The OPUBCO Communications Group video department did some great stuff with live coverage this past week that had some industry folks standing up and taking notice.
A little bit of ice (at least from the New Yorker’s perspective), two videographers, a Jeep, a laptop, a wireless card and a video camera combined with Cover it Live Chat, twitter, and flickr = instant audience. People from all over the city watched as they navigated the streets of Oklahoma City. It took nerves of steel and a great idea. It simply proved that the game has changed. Live coverage of a news event is no longer just made for TV.
I’ve long been a disbeliever in the value of live streaming for the sake of live streaming. After all the internet is about being “on demand,” for those who want news and information when and where they want it.
But these guys took a news event and engaged our audience in a way that only live could accomplish. I’ve also long understood that you can’t argue with success. It will be important to experiment with monetization of live coverage, to understand how this can benefit us moving forward.
But, the reader value is without question. Readers had great comments about the coverage as our digital managing editor Alan Herzberger points out in his blog. The Poynter Online picked up the story as did the Newspaper Association of America. It is exciting to see our Journalists find new ways to reach out to readers in a space that was previously limited to the broadcast stations.
The Poynter Online recorded the interaction on the screen:
David Morris, OPUBCO Communications Group Video Director, talks about the project in his blog.
Filed under: Audience building, Innovation, Live Video, NewsOK, Storytelling, Video
