fifth season of the HBO series, Westworld. HBO has cancelled the series, which had an outstanding first season but suffered in later seasons and saw a dramatic drop in its audience by its fourth season.
Enterainment Weekly has an excellent roundup about three big mistakes the show made.
Westworld's first mistake was a problem of scale, getting too big too fast … The second mistake was simpler: Westworld just overdosed on twists … Westworld's final mistake was … the show helplessly grab-bagged every conceit it could think of.
IMAGE: Evan Rachel Wood as “Dolores” from Westworld
We’ll miss you, Dolores. It was true: These violent delights had violent ends.
BEYOND THE REMOTE
TRUMAN AND THE GLOBE: In the main hallway of the offices of The Boston Globe is a framed correspondence from 1959. You’ll see that The Globe’s editor, L.L. Winship, made an offer to Harry Truman after he left office, inviting him to be Editor for a Day. Truman’s reply is so good that even The Globe had to admit it. They embraced the conversation, and it’s a real treat:
TEXT OF GLOBE LETTER:
March 9, 1959
Dear Mr. Truman:
Victor O. Jones, Managing Editor, reading the UPI dispatch of your speech at the University of Missouri School of Journalism on March 4 leaves me this note:
“How about inviting him to edit the Globe — for just one day or one night?”
There is nothing, Mr. Truman, that would please us more.
The next time you are in the East, why don’t you do it. My working hours are 7 A.M. to 11 A.M. but you could chose your own time.
Respectfully,
LL Winship.
TEXT OF TRUMAN’S REPLY:
March 13, 1959
Dear Mr. Winship:
Your letter of the 9th inviting me to edit the Globe for one day or one night was highly appreciated. I don’t know that I could do that successfully, however, without several years experience in newspaper work.
You see, the difference between your profession and mine is that editors know all about how another man’s business ought to run, while I do not pretend to know the mechanics of yours.
Sincerely yours,
Harry Truman
WELCOME OUR EDITOR! John Cockrell has been informally editing Remote Notes since we launched. John is a wonderful writer, and has worked in Hollywood and New York TV. We’re excited to name John the editor of Remote Notes. Thanks, John, for being a part of the team!
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REMOTE NOTES
Newsletter #29
Founder/Writer: Steve Safran
Editor: John Cockrell
Copyright 2022
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