During the election year of 2008, I submitted a small paragraph to WHDH Channel 7 News “Viewer Voice” segment about how privileged I felt to witness such a pivotal moment in American history. I thought nothing of it until my name was read in the newscast later that night. It felt like my face was just plastered on the jumbotron at Fenway Park, and I loved it.
But going to those websites directly and submitting an email is as old school as using a Blackberry phone. We’re in an age where technology is developing faster than the Associated Press wire can spit out news stories (which is rapid fire). The iPhone, Android or what have you is a personal hub of the latest. It is no longer necessary to wait until the 5 o’clock newscast to be aware.
Herein lies the problem. Networks are still experimenting with incorporating the slew of media outlets into their television, and a lot of it is proving to be ineffective. As a loyal fan of NBC, I wake up to the beautiful faces of Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker on the Today Show. They have always wanted to be a part of our living rooms, but it seems now that they wish to be a part of our personal social media accounts. And I find that tricky.
Last week, the show introduced a new segment and welcomed former TRL “VJ” Carson Daly to the team. The Orange Room is a digital studio that allows Daly to provide a “nexus point between the ‘Today’ audience and the show,” according to a statement by NBC. To an extent that is true, but I’m finding that I’m connecting with more viewers instead.
Daly reads submitted tweets and discusses what’s trending in the news on social media among other half-awake viewers like me. But frankly, there’s an application for that. It’s called Twitter. So why reiterate what I can see, and have already seen, for myself? What should be scrutinized are the tweets and posts from the subject of their stories. I’d much rather see Daly deliver what Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker, tweeted to a stripper.
Most, if not all, news corporations have some sort of forum for conversation following each article they post. Readers and tolls sound off about their approvals and disgusts while winning “likes” from supporters. At least with the internet, I have the choice to move on. But the Today Show can’t give me that option.
What’s great about the Orange Room is that Daly can conduct interviews via Skype- something Oprah and Ellen and the like have been doing for years. It’s hard to tell if NBC is trying to stay ahead of the curve, catch up, or simply kill air time. While the makeover of Studio 1A is much more cozy, the traditional style contradicts their new focus on their digital installment and their newfound desire to connect with everything of the second.
It would be most beneficial to stick with the occasional old-school viewer email and hone in on a real news story, because those who take the time to type in a web address, click on a few links, type in a box, and finally press submit, usually have the thoughts most worthy of broadcasting.
Kattey Ortiz can be contacted at kortiz@keene-equinox.com