Web video dominates live scandal coverage

Liz Foreman March 24th, 2008

Scripps’ WXYZ.com in Detroit is live streaming today’s coverage of their city’s mayoral text-message scandal. The web stream started at 8 a.m. and had more than 10,000 views as of 10:15 a.m., IM’d website manager Seth Myers.

Update: As of noon, WXYZ.com has served 85,000 live video streams!

The website has an entire day of video programming lined up, and although TV is currently carrying the coverage live, there are plans to continue streaming after TV coverage has concluded. Myers said his station’s web-only set, which will be used once TV coverage ends, includes a switcher which enables the stream to switch to reporters in the field.

This situation should not be unusual these days. Web news outfits, be they TV stations or newspapers, should be creating content for web and repurposing for other media.

This “web first” mindset shouldn’t relegated to breaking stories online. It’s also about ongoing, live video coverage. The web is the only medium where you can tell a story continuously and not have to blow out any ad breaks. And, from a content perspective, isn’t the web about having the latest information?

Of course, there are realities. Small and mid-sized TV markets may not have the personnel to gather news AND continuously stream, at least while they keep TV-centric org charts. And, the eternal question remains: when does the content get too repetitive, too cable news network if you will, rendering the live stream boring and unwatchable?