Television news producers don’t plan to stop using Zoom any time soon, according to research from DS Simon.
Even as COVID restrictions are lifted across the country, many TV news channels plan to continue to use the methods they developed throughout the pandemic in future broadcast interviews. According to a report from D S Simon Media on the future of local TV news interviews, 85% of local producers are planning to stick with Zoom.
The report also found that 93% of local stations are more agnostic about where a spokesperson is located during an interview. They are open to spokespeople being broadcast from their home, office or on location, compared to 37% who say they want a spokesperson coming to a station. Many expressed a preference for the interviewee to be on location, as it conveys more authenticity than an interview that takes place in a studio. Of those surveyed, 85% felt this format was more authentic.
“During the pandemic, we’ve seen a significant increase in local TV news producers’ willingness to interview spokespeople who work directly for a brand or nonprofit,” said Douglas Simon, CEO of DS Simon Media. “What this report tells us is that stations have adapted to the increased access new technologies have given them to provide information for their viewers, and it will continue. It’s a huge opportunity for brands to get their message out.”
While many stations will conduct interviews via Zoom (82%), 42% will take them via satellite and 36% request that a spokesperson’s team send a digital file of the interview.
“Brands need to be able to set-up quickly to be able to conduct interviews with broadcasters and their senior leadership when opportunities arise,” Simon added. “If they are planning a media campaign such as a satellite media tour, they need to be able to deliver the signal in multiple ways or they will miss out on interview opportunities.”
DS Simon anonymously surveyed 55 television producers from local TV news stations across the country in Q2.
