Mobile journalism (updated, 2014)

Charlie Meyerson MeyersonStrategy.com

linkedin.com/in/cmeyerson 708-TEQ-NEWS

Twitter: @Meyerson

Who  am  I  ...  and  why  am  I  here?    I  worked  here  for  13  years:  

Who  am  I  ...  and  why  am  I  here?    But  

before  and  a:er  

that,  I  worked  in  radio  news  for  

more  than  20  years:  

Who  am  I  ...  and  why  am  I  here?    But  

before  and  a:er  

that,  I  worked  in  radio  news  for  

more  than  20  years:  

Who  am  I  ...  and  why  am  I  here?    But  

before  and  a:er  

that,  I  worked  in  radio  news  for  

more  than  20  years:  

The  smartphone:  Radio’s  new  repor%ng  and  delivery  channel  

Radio  edi@ng  then  (c.  1984)  

 Cut  and  paste  ...  meant  cut  and  paste.  

Radio  edi@ng  then  (c.  1984)  

 Cut  and  paste  ...  meant  cut  and  paste.  

hBp://pauleaston.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-­‐cut-­‐is-­‐deepest.html  

Radio  edi@ng  now  

 Cut  and  paste  are  just  menu  items.  

Radio  repor@ng  then  (c.  1984)  

 Recorder  (typically,  casseBe;  later  MD  or  SD)  +  VoiceAct  (or  alligator  clips)  +  Hunt  for  a  phone  that  would  unscrew                        

Radio  repor@ng  now  

                   Radio  repor/ng  now:                        iPhone  +                        Twisted  Wave  (etc.)  app  

hBp://twistedwave.com/mobile  (or  search  iTunes  store)  

TV  repor@ng  then  (c.  1988)  

hBps://screen.yahoo.com/al-­‐franken-­‐reports-­‐via-­‐satellite-­‐000000153.html    

(Or  so  we  thought,  maybe.)  

TV  repor@ng  now  Ustream,  Google  Hangouts,  others,  make  it  possible  to  

broadcast  live  from  anywhere  you  can  get  a  phone  signal:  

hBp://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22713934  

It’s  not  the  future.  It’s  now.  

•  A  team  of  reporters  at  FM  News  101.1  covered  Chicago  live  for  a  year,  o:en  with  just  an  iPhone  and  -­‐-­‐  some@mes  -­‐-­‐  a  laptop:    

•  All  sound  recorded  with  just  an  iPhone:  hBp://soundcloud.com/meyerson/final-­‐farewell-­‐to-­‐a-­‐chicago  

•  Live  broadcasts,  too  –  plugging  the  iPhone  into  a  mult  box.  

Google  Voice:  A  great  tool.  

Things  you  can  do  with  Google  Voice  •  Record  incoming  phone  calls.  (Note:  Before  recording,  you  must  get  your  subject's  

permission:  "May  I  record  this  for  possible  use  on  the  air  and  on  the  Internet?”)  •  Press  4  to  record,  and  4  to  stop.  •  When  done,  return  to  Google.com/voice,  where  you  can  download  the  file  for  

edi@ng  or  email  a  link  to  the  file  (instead  of  the  whole  file  as  an  annoying  aBachment).  

Things  you  can  do  with  Google  Voice  

•  You  can  download  Google  Voice  files  and  

use  them  as  the  substrate  for  a  slideshow  

or  other  visual  presenta@on.  

•  Or  you  can  upload  them  (for  free!)  to  

SoundCloud.com,  and  place  the  audio  file  in  

your  mul@media  presenta@ons,  or  share  it  

through  social  media  (TwiBer,  Facebook).    

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

(Beyond,  of  course,  the  essen@al  skills  of  knowing  how  to  write,  how  speak,  how  to  spot  a  good  image,  how  to  tell  a  story,  how  to  be  fair,  and  all  the  rest  ...  ?)  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

•  One  smartphone.  •  Really,  that’s  it.  

•  But  if  you  insist  ...  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

What  do  you  need  to  be  a  mobile  journalist?  

Also  helpful:  •  XLR  connec@ng  cable  to  plug  

into  mult  boxes,  mics  +  longer  XLR  cable  (so  you  can  sit  down).  

•  Laptop  (with  op@onal  cell  card).  

•  Bluetooth  keyboard  (for  typing  quickly  on  a  smartphone).  

•  External  baBery  for  smartphone.  

•  Connec@ng  cables  (USB)  for  faster  connec@on  between  phone  and  laptop.  

•  Case  with  branding  on  it.  

So ....  

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That’s how you get news into a smartphone.  

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How do we get it out?  

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A free app (Pandora or Flipboard or Zite for radio news)  

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tinyurl.com/GetRiveted  

You pick your radio news  

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You pick your categories  

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You decide when to skip or pause  

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You search for stories you want  

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You share individual stories  

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You share individual stories  

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You listen and explore  

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You listen and explore  

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You can press Play and …  

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Traffic on your terms  

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… and it’s free  

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Rivet Radio News  

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tinyurl.com/GetRiveted  

tinyurl.com/JournClass

Charlie Meyerson MeyersonStrategy.com

linkedin.com/in/cmeyerson Charlie@MeyersonStrategy.com

708-TEQ-NEWS Twitter: @Meyerson