The Best PR: Think Early

When anchoring those 5:30 a.m. newscasts, I was convinced that it was just me looking at the red light on the camera...and no one else was awake, much less watching.

The big bucks were "supposed" to be in the evening newscasts.  (I anchored those, too).  But, times are changing.  Early news is important, and savvy CEOs recognize that publicity early can be a bigger bang for the buck later.  Are you targeting the early shows with your PR? 

It's not just my opinion. 

From The Wall Street Journal, quoting now:

[Full Story...]

"The latest round of morning-show skirmishing comes as the programs buck the trend in network news: They are actually growing. The long-term outlook for evening news broadcasts is grim and prime-time news shows are struggling: ABC's fall schedule has no time slot for "Primetime," and NBC shunted "Dateline" to the purgatory of Saturday. But the morning shows have inched up 6% in combined viewers since 2003, compared with a comparable drop of 9% for the three evening news programs in that period, according to Nielsen.

"The trend is mirrored at local stations, where early-morning news -- even newscasts starting as early as 5:30 a.m. -- are gaining viewers and ad revenue.

"Various theories explain the rising fortunes of morning news. Some news veterans point to statistics indicating that Americans are starting their days earlier and occupying themselves with work, activities or cable news later in the evening. "The morning shows are the inheritors of the old function of the evening news," says Bob Bengtson, a retired ABC News executive. "For a lot of people, the morning is the new dinner time." Another camp thinks it's a result of the unsettled state of world affairs, while others speculate that people like the morning shows' entertainment aspects."

The CEO's Takeaway:
"News" is now a 24-hour, seven-day a week, year-long cycle.  It is also global.  Have you seen the early-morning show on CNBC featuring three people co-anchoring business news from three continents?  With viewership of the once flagship (and expensive) "evening newscasts" -- coupled with declining ratings for evening, local news -- don't forget about the other opportunities to showcase your organization and its achievements throughout the day.

If someone has not already said so, I will:  There is a "channel" for everything and it is always "on."  Target the early news shows.  They are not early overseas.  And the early shows in America are "bucking the trend" and solidifying viewer loyalty (and ratings).

June 9, 2006

ABC News Girds For New Bout With 'Today' By BROOKS BARNES June 9, 2006; Page A11 ABC'S "Good Morning America" has been trying for 11 years to race past NBC's "Today" show and become the dominant morning program. It's no small prize: The No. 1 slot can mean tens of millions of extra advertising dollars. But just as "Today" is showing some signs of vulnerability -- its anchor team is in flux after Katie Couric's departure last week, and a huge renovation of its signature studio is causing headaches on and off screen -- "Good Morning America" is having engine trouble. "Good Morning America" learned in mid-May it would lose its popular host, when Charles Gibson was sent to stabilize the network's faltering "World News Tonight" franchise. The popular weatherman Tony Perkins left the show in December, and last week, the executive producer of "Good Morning America," Ben Sherwood, resigned to move to Los Angeles, where his mother is suffering from cancer. The show's other host, Diane Sawyer, is locked into a long-term contract with no windows, but ABC News a unit of Walt Disney Co., has had to work overtime squashing industry speculation that she is packing her bags, too. "I want a strong and stable 'Good Morning America,' " Ms. Sawyer said in an email, "and I will be there to do everything I can to make that happen." Meantime, "Today" is riding the wave of publicity generated by the showy send-off that NBC News, a unit of General Electric Co., gave Ms. Couric. On Friday last week, the "Today" broadcast, sans Katie, delivered an average six million viewers, or 1.7 million more than "Good Morning America" -- more than twice the usual gap of around 800,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. (CBS Corp.'s "The Early Show," in third place but trying hard to improve, attracts an average 2.8 million viewers.) The latest round of morning-show skirmishing comes as the programs buck the trend in network news: They are actually growing. The long-term outlook for evening news broadcasts is grim and prime-time news shows are struggling: ABC's fall schedule has no time slot for "Primetime," and NBC shunted "Dateline" to the purgatory of Saturday. But the morning shows have inched up 6% in combined viewers since 2003, compared with a comparable drop of 9% for the three evening news programs in that period, according to Nielsen. The trend is mirrored at local stations, where early-morning news -- even newscasts starting as early as 5:30 a.m. -- are gaining viewers and ad revenue. Various theories explain the rising fortunes of morning news. Some news veterans point to statistics indicating that Americans are starting their days earlier and occupying themselves with work, activities or cable news later in the evening. "The morning shows are the inheritors of the old function of the evening news," says Bob Bengtson, a retired ABC News executive. "For a lot of people, the morning is the new dinner time." Another camp thinks it's a result of the unsettled state of world affairs, while others speculate that people like the morning shows' entertainment aspects. Whatever the reason, scrutiny of "Good Morning America" has rarely been greater. Disney executives who normally give ABC News and its president, David Westin, a long leash have been aggressively stepping in. "Intense scrutiny is an understatement," says one senior Disney television executive. Priority No. 1: Fill the crucial executive producer position and send a signal to viewers and advertisers that the show is stable. "Ben's resignation came as a surprise, but I'm moving as quickly as possible to find a new executive producer," Mr. Westin says. Mr. Westin says he could announce Mr. Sherwood's successor within days and that he would expect the new "Good Morning America" captain to start work within three weeks. The plan is for Mr. Sherwood to continue at the helm until Labor Day, with his replacement spending the summer planning an informal re-launch and finding a new anchor to share the sofa with Ms. Sawyer and the show's lesser-known third anchor, Robin Roberts. Mr. Westin declined to discuss his hunt. But people close to him say candidates include "Good Morning America" deputies Tom Cibrowski and Jessica Guff, and Neil Shapiro, former president of NBC News. Speculation that Mr. Westin will hire Tammy Haddad, executive producer for MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," has been overblown, these people say. Mr. Gibson's June 30 departure from "Good Morning America" will "of course be a significant blow," Mr. Westin says. Since Mr. Gibson returned to the program in 1999 with Ms. Sawyer at his side, ratings have improved 19%. Still, Mr. Westin says not to underestimate the temporary pairing of Ms. Sawyer and Ms. Roberts. "We are fortunate to have some built-in stability with Diane and Robin, who we promoted to anchor not long ago because she deserved it and in anticipation of a day Charlie might leave," he says. The search for Mr. Gibson's replacement is in its initial stages, but among the early candidates is Bill Weir, co-anchor of the weekend edition of "Good Morning America," according to one ABC News executive. Chemistry with Ms. Sawyer will be key in any hiring. In addition, the show needs to fill Mr. Perkins's weather slot and to hire new on-air contributors. Several ABC News executives argue that the opportunity to topple "Today" won't come this summer but rather in the fall. That's when Meredith Vieira is set to go to "Today" as Ms. Couric's replacement and viewing levels usually jump after a summertime lull. Summer months are important in terms of retaining a loyal audience, but ABC News doesn't see it as a time to spend lavishly on ratings-boosting stunts. Jim Bell, executive producer of "Today," says he isn't worried. "We have a team and a plan already in place," he says. "That doesn't appear to be the case elsewhere." "Today" will move back to its glass-walled Rockefeller Center studio in the fall following a renovation, in which the studio added high-definition equipment. The show has been filming in a temporary outdoor set, which has presented sound problems as well as awkward camera shots of screaming fans during serious news briefings. A spokeswoman says the kinks with the new set-up are being worked out. Mr. Westin says he is disappointed Mr. Sherwood won't be the one "doing battle" in the fall, noting that "Good Morning America" has notched huge improvements during his tenure. The past two seasons have been the program's best since at least 1991, and viewing gaps with "Today" shrank to their smallest in ten years, he says. Write to Brooks Barnes at brooks.barnes@wsj.com1