Before I head out on any broadcast piece, my managers are always yelling this from the assignment desk. If you are not familiar with what a TVU is you should be. A TVU is a portable, wireless electronic news tool that allows you to broadcast from almost anywhere. In other words, it is a live truck shrunken down into a back pack that you can carry to remote areas.
There is no doubt a TVU makes you more mobile. You can go places where you can’t pull cable. Here is proof:
Last October, I stumbled upon breaking news with my photographer. A 50-plus car pileup on I-75 south near Sarasota. We jumped out, left our car and headed toward the heart of the accident. And, if you watch the video, you will see what ensued. We were live in the middle of the pileup and could walk viewers through the scene. Every other station that showed up was a mile away doing stagnant live shots from the shoulder of the road. Instead, we were walking, talking, showing and conducting live interviews. In the end, our coverage ended up winning us a National Headliner Award.
Below is another example. Typically, crews are left going live outside the airport … you usually have enough cable to get you close to the drop off area or arrival pickups. The TVU allowed me to retrace the man’s last steps in the airport.
There is no doubt TVU technology is in its infancy but its potential is astronomical. That being said, there are kinks that need to be worked out before we can say bye to live trucks. If you have ever worked on TVU, you know that your signal is dependent on wi-fi and cell towers. Sometimes in rural areas, maintaining a strong signal is impossible–and there goes your live shot.
Not to mention there is a 4-5 second delay. That means your producer must be on their feet and cue you early…then wait til your package is nearing its end and again cue you. Trust me when I say it can throw you off to work this way.
But, these are all minor issues. I believe the TVU is like the first form of a computer….fast forward a decade or two and now computers can fit in your back pocket. Without a doubt, TVU is here to stay and will only improve over time.
Jacqueline Ingles is a multimedia journalist for WFTS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in crime and courts in Pinellas County. She writes, shoots, edits, and fronts her own work while doing also doing all of her own web work. Prior to WFTS, Jacqueline worked for almost three years at KXAN in Austin, Texas, as a one-woman-band MPJ. While in Texas, she covered the devastating drought and wildfires. Jacqueline’s work appeared numerous times on CNN during her time in Austin. Jacqueline also worked at WCTV’s Valdosta, Georgia, bureau and at MTV News as a political correspondent during President Barack Obama’s campaign. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a masters in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago. She held two internships at WBBM and WLS in Chicago. Her print journalism work been published in the Northwest Indiana Times, Chicago Syndicate, Beep!, and the New Mexico Free Press.
A quick prologue: I’ve discovered major breaking news events always reveal something about the way TV stations cover important stories. We find out more about what works for us, what doesn’t, what we should do, and what we shouldn’t do. Today, I have feelings similar to the ones I had after watching the unfolding tragedy in Newtown. It’s mostly sadness, but there is also a dose of reflection.
As a morning show producer, I’m asleep during the day. At 4:25 p.m. Monday, I just happened to wake up, turn to my phone, and see several breaking news texts. I rolled out of bed, turned on my TV, and switched through the networks’ live coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings.
I’m curious, and a know-it-all, so I wanted as much information as possible. As I changed channels, I stuck with CBS. Scott Pelley’s delivery engaged me more than Brian Williams (though I typically lean toward Williams). Once I realized CBS wasn’t getting updates as fast as I wanted, I hopped back to NBC, then my ABC station (which turned to a local broadcast), then to ESPN. I reached a point where I knew everything the stations knew (and what they hadn’t confirmed). It then dawned on me: competition doesn’t serve the audience well in times of chaotic breaking news.
Given the number of injuries, the lack of a suspect, and the potential danger still looming, this should have been a situation where the networks (and other news outlets) pool together efforts to ensure the public is correctly informed. I realize the FCC won’t allow stations to collude, but I know a bending of the rules should be allowed from time to time to serve the greater public. Clearly, some news outlets are better than others at getting the latest information from police, hospitals, public officials, etc. In the face of tragedy, the desire to “win” should be subservient to the need to get people informed.
I noticed the stations failed to acknowledge any developments on social media. After I turned off the TV around 5:30, I checked my TweetDeck, and saw people sharing Google’s Person Finder, to help people track loved ones. Perhaps the networks brought it up after I stop watching, but based on the hour of coverage I watched, they ignored social media.
Imagine how worthwhile and valuable TV’s coverage could be if all the networks shared important pieces of information like this to its viewers. This collaboration doesn’t have to last days. It might only need to last until the day ends (depending on when tragedy strikes), or a threat has subsided. By Tuesday morning, I think they collaboration window for Boston probably closed since an imminent danger seems to have subsided.
I’m sure my calls for “teamwork” will fall on deaf ears. I understand it might even be too difficult to contact every single news outlet to confirm what they’ve confirmed while scrambling during breaking news. But I will remain optimistic that something can be done that can improve TV’s response to tragedy that better serves the public.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
I believe in a lot of things. I vote in every election, for every candidate that I can. I sign petitions when I truly believe in the cause. I fundraise. I support friends’ causes.
But I won’t change my profile pictures to show any of that — because I am a journalist.
You may have noticed a sea of red on Facebook by now (if not, here’s an article from one of my favorite sources, ReadWrite Social (ReadWriteWeb’s Social channel) about it). Two equal signs (made of various things; I noticed a few brands jumping on this) on a dark red background. On Facebook. On Twitter. On Instagram. I am going to tell you right now — I believe in marriage equality. I believe that two people who are LUCKY enough to find each other should be able to celebrate that love with Tiffany’s, registries and overpriced invitations.
But I do not believe that I should use my profile to show my support for this cause. I don’t think changing my identity online will do anything to change the decision of the supreme court. I think writing posts like this, having discussions with my peers — and with people in general — is what is going to change public opinion.
Voting changes public opinion. Speaking out changes public opinion.
So, I urge you, my fellow journalists and soon-to-be journalists to think long and hard before using your valuable brand space to support another cause — there’s nothing wrong with writing a status or blog post, but giving up your “face” real estate? That’s something I simply won’t do.
Technology in the journalism world can be a fickle business. New tools are launching all the time, with Twitter’s Vine video app among the latest creations.
While some tools are mandatory for tech-savvy journalists, others launch big and die horribly. We’ve culled the graveyard of technology’s past for three tools journalists used that have bit the dust.
Note: Going with the “dead” theme of this post, each entry has a Ghostbusters reference.
Print
Egon Spengler said it best: “Print is dead.” That was never more the case than in 2013. Newspapers have had major layoffs and shut down completely. Entire websites have devoted to the topic, like Newspaperdeathwatch.com and Paper Cuts.
Yet some still have hope. Famed investor Warren Buffet recently bought the Tulsa World and Greensboro News & Record, according to the Poynter Institute.
Will print rise from the dead, even with tablet and smartphone users everywhere you look? Only time will tell.
Flip Video
This mini camcorder was so popular, Oprah Winfry used the tool to give her audience a back-stage pass to her show. Even Katie Couric used the camera to give a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House, according to the Huffington Post.
However, the tech was short lived. The New York Times reported in April 2011 that Cysco Systems shut down its Flip Video division.
It may have been short lived, but it was much more advanced than the camcorder Ray Stantz was lugging around in the New York Public Library.
Google Buzz
Remember when Google’s answer to Twitter was hyped all over the internet? According to Mashable, Google Buzz was first demo’ed in 2010. The company finally shut down the service in 2011, according to a Mashable article, to focus on Google+.
The social platform’s year of activity wasn’t without drama. The New York Times reported on Valentine’s Day, 2010 that Google issued an apology after users became concerned over privacy.
In the words of Peter Venkman, “Valentine’s Day – bummer.”
Rob McLean is a Digital Managing Editor with Hearst Television. He has been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists since 2010 and a member of the Online News Association since 2012. Interact on Twitter: @robertmclean.
I’ve always maintained that the hardest part of a journalist’s job is enterprising original stories. It’s even more difficult if you have to do it five days a week. I do not envy the reporters at my TV station.
Presenting new stories daily is part of their job description. I am a newscast producer, so I’m not expected to offer my own original story each day. I feel I do get another pass because I work overnights. Come on, who am I supposed to call at 3:00 a.m. to develop good stories? However, I like to contribute something here and there.
When I talk about original stories, I think of a few things:
1. It’s not from a press release
2. It’s a follow to a story that people might have forgotten about
3. It’s something no one else has even mentioned yet
Despite my work schedule, I do maintain a social life outside of work, especially when I wake up in the early evenings (you read that part right).
Recently, the Minnesota chapter of SPJ had a trivia night, and teamed up with the members of the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America. The first five minutes were tough; I didn’t know anybody and didn’t recognize anyone. I put my coat down near a group, and just said hello.
They were all PR folk. Minutes after the standard “where do you work, where are you from” questions, it was already time to announce the trivia teams. A trivia night was an excellent idea, because every team had a least one journo and one PR rep.
In between questions, our team learned more about each other, exchanged business cards, and had a good time (it helped that we took 2nd place). Afterwards, I caught up with the first group from that night, chatted more, and traded more cards.
I have at least three new story ideas from that night. Granted, look at who was there: PR reps. Their job is to GIVE you stories. It’s a match made in heaven. You need stories, they have ones they want you to cover.
I’m sure someone reading this will say, “those PR reps will send your newsroom a press release anyway, so why butter them up?” I argue that the personal connection with these people will give you an edge later. You’ve got a foot in the door and they’ll scratch your back a bit more. Your interaction with them gives them validation for what they are doing, and makes their efforts worthwhile. When you do something for someone, they’ll return the favor (at least, that’s the way it should be).
What I learned from that night is that an easy way to find good stories is to meet with the people who are ready to have a story to tell. Networking events (especially ones with PR) are packed with people who are trying to sell themselves. They WANT to talk to you.
Give them an ear, and see what you find.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
Yet young journalists continue to find jobs. Non-profit journalism organizations are hiring reporters and editors fresh out of J-School. Recently, I spoke with three of these non-profit journalists about their careers.
From left to right: Michael Todd, Managing Editor of Hear Nebraska (photo by Rob McLean), Rebecca Thiele, Radio Producer for WMUK (photo courtesy of Rebecca Thiele), Lauren Mills, Digital Analyst and Reporter for IowaWatch (photo courtesy of Lauren Mills)
Lauren Mills, Digital Analyst and Reporter at Iowa Watch
Lauren Mills turned a student job into a full time journalism gig.
She landed a reporting gig at IowaWatch after applying for a fellowship program with the organization– a website that dedicates itself to “producing and encouraging explanatory and investigative journalism in Iowa, engaging in collaborative reporting efforts with Iowa news organizations and educating journalism students.”
Mills started out as a student reporter, but moved up to web manager and assistant editor during her senior year. After a brief stint at the Sioux City Journal, Mills joined Iowa Watch as a digital analyst and reporter.
Aside from reporting, Mills has sit in on board meetings, where she said she gets an inside view on what the organization is doing in various areas. It also gives her insight into how the organization is coming along in funding.
The main difference between working at IowaWatch and a traditional newspaper, she said, is the length of journalism. She said IowaWatch is able to do long-form pieces, averaging one article per week.
Participation is also different, she said. Iowa Watch has a smaller staff than her old newspaper, she said, which lets everyone participate in every aspect of the process.
Michael Todd, Managing Editor of Hear Nebraska
Full disclosure: I’ve made a monetary donation to and have written a few articles forHear Nebraska, a non-profit music journalism website focusing on the Nebraska’s music scene. That’s how I came to meet its managing editor, Michael Todd.
Todd has been with HN since the organization’s early days. He said he really likes the creativity he’s allotted by the website’s co-founders, Andrew and Angie Norman.
“It’s just very open, productive and creative,” Todd said.
He met the Normans, after inviting them on a radio show he hosted on KRNU – the University of Nebraska’s student radio station. After the show, Todd said he applied for an internship with the organization and worked his way to managing editor.
Todd said he focuses most of his energy on producing editorial content, leaving development and conferring with the organization’s board of directors to the Normans. However, he has worked on fundraising initiatives for the site.
Pitching ideas for the website is relatively easy, Todd said. He said he isn’t sure that would be possible at a newspaper that is already established.
Rebecca Thiele, Radio Producer at WMUK
I met Rebecca Thiele while she was freelancing for Patch.com in the St. Louis area. I was a Local Editor, and she had written some news coverage for the site I managed.
Thiele graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2011. She said she was trying to find a job in radio, and the WMUK job looked attractive.
She said the organization is very good about keeping the news department separate from fundraising and other nonprofit aspects of the organization.
“When we need someone to do on-air fund drives, the news people are pretty much the last pick,” she said.
However, she’s not totally isolated from all aspects of the non-profit model. For instance, the show she produces has underwriting from the Richmond Center for Visual Arts – an organization on which she might report.
Thiele said when an opportunity to cover the organization arises, she asks herself if she would cover that story if the organization wasn’t underwriting the show. If the answer is yes, she pursues the story.
Rob McLean is a Digital Managing Editor with Hearst Television. He has been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists since 2010 and a member of the Online News Association since 2012. Interact on Twitter: @robertmclean.
Anyone who knows me personally knows that I swear, and often. I rarely, if ever, use actual swear words in my writing — I often opt for the strong, but less shocking cousins, like heck and crap. This article (in the The New York Times) about women’s magazines got me thinking about what I’ve started to see as a trend as a consumer — swear words (or the character-laden alternatives) in print.
Basically, the article talks about how women’s magazines are looking to use stronger language, language used in the offices of the magazines — where women are powerful and not afraid to use whatever language necessary to get their points across. Even if those points seem to come across on the edge of their six inch stilettos.
Journalists have always cursed — I’ll never forget my first day in a newsroom…I think I heard (what I call) the big five within the first ten minutes, but those words NEVER graced the pages of the newspaper. They never even graced the screens of the blogs.
What do you think? Do you think it’s OK to curse? In my social media branding, I never use curses…I also dislike using LOL or other colloquialisms in my professional posts, but my personal blog is full of those types of “common man” phrases.
On one hand, I believe it is our job as reporters to analyze different things that happen in the world and bring it down to an easy-to-digest story in 500 words or less (or inches, if you’re into that sort of thing). On the other hand, I believe that part of that means learning and understanding — and using — the language of your readers.
Is it our job to lift people up? To educate them, to make them highlight our words on iPads/iPhones (or the good old fashioned highlighter) to be defined at a later date? Isn’t it our responsibility to make people learn?
Share your thoughts with me — I want to know if this is a women’s thing, a reporter thing or just a “thing.” And, if you need to swear to share your thoughts, take a minute and see if you can’t save a few characters by using another word (even perhaps (horror of horrors) an abbrev).
Victoria Reitano is the Digital Producer for LIVE with Kelly and Michael. She is also the publisher of The Giornalista Files, her personal blog and portfolio site where she shares her ideas about being an early career lady journo with anyone who will listen. Reitano feels Bikram Yoga is the perfect compliment to her obsessive need to consume information on a constant basis. Connect with her on Twitter @giornalista515.
For four days, I have watched video on television of the horror and tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The first images I saw reminded me of how many times this has happened this year. Aurora. Oak Creek. Even here in Minneapolis. Working in television news, I have become jaded to this type of violence. My job as a newscast producer requires me to keep myself together, and distance myself from what I write about. I am not without emotion, but I must keep my emotions in check from the moment I start putting together a show.
This morning I witnessed a moment stronger than anything I can remember in the three years I’ve spent as a producer. Gene Rosen was a hero to many parents and kids the morning of the shooting. The grandfather lives near the elementary school. Six kids who
escaped the shooting made it to his driveway. He invited them in to protect them and called their parents. While they waited, he brought them toys and juice, and talked to two of the kids about what happened.
Here is the video of Rosen explaining what he went through that morning. Although it is an abbreviation of a different video I saw, what he says is heartbreaking. He embodies so much pain, empathy, sympathy, gentleness, and sadness. Here was a man, with no relation to the school, thrust into a tragedy. He was aware of the ignorance and innocence of children. How do you handle that? I would never want to trade shoes with Rosen because no person should ever be in his position, nor should anyone who was at the school that day.
I felt a tear swell in my eye listening to him. I was on deadline, but his voice, his inflection was so human, I simply could not click “stop,” and cut him off. He needed to say those words, and I was compelled to listen to them.
I am fortunate because I am so far removed from the tragedy. My heart goes out to the reporters and field crews who’ve spent the last four days in Newtown, who’ve also had to bury their emotions for the sake of the public. Certainly a reporter has had to shed a tear of their own, because this shooting was so horrific, so unimaginable, how do you make sense of it?
2012 has had so many gun-related tragedies. Simply put, enough is enough. I won’t politicize what happened, but I hope the writing is on the wall. I hope 2013 is a happier, safer year for everyone. No more bloodshed, no more tears.
And it reminds me of these lyrics, which never seemed more appropriate than now. God bless.
“And so happy Christmas for black and for white
For the yellow and red ones let’s stop all the fights.
A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one without any fear.”
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
“BREAKING: Confirmed flooding on NYSE. The trading floor is flooded under more than 3 feet of water.”
On October 29th, when Hurricane/Post-Tropical/Superstorm Sandy barreled through the east coast, water poured through the streets and subways of New York. Amidst the chaos, and people’s overwhelming desire to tweet the most exclusive information first, the aforementioned tweet was sent out through the Twitter user “@comfortablysmug.” CNN picked up the tweet before doing its own fact-checking, and realizing the New York Stock Exchange was not actually flooding.
CNN backtracked, which as of this year, has burned them badly. Cue the CNN Public Relations twitter account:
“CORRECTED: #NYSE officials reporting that floor is NOT flooding at this time.”
So many incorrect tweets, so much retraction. Now who is the culprit behind the original incorrect tweet? It is Shashank Tripathi, he is a manager for the congressional campaign of Republican Christopher Wright for New York’s 12th Congressional District. On Tuesday, October 30th, a day after his tweet, he resigned. He apologized for several false tweets, saying “I deeply regret any distress or harm they may have caused.”
I’m not sure of the timeline of events, but also on Tuesday, New York City Councilman Peter Vallone told Buzzfeed.com that he might consider criminal charges. He told the website, the “Manhattan DA is taking this very seriously.”
I want to discuss what is the likelihood of this happening and if there’s a Pandora’s box it could open. Since the First Amendment doesn’t narrowly address free speech posted through social media, we have to accept that all speech is protected (with perhaps the exception of violent threats, but that’s another discussion). Therefore, the chances of Tripathi facing any punishment seems doubtful. I’m certain Tripathi issued his apology after learning he could get in big trouble for it.
Clear and Present Danger Test
One could make the case that in times of natural disaster, such speech isn’t completely protected, even if it is on social media. Let’s go back to the old standard of protected speech: the Clear and Present Danger test. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. established it in his famous opinion for the case Schenck v. United States, back in 1919:
“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that the United States Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree.” Additionally, he said in times of war, speech is also limited given the tense circumstances war brings. Also in his opinion, he explains that free speech doesn’t protect someone from yelling “fire” in a theater when there isn’t a fire.
Natural disasters, especially in the moment of impact, create a dangerous environment. The dissemination of correct information is crucial when time is of the essence. People purposefully providing lies can jeopardize rescue efforts, or detract from them. However, what is difficult to prove is whether or not someone is intentionally lying, or just doesn’t have the right information. I would argue people who thoughtfully type the letters into a tweet are responsible for the facts they present. A simple verbal utterance, untruthful or misinformed, should receive a higher level of protection than that what is tweeted, because an audience within earshot of the message is smaller than the online community.
CNN Accountable
If the Supreme Court would rule on limiting speech made online, it could create a troublesome slippery slope for TV news. Consider how much cable and local news networks rely on social media to gather information. Earlier I mentioned CNN reported what Tripathi tweeted. Can you hold CNN accountable for false information? I’m sure the network would argue that by saying “we’re hearing reports” before any statement helps them wipe their hands clean of any responsibility. Obviously, they are still accountable for everything they report. A Supreme Court ruling may force CNN and other networks to do its own original reporting (gasp!). I would have to support such a ruling because it ensures accuracy.
When it comes to tweeters sending out information just to gain followers, Vallone told Buzzfeed: “I think the consideration of criminal charges will assure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen again,” but also said that the criminal case is a “very difficult case to make.” Ultimately, I don’t see the Supreme Court ruling on social media anytime soon. I think the Court is letting people use their own judgments when it comes to getting information from social media. So, people will simply have to rely on their instincts to figure out which tweets are true, which are incorrect, and which ones are completely made up.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
Lingering in the minds of many TV news employees is a scary question: will TV news end? It’s a question that occasionally drifts into our heads every time stunning new technology is introduced, or something embarrassingly and insultingly bad happens on our airwaves. TV news has survived a lot, and it’s still standing strong.
But something was unveiled in Kansas City in July that you wouldn’t think could end TV news. I’ve always said local TV news affiliates (and networks) will survive and have an edge over other non-TV news outlets as long as they could broadcast faster and with a stronger signal than anyone else.
Google Fiber is a super high-speed and television service. It offers customers 1 gigabit of Internet download speed. According to Jeff Kagan of E-Commerce Times, that is one thousand times faster than the few megabites most of us get from our current cable/Internet providers.
The Internet is the biggest threat to television, especially since the television medium isn’t changing as fast as what’s happening online.
Look back at the last 15 years. What are TV’s greatest additions in the last decade?
TIVO? A glorified VCR.
Netflix? Blockbuster for the lazy.
3-D? Only if I take an aspirin as I’m watching.
Notice how each one is a “luxury” addition to TV. You can watch TV at a bar or an airport or any public place the same way you did 15 years ago without those additions.
Look where the Internet was in 1997. Try not to laugh. But you see the point. Our internet experience has vastly improved over the last 15 years.
So how does speed end TV? Speed makes Internet news sites more competitive with TV. When I talked with Kagan about Google Fiber, he brought up a great analogy. Picture a pie. When TV first began, there were 3 networks all sharing the same pie (which is the audience). When cable started, the networks had to compete with about 15 channels over the pie. Satellite comes along, and pie slices got smaller.
The pie changed even more with the Internet. It isn’t just a TV pie anymore. It’s a media pie. TV and Internet are part of the same pie now that computers and mobile devices force news outlets from different platforms to compete in the same space for the audience’s attention
You’ve seen newspapers, online news media, and bloggers all post video to the Internet. Their ability to stream content as quickly as television is dangerous for us working at TV affiliates. They may soon out-do TV stations when it comes to breaking news. Why bother putting on the TV if the Internet is just as fast? That’s a bone-chilling thought.
I don’t expect a major change to happen overnight where people suddenly abandon TV affiliates. I would get worried if Google rolls out Fiber in other cities. When people realize how fast their Internet experience can get, TV stations better have a game plan.
But, Kagan says this is just a warning shot. Google might not go anywhere else with this, and cable companies might just improve download speed a little more for its customers because Google put some pressure on them. TV can continue without fear, with Fiber out of sight, and out of mind.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
