From the opening paragraphs of Terry Heaton's "TV News in a Postmodern World: Re-thinking News Promos":

"It's not even safe to walk to your car in daylight anymore," the local anchor announced as we watched surveillance video of an assailant with a box cutter chasing a woman in a mall parking lot. Welcome to the world of news "teases."

The video was certainly compelling and the story interesting, but it had nothing to do with whether it was safe for "me" to walk to "my" car in daylight. This ridiculous conclusion was part of the station's prime-time promotion of its late newscast, where it's deemed necessary to relate upcoming stories with the viewers at home by focusing attention on how it might effect them. It was textbook "tease" or "topical promotion" writing, and, delivered with just the right air of concern, it was enough to scare the crap out of anybody.

And we wonder why our country is driven by fear these days.

So it is in the world of local news, where the content itself is supposed to be governed by ethics, but anything goes in the name of driving people into the tent. Despite considerable evidence that this practice is abhorred by viewers and that it's actually turning people away from news programs, it's still considered a fundamental necessity in the "how to" book of local news. Moreover, the manipulative language has become an essential part of the newscast itself, as we attempt to "drive" viewers from one segment to another.

He concludes:

We need to do a real gut check, and make the effort to listen to what people who've gone away are telling us. They're tired of our bullshit. They're tired of being scared. They're tired of being insulted and disrespected. And they're tired of being taken for granted. Then, we need the courage to act accordingly.

It's difficult to imagine a world of television news without hyperbole, because it would be such a jolt. Perhaps it's just a matter of degrees. Regardless, something needs to be done, because our hype is killing us.

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I couldn't agree more with Mr. Heaton. In my two short weeks sampling from the broadcast department here at the journalism school, I am shocked (and appalled) by how misguided notions about marketing and what the viewer "wants" appear to drive decisions about what's considered news and how it is presented. Multiple times I have questioned this wisdom and have been told these decisions are made based on the wisdom of a "news consultant" (which, makes you question their worth).

Notions of good journalism have been pushed to the back seat, if not left on the side of the road all together. This blatant market-driven process of decision would not be tolerated in most newspapers, but from what I have been taught thus far appears to be common practice at most, if not all, television stations (yet television is constantly considered more credible by audiences, including here in Columbia where KOMU and The Missourian are both run by the school).

While I realize that students need to be exposed the the horrible realities of the world, at the same time I think that in an academic setting students should be taught to question conventional "wisdom" and marketing consultants. They should be pushed to strive for something greater, not to pander to the lowest common denominator in the audience and in the biz.

That said: this article also made me think that while promos in television are underused in TV, they're underused by every other media. At times, newspapers go to great length to produce special sections, investigative reports, etc., but rarely if ever do they market these products. These are the types of things that could draw in the audience, even if they're not regular subscribers. The rely on television stations who are too lazy to do their own research to pick up a newspaper story and say, "Today the Superior Times reports that...."

Newspaper editors could take A FEW cues from their television counterparts. Furthermore, it should tell us something about where we're headed in the digital age that Mizzou's convergence curriculum, which goes live this next fall, includes a strategic communications (read advertising) course. On the cutting edge, you have to be able to pitch your work not only to the public but internally within your organization. I am looking forward to taking this one-credit class when it is offered. As newspapers look towards a more innovative future (or choose to dig their own grave) promos will become more and more important as a marketing and educational tool.