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RTNDA@NAB: Stations Atwitter Over Twitter

‘Facebook on crack or Red Bull’ an effective newsgathering tool

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/20/2009 9:03:09 PM

Click here for complete coverage of the 2009 NAB Show 

If Oprah can use Twitter, so can TV stations, said the panelists at the RTNDA session Twitter 101 in Las Vegas. While many deride the microblogging trend as a narcissistic fad, KOMU Columbia (MO)’s Jennifer Reeves, KCTV Kansas City’s Kelly Hicks and Arizona State’s Bill Silcock said Twitter can be used like a police scanner to ferret out tips, can offer transparency about the newsgathering process, and will make for a tighter bond with viewers.

Reeves, new media director at KOMU, said Twitter is an increasingly essential newsgathering tool. “It’s your Facebook status on crack or speed or Red Bull or whatever,” she said of Twitter’s 140-character updates. “As journalists we have to wrap our heads around completely new ways to have conversations.”

Reeves offered tips on searching Twitter for trend stories, using the direct message function to communicate in private with valuable sources, and general rules for getting along in the microblogosphere.

Pointing out the 14 million (and rapidly growing) Twitter users, Hicks said the program is good for giving viewers a peek into the news process. “Viewers like it when you pull back the curtain and show them the process,” she said. Connecting with young viewers now, she added, can turn them into news viewers when they mature.

She also offered a list of Do’s (Tweet frequently, ask questions to engage viewers) and Don’t’s (diss your station, even in jest, show your hand on an exclusive story).

The session was lively, with constant interaction from the crowd, which was comprised mostly of fresh-faced young people—many who Twittered the session in real time.

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