Don’t just complain about sad news – do something about it! That’s what viewers of and staffers from WXYZ in Detroit did, using the power of social media in the community. Using the Twitter hashtag #backchannel and Facebook, a group of more than a hundred people gathered to help clean up Detroit. The group partnered withMotor City Blight Busters, a non-profit dedicated to cleaning up the city. On Saturday, June 25, in concert with Motor City Blight Busters, the #backchannel volunteers, according to WXYZ, helped “take down an old building, clear a vacant eyesore and clean up a playground.”
And it all started with a question on Twitter. A viewer asked one of the WXYZ anchors why the station does so much “bad” news. The viewer suggested through the station’s already-established #backchannel that it organize and cover positive event. The group then used social media to report on the event as it happened:
The brainchild of WXYZ Anchor Stephen Clark, #backchannel keeps going, too. Clark wrote to Lost Remote:
“The #backchannel stays active pretty much 24/7… it’s become a community “water cooler” where people chat, share links, post breaking news that they run across. We get a lot of videos and pictures of breaking news posted on the #backchannel. I constantly check the stream- – our assignment desk keeps it open to look for breaking news.”
It should be noted that Clark started the #backchannel on his own, without the station’s knowledge. But, he writes, the station immediately recognized the value of the project:
“After the blight busters even last weekend–the station actually produced and began airing a “proof of performance” spot … really the first “official” recognition of the #backchannel. I believe that will help us grow and accomplish even more.”
Here’s the ad:
Many station managers won’t invest much time in social media because they don’t see an immediate ROI. Indeed, this event wasn’t a money maker. But stations are also supposed to do community outreach, and this “crowdsourced” event combined the power of the audience with the reach of the station.
