The Media Landscape is Changing; Here’s What You Should Do

A number of people are wrapping their heads abour the cancellation of Joy Reid’s primetime show, The ReidOut. While we reflect on her departure, this is also an opportunity to discuss the changing media landscape.  I want to explain what I mean by the changing media landscape. Below is a list of several changes and how they will impact media consumers and brands who want media coverage. 

More and more private equity firms are entering the media industry.

As of 2019, 23% of daily newspapers were owned by private equity firms. Private equity firms have a profit motive. There is a desire to return profits to shareholders and I fear this drives many decisions in newsrooms across the country. The profit motive also impacts what is covered, how it’s covered, and who is telling the stories.  

There is declining trust in traditional media sources.

Many people prefer media coverage that is in the center. They appear to shun reporting that is far right or far left. Unfortunately, many people believe that cable news networks are too closely aligned with one political party or another. Only 13% of major news outlets are likely to be trusted by both parties. As such, more and more people are turning to independent media than traditional media sources. This, of course, makes us more susceptible to misinformation and disinformation. It also undermines programs such as Reid’s. 

Trust of mass media overall is declining as well. Roughly 33% of Americans express “not very much confidence in mass media. An even higher 36% of Americans have no trust at all in the media. Combined with the increase in private equity firms and loss of jobs in media, no more than half of Americans trust journalists to act in the best interest of the public. This further harms programs such as Reid’s. 

YouTube is growing as a platform for information sharing.

It is one of the largest search engines in the world. When people want to learn a new task, or acquire information, they are as likely to go to YouTube as they are to Google. Some YouTube channels have as many viewers as traditional cable news network programs. For instance, the African Diaspora News Channel as well as Roland Martin’s Digital Unfiltered Show can rack up tens of thousands of views in a single week. The Meidas Touch similarly racks up hundreds of thousands of views each week.  

People are shifting from cable news networks to online streaming platforms.

In today’s media landscape, one need not have cable to watch their favorite program. In fact, many people have grown disillusioned with pricey cable bills for an abysmal share of programs that they actually enjoy. The return on investment simply isn’t there. With continued shifts from cable to streaming, more and more programs will be impacted. 

More people are getting their news from social media.

Currently, over 54% of Americans get their news from social media at least sometimes. While not ideal, we have a culture that looks to social media to remain in the know about what is happening in communities across the country. It seems fewer people value in-depth analysis. It also appears that the attention spans of media consumers are getting shorter and shorter–now only 47 seconds. This doesn’t bode well for traditional media outlets.  

As unfortunate as Reid’s departure has been, these kinds of shifts will continue. 

To have an impact, grassroots movements will need to aggressively build their own content channels. This looks like investing in email marketing, digital media marketing, and social media marketing. Grassroots movements will need to be intentional about launching and growing platforms such as YouTube. This is not about growing followers but rather about communicating with one’s audience and mobilizing them to action.  

Your work is important. And it is essential you gain the media spotlight you deserve. However, if you are not investing in independent media, and simultaneously building your own platform, you will always be at the whims of networks who may not see and value you.

 

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer^®, is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.