NBC News Examines ‘The Secret to Her Success’
Network Aims to Boost Web Presence for Nightly News with Brian Williams
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/7/2007 1:03:00 PM
NBC News will launch a week-long series on women tailored to harness the company’s digital resources.
“The Secret to Her Success” will originate on the Nightly News with Brian Williams, where it kicks off Monday with a segment by Dr. Nancy Snyderman on women’s health risks and which tests and screenings they should be asking their doctors for.
The week-long series will be featured prominently on iVillage.com and MSNBC.com. Women’s Web site iVillage will include polls, talk-back and question-and-answer features. MSNBC.com will feature original stories, videos and clips tied to the series.
“We have a very linear broadcast,” said Alex Wallace, executive producer of Nightly News. “But we know that the way people are really consuming news has changed. It’s much more conversational, and it’s also 24 hours a day.”
Television news divisions have seen their audience shares fall steadily since the rise of 24-hour cable news networks and the on-demand news model of the Internet.
Nightly News has taken a tumble in the past year, losing about 7% of its audience year-to-date. Positioning Nightly News on the Web -- whether it’s via special series like the women’s initiative or anchor Williams’ frequent blog posts -- is a priority for the network.
“We’re trying to grow the footprint of Nightly News beyond what you can just see on TV,” Wallace said. “That’s something we talk about a lot, which is how do we make Nightly bigger than a half-hour [TV broadcast]?”
The Secret to Her Success includes reports on how women can successfully pitch job-share plans to their employer (Tuesday on Nightly) and recent studies showing that friendships may have a direct impact on women’s health (Wednesday), after which viewers will be prompted to send videos and snapshots of themselves and their best friends (FirstPerson@msnbc.com). Submissions will be featured on MSNBC.com.
