I have a plan for Fox to change the Late Night game – it extends beyond just hiring Conan - and in the process it would leverage their existing assets and create a significant stream of revenue for the Fox television network. This strategy would shake up the network TV landscape, and would offer Fox the opportunity to join the party at 11:35 PM.

It wasn’t that long ago that Fox was as struggling start-up network, however today it is often ranked at the top of the ratings with blockbusters like American Idol, and 24, and yet after the local news at 10 PM the local affiliates transition to blocks of syndicated sitcoms. So, it’s time to shake things up and move past old Seinfeld repeats.

Here’s the idea: build a national newscast to air at 11 PM using the resources of the Fox News Channel and then lead into Conan O’Brien at 11:35 PM. It’s the perfect opportunity to extend the Fox News Channel’s brand, to bring something new to the timeslot, and to set Conan up for a fair fight in late night. On the other Networks, the traditional 11 PM newscast has been produced by the local affiliates, however Fox already serves that niche at 10 PM and there is no other eleven o’clock National newscast on any of the broadcast networks. This would offer Fox the opportunity to differentiate its programming, showcase its news reporting talents, and to familiarize new audiences with the FNC brand, and then position them to lead into Conan at 11:35 PM. With that strategy, since Conan’s demos match up better with Fox’s than NBC, he could build an audience that would grow over time and carve out a real home run for Fox in the Late Night day-part.

While many are arguing that Conan can sign with Fox and go on the air at 11 PM to beat Jay and Dave to the punch, I think that’s the wrong approach. It’s too similar to Jay Leno’s failed primetime experiment; which if nothing else teaches us that audiences expect that Late Night television will start after the late news. Further, a weakness of putting Conan on at 11 PM is that Fox could find itself in the precarious position of viewer turnout thirty-five minutes into his program as they flip to Leno or Letterman.

This proposed strategy has a unique value proposition as a win, win, win. First, a win for the affiliates because Fox will make their 11 PM more relevant and differentiate them in their marketplace; a win for Conan who gets to re-join the Late Night competition going head to head with his rivals, and perhaps most importantly a win for advertisers who covet Fox’s younger skewing demos.

If you happen to work for the Fox network feel free to run with the idea; of course I would be happy to further consult with you on how to best design and bring this strategy to fruition…

Tear down those walls. In today’s social media infused PR & Marketing environment it’s no longer to your benefit to only publish content to your campaign website. No, in fact in today’s iPhone wielding, Twitter, & Facebook obsessed world it’s to your advantage to Syndicate your content to as many platforms as possible.

Such a concept of sharing content used to be a dirty thought, as you wanted to control your content and simply drive audiences directly to your website. However, while that is still true today, the strategy for obtaining and reaching consumers of your content has shifted; and the focus is now on spreading your message as widely as possible and having the audience further disseminate your content and propel new eyeballs in your direction. As audiences become more and more fragmented it is increasingly important to share your content and extend its reach in order to help meet the increased diversity with which content is consumed.

Sharing your content and syndicating it benefits your campaign in a number of innovative ways:

• By increasing the availability of the content, creating more pipes that lead back to your website & allowing you to reach broader audiences.
• Engaged audiences take ownership and will proactively share your news, and spread the message on their own to their own friends and contacts.
• Allows target audiences to opt-in and manage both when & where they interact with your information.

Beyond these aspects, there are other advantages, not the least of which is having the opportunity to syndicate any type of content from the latest news release, to a Podcast interview with your spokesperson, or simply a link to a related article via Twiter. The benefits are endless and will allow you to maximize coverage for your efforts.

Amidst the latest news of impending tablet like devices, including Apple’s newest creation, lies a new and important path for communications campaigns and the practitioners that coordinate these efforts.

First, in terms of the technology, the day of the E-Reader is upon us. Both the Amazon Kindle & the Barnes and Noble Nook experienced extremely successful holiday sales to wrap up 2009. While 2010 is staring off with numerous competitors announcing their own E-Reader efforts at the annual Consumer Electronics show, and mounting speculation as to what Apple will unveil in this space later this week.

The growth of this “reader” type of device in an arena already crowded by Notebooks, Netbooks, iPhones, & Blackberries is interesting; and yet it is an evolution of those devices. The e-reader, despite its name, I believe will extend beyond just electronic forms of books. This type of device, when done correctly will allow for easy consumption and navigation of content on a sizeable screen, in a format that is easier on the eyes (no backlight or optional backlight) and unites a variety of content types including audio, video, & text.

Specifically, with the web’s maturation we are now observing two different types of internet audiences… the first being the desktop/laptop space in which you interact with the web, collaborate with colleagues and essentially get work done. For most of us, that categorizes the vast majority of our day…but the second audience is more concerned with consuming content that is available online from the comfort of their family room, or along their commute. We saw the early evidence of this type of behavior with the iPod and subsequent similar devices; but the shift that has been observed in the past several weeks suggests that we are about to head in a direction that revolutionizes this media consumption in an easier to use and more portable format that that of a 13” or 15” laptop. This new type of device will make it easier to spend that down time “away” from the computer consuming any type of content that you can imagine.

All of that said, this technological shift simply underlines the importance for communications campaigns to seek to disseminate and Touch customers in any number of ways. While the devices continue to evolve and offer each of us new ways to be entertained, with the old phrase in mind “content is king,” it is increasingly important for those of us in the communications business to be content-minded. In doing so, we will be able to use these new types of outreach tools to produce content that can accompany our PR & Marketing campaigns and capitalize on these technologies to reach broader audiences.

Over the past year, as a Nation we have witnessed a financial meltdown, which has been unlike any other series of events that many of us have lived through. Millions have lost jobs, and confidence in the market has eroded. Certainly, it is normal for the market to have fluctuations and for corrections to take place from time to time, but the last year was beyond what anyone including the “experts” had envisioned. The repercussions from these recent events run deep and have impacted millions; leaving many wondering what tomorrow will bring.

As organizations look to the future and to moving forward beyond the financial crisis, and as markets strengthen and projects move forward, perhaps the most important component to the recovery is Communications. I do not write that flippantly, nor because it is the arena in which you or I practice. Instead, in order to get our Nation back to work, and to ease everyone’s concerns we must leverage the opportunities before us in today’s new media landscape to openly and honestly communicate and share the direction that our organizations and clients envision. Whether that means sharing notes and information via today’s social media tools such as Twitter, or Facebook, or doing a periodic Podcast interview with members of the C-Suite, or doing a media tour to promote events and campaigns.

Utilizing these tools affords us the opportunity to share where our organizations (and our client’s) are heading with both internal and external audiences. Further, sharing our message will help to ease people’s fears, and instill confidence in the greater business environment and to our customers.

While the news these days is often about the high unemployment rate and the many negative aspects to today’s economy, despite those headlines, there are millions upon millions of hard working people heading to their jobs every day. They are our colleagues in research and development, customer service, shipping & management and collectively they are doing great things and helping their organizations move forward. As for us, as communicators, PR flacks, & marketers it is our role to shine the light on the positive stories and demonstrate to our communities both locally, domestically, and abroad that we are holding our heads up high and moving the economy forward.

As communicators we manage and implement new strategies that best fit our goals and as marketing and communications have gone through various cycles we’ve adapted our strategies to deal with the latest tactics.  Whether that means having a daylong conference, doing a media tour, producing a tri-fold brochure, or taking a weighty campaign and making it make sense in a one-minute radio or television spot.  Regardless of the medium, it’s our job to tell the story and leverage new communications platforms to find ways through which we can deliver our messages.  With that in mind, I thought I’d take a look at the latest communications tool, which of course has been getting a lot of attention, Twitter.

While I realize that many organizations have already started thinking about and integrating Twitter into their communications campaigns, there are many that have yet to fully delve in.  So, for those that are still leery let me share a few quick ideas about how Twitter can be beneficial for your next program.  First off, the basic premise of Twitter is to share with essentially the World, what you are doing, or thinking, in 140 characters.  Now, I know your first reaction might be that it seems like we have finally reached that point where we’re boiling everything down to the lowest common denominator, and you’re probably wondering how can 140 characters help me communicate about my campaign.

Well, I would argue that upon a closer look and once you’ve taken some time to explore the Twitterverse you may actually realize it is filled with potential and be of a different school of thought.  I know, you’re thinking exactly how that could be, well Twitter allows you to give your campaign and active avenue through, which you can reach your target market and engage them in an open dialogue.  Perhaps, best of all, Twitter opens the doors to having a conversation with audiences that are located anywhere and about any topic.

So, how can you benefit by integrating Twitter into your next communications campaign?  Here are a few ideas, you will be able to:

• Develop an on-going dialogue about your campaign; sharing new information and keeping your brand in front of your audiences.
• Share message points with diverse and geographically dispersed audiences.
• Take an active voice in helping to answer questions in real-time.
• Monitor feedback and control your own message.

Beyond these key points, by utilizing Twitter you’ll be able to engage in a virtual dialogue, which will help hammer home your message.  Further, being active on Twitter will help you establish new relationships, strengthen existing ones, and perhaps most importantly share knowledge and information with new contacts who may even be potential clients.

So, think about it 140 Characters really is more powerful than you would have initially thought, right?  Tweet me @jasoncohen

With Leno’s debut in a few short hours at the 10PM slot on NBC, there are a myriad of questions that observers are going to look to answer.  Of course, first and foremost, is whether or not audiences will be receptive to a stripped comedic variety show at the 10 o’clock time-slot.  Can Leno draw the a significant audience to make the strategy pay off for NBC.  Does such a move alter the landscape in that late night television has just been redrafted, or in fact has the time come during primetime on the national stage for a variety program like Leno’s that will give the country something to laugh at in unison.

At the same time, the introduction of the program, comes at the cost of five hours of programming per week, which is often filled by highly produced and expensive dramas, or investigative news programs.  So, to some extent the question which will be harder to answer is what will the impact be on those arenas.  Will NBC slash its news magazine budgets, will programs like Dateline continue to exist during other day-parts, or might NBC scale back in those arenas.  Similarly, will there be some shifting in the 10PM drama, which may send programs to other networks, or translate into opportunities for growing cable networks like TNT or FX.

One thing is for sure; the introduction of this type of program is a new and unique approach to programming on the network level that hasn’t been seen in quiet some time.  So, whether this proves to be a monumental shift in programming, or simply an experiment in late night television trickery it’ll be interesting to watch and observe and answer these questions.

Here’s a video from YouTube about the Social Media Revolution, produced by Erik Qualman of Socialnomics.

More about Eric and his postings can be found at http://www.socialnomics.net

In the past few years our communications paradigm has evolved almost overnight, giving communicators a new set of tools with which to tell their stories. On one hand, traditional media has evolved; in the post-digital TV switch broadcasters have multiple channels to fill with content, while newspapers and publishers are experiencing a decline in readership and many are looking for new ways to do business. While on the other hand, the online space is rapidly evolving as new social networks emerge, new media distribution options abound, and audiences are able to connect with the news and information in which they are most interested.

Through that evolution though the communicator’s job has also evolved from a practice of press releases, pitching, and media opportunities – into one that combines those tasks with the integration of new media opportunities and strategies. Today, in addition to traditional tactics communicators have to think in terms of blogs, local websites, Podcasts, Facebook, and now even Twitter.

So with all of these new tools, the question is which one’s are right for your organization (or client)? Well, since it’s sometimes difficult to stay on top of these new tools given the brisk pace of the proverbial communications treadmill, here are a few tips that can help guide your decisions on what direction to take for your particular initiative:

1) Timing is Everything: Some campaigns will naturally lend themselves to using these new outlets, while others will tend to be best suited with more traditional outreach methodologies. The fact is there is a time and place for using these tools, and by no means should communicators feel pressure to use them with every single client and initiative. Usage of these new tools is really client and campaign specific, and not every campaign will have a fitting use of these new tools.

2) Make Your Campaigns Dynamic: With the new media landscape, today’s audiences all consume their news and information differently. That means that some audiences will tune into their local news outlet, others will visit a newspaper’s website, some will take their media on the go with them on a portable device such as an iPhone, and yet others will simply exchange information with friends and family though the likes of Facebook and Twitter. That said, it is important that your campaigns be dynamic so that they share your news in various capacities to reach your audience no matter where they may interact with your message.

3) It’s About the Story: Regardless of the outlet at hand, whether your Twittering about your campaign, doing a TV interview, or producing a Podcast it is about the story you’re telling. At the core of all of these tools it comes down to how you’re telling your organization’s (or client’s) story, how you’re engaging the audience, and how you’re using these new tools to open up the dialogue with your target audiences.

MediaBack Page’s Quick Hits for June 19th :

• 'Tonight Show' still ahead in demos - Entertainment News, Late Night TV, Media - Variety -
• Walter Cronkite Gravely Ill - mediabistro.com: TVNewser - Sad news about legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite

Late Night’s faces are shifting, and in the process so is the business of television.

Over the course of the past several months we’ve already watched late night television begin to evolve as Conan moved from New York to Los Angeles and handed the keys to Late Night over to Jimmy Fallon.  Now, of course, Jay Leno has handed the storied reigns of The Tonight Show to Mr. O’Brien – but unlike those late night shifts of the past this story doesn’t end here.  Instead, in September, Mr. Leno will re-emerge in a new prime-time show on NBC nightly at 10PM.

So in essence, rather than a simple hosting transition, like that of Carson to Leno, this movement instead is more like a seismic shift for late night television.  (Actually, I’m not even sure that moniker is accurate anymore, as we’ll now see this variety-style show airing from 10PM to about 1 or 2 AM.)  With the addition of Leno’s new program to the landscape there are many questions, which are left to be answered in the coming months and years.  Can Leno be successful at that early hour? Who will get the big guests? What will differentiate the programs? Does the audience have enough interest for what amounts to 3 hours of talking heads on Network television each night?

That said, however, potentially one of the most interesting questions that remains to be answered is that of what the impact will be on the Business of Television.  Consider for a moment, that if the strategy works NBC, will have taken a time slot that typically requires on average $3 million dollars per night to create an hour long drama – and filled it with a topical comedy variety show which is costing somewhere in the ballpark of $30 million for a year.  The result for the network will be the ability to earn a higher return on their investment – and therefore a better payoff for the network’s ownership: GE.

Further, if this proves successful, there is a high likelihood that it will change the entire game of television: putting pressure on the other broadcast networks to adopt similar strategies; yielding improved profits for the other ownership groups (and their shareholders).  Additionally, this shift would leave a lot of popular programming and creative talents without a home – a void that can actually create new opportunities for growing cable outlets like TNT, FX, Lifetime and others.  All in all, this late night shift could alter the television landscape as we have known it for quite some time.

Actually, if it works out I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw NBC extend the Today show by a few more hours, and rebranded the 10PM – 1AM block as The Tonight Show and called it a Day.