Brand recognition of your email address is made when the big story isn’t happening.  One of the most successful ways of doing this is with segment bumps.  Simple bumps with beauty shots or contest entries used with a banner that advertises your email address or an anchor call-to-action is a great way to reinforce that web address.  With that constantly being reinforced, the viewer will think of your station before the others when the ‘big story’ strikes.  In fact, more than 60% of our content is emailed in and the number is even higher during breaking news and severe weather.

We challenge news outlets to come up with new, innovative ways to promote the Cell Journalist platform on air and online.

Here is a list of a few we’ve seen successfully work:

• On air call to action during severe weather or breaking news
• Weathercast pictures of sunset / storm damage / other weather pictures
• Visible link on homepage to UGC photos and video of the day.
• Promoting the email address and having a strong call to action on social media outlets

The station that has the best brand marketing when the big event isn’t happening will win the big event when it does.

We’re excited to see how we can help the audience share their story as we continue to integrate into the station’s online, on air, and mobile products.

Stay up to date with Cell Journalist news by following us on Twitter – twitter.com/celljournalist

Thanks to all our customers for there support and business. We hope that the soon to be released features and integrations will provide even more value to you and your audience. As you plan for 2012, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Colin Polidor – Product Integration
colin@celljournalistinc.com

Steve Sabato – Sales/Newsroom Integration
steve@celljournalistinc.com

Parker Polidor – Sales/Newsroom Integration
parker@celljournalistinc.com

Thursday October 20, 2011.

So I turned on the tube about 7:30am CST, and there it was…not exactly the Mo’s most flattering close up….but the one he’ll be remembered for.
My first reaction, this is good….one less bad guy to deal with…my second…UGC gets the scoop again….the images and videos leading all the cable news channels that morning were captured on cell phones, not by professional journalists.

Watching MSM’s dependence on UGC to visualize this historic moment provided a graphic validation of the fact that Breaking News coverage, especially in the minutes and hours after a big story breaks, has becoming increasingly dependent on the timely Acquisition, Management and Display of Social Media.

As the day went on, the amount of content coming into the news networks increased. Video as well as pictures were being broadcast and a second editorial storyline began to emerge.
Some of this stuff is really, really graphic. Where’s the line?

By mid afternoon the challenge was no longer getting stuff…Acquisition, the challenge had become the ability to moderate what was appropriate for mass audiences as opposed to the disturbing unedited clips that looked more like scenes from a snuff flick than a newscast.
One would like to think that somebody…say perhaps a professional journalist, actually approves this stuff before it goes on the air. Depending on which station you’re watching, you might be surprised to know how few people see UGC before it goes to air and how little time is spent evaluating content.

When dramatic spikes in content acquisition occur, having fast, easy to use content management tools is critical. This includes moderation, curation, and display features that save producers valuable time which allows them to spend more time on editorial decisions like what content is appropriate for air and strategic decisions about multi platform distribution to the Internet, mobile and digital sub-channels.

We’ve got plenty of stuff; now let’s make sure we use it intelligently.

It was nice to see so many old friends attending RTDNA in what will hopefully be the beginning of a viable return to conference independence from NAB.

Truth be told, the event was a mere shadow of the glory days of yore when the entire Convention Center was filled, Affiliate Relation’s swag flowed, and the budget for the CNN bash was only slightly less than a Hollywood Studio premier after-party.

That was then… the good news now; they put the D in RTNA. Digital technology, Social Media, Mobile…that was the buzz. on the floor.

For the first time in several years, layoffs, budget cuts and “I can’t wait to retire” were not the whispered headlines I heard. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t call it a chorus crescendo of glee, but it was nice to hear lots of positive ideas and see a level of confidence that TV News is well positioned for the future in the rapidly evolving Digital Communications world.

I doubt RTDNA will ever fill the Convention Center again, but heck, who needs it? Sat-trucks are being replaced with WiFi, you can edit on a laptop, and camera-phone carrying Vox Populi shooting UGC are your new freelancers.

SUMMARY
This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a rapidly growing, innovative Nashville, TN based social media technology company. We provide broadcasters and publishers with an end-to-end web solution for gathering user generated pictures and videos.

REQUIREMENTS
We are looking for a highly motivated self-starter with excellent communication and organizational skills. A good understanding of website management tools and functionality is required. Television news experience would be helpful but is not required. If you are good with people, know how to solve problems and can help our customers be the best in their class, then this is the job for you. Undergraduate degree preferred plus 2-5 years experience, ideally working as a website producer or website administrator.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide customer support to our network of over 150 affiliates. Monitor customer platforms for quality control and best practices. Assist in the training and set-up of new customer platforms, technical upgrades and site features. Create and publish regular tracking reports and newsletters. Regularly assist in identifying great content, from across our network of clients, to be used for syndication opportunities.

Cell Journalist is an equal opportunity employer. Please send resume and cover letter to: jobs@celljournalistinc.com.

1. Hurricane Irene: We definitely saw more videos being submitted than usual, video is a better medium to capture wind and flooding.
2. Texas Wildfires: This was primarily a photo event that was captured on cell phones and submitted via email and mobile apps.
3. PA Flooding: This event has a real long tail, content and traffic are STILL coming in over a week after the rain ended. People returned to their homes after evacuation and then shared what they are experiencing.

One common theme with all of these events, was that the TV stations were issuing on air call to actions and showcasing content on air. The sure fire way to get content from your audience is to make it fast and easy to submit and to then showcase the best content on air.

Check out more videos here: http://iwitness.7online.com

They also plugged the fact that they are now able to provide YouTube Partner Reporting.

I’m not endorsing anything, but the pitch is this is going to make it easier to monetize Internet video content by giving agencies and brands additional detailed measurement and demographic data…..kinda like the same stuff TV media buyers need to make decisions.

So here’s a question… if I’m running a TV station, and I’m getting tons of User Generated Content and I also have a station YouTube account, does this open new doors for my national Rep guys?

Without having to do any heavy lifting, the station generated hundreds of submissions every Friday night. During the week, students, parents, and fans flooded the site to view, share, and comment on the content.

This was a successful promotion because it generated sponsorship revenue from a national phone carrier, built engagement from the audience, and helped the station better cover the topic by utilizing a team of “citizen reporters.”