TOUCHDOWN: NBC NEWS' MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Okay, how can we possibly Touchdown a media outlet for its communications? Well, today media companies are like many others out there - companies struggling through an increasingly difficult economy, trying to maintain relevance and a connection with their audience. And recently there has been much criticism of media outlets for being “too negative” and focusing on bad economic news. The theory is that to the extent consumer behaviour is influenced by media reporting, that these “nattering nabobs of negativity” (as Richard Nixon famously called them) are helping drive the economy further down. So that’s why it’s kudos to NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Their website has a headline: “Keep sending us your good news!” It’s followed by a pitch from anchor Williams: “We are always looking for good news, especially in this economy. Specifically, here’s our request: nominate people who are doing good things where you live or work, perhaps a random or regular act of kindness in a cruel economy.” The result has been NBC’s “Making a Difference” report, which airs at the end of each nightly newscast and really has become, for some of us, a must see. You can check it out on their website. Williams introduces each item and shows the viewer email that prompted it, then airs a full piece about how some Americans have banded together in a cause or random gesture to help people less fortunate than themselves. It’s a great message about community that NBC is sending and it also demonstrates how the NBC News brand can remain relevant and connected to its viewers. I call that a Touchdown in the very best sense of the term. Something to think about for all us communicators in these economic times we live in.