The Newsroom

The Newscast of the Future

How will the news look in 10 years’ time? (December 2018)

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WO
Woodpecker
Thinking about just how much journalism has changed over the last decade alone, being the TV Forumer that I am, it got me thinking: just what will TV news be like in another decade’s time? Will there still be a place for the traditional bulletins on the main five channels? Will all news be shouted by a panel of guests? Will Twitter have absorbed all news organisations? (Nothing like the serious questions, eh? Wink )

A while back, I read an interview with a guy called Wim De Vilder, one of the top news anchors at the VRT in Belgium, who said that he would be very surprised if the newscasts he presents still exist in their current form ten years from now. He also said that he believes people will still turn to the TV for important breaking news, and that he expects news anchors to become more like commentators on the day’s news.

I find this interesting because news bulletins have obviously had a place on TV channels the world over for decades, and whilst the styles of presenting and reporting may have changed dramatically throughout the decades, the basic idea of a fixed half-hour slot (or thereabouts) where the day’s events are reported has not.

Now, I’m not a journalist, nor do I work in TV, so I won’t be anywhere near as well versed in the whys and wherefores of news production as some reading this. If anyone reading this does happen to be in the industry, I would be especially interested in your perspectives on all this.

I’ll start the ball rolling with a few of my own (perhaps rank amateur) predictions - as always, they could turn out to be completely wrong:

* BBC/ITV still produce their respective news bulletins, but perhaps fewer of them than you see now. Channel 5 manages to ditch them altogether.
* The BBC News Channel no longer exists - or if it does, it’s been reduced to a sort of Euronews-style carousel of reports playing one after another.
* Sky News still exists, albeit in a somewhat reduced form to now. A looser style of presentation has gradually been introduced (think Franceinfo).
* Traditional TV news is far less important than in 2018, as the lines between TV and online continue to blur even further.
JW
JamesWorldNews
I sometimes catch NDTV and some other Indian News Channels here in my part of the world. And your comment about the “news being shouted by a panel of guests” isn’t far from the truth!

There is one show (channel and name escapes me) which has a total of 5 participants, all of them seen in split screens at the same time.

It’s a hideous rabble, but remarkably popular by all accounts.

I have a novel suggestion for the next generation of television news: how about newscasters sitting at a desk?
Woodpecker and Lou Scannon gave kudos
SE
seamus
I imagine a CBSN-style automated but continuously updated wheel of news is likely to be the future. I could see a less-linear BBC News channel where regional stories are spliced in based on individual viewer preferences / demographic algorithms. This could be a better use of resources, but it also runs the risk of media sources that cater too closely to the whims of the individual, rather than the curated approach of mass media.

This issue seems to be plaguing social media and is a threat to public discourse, so I wonder if we are about to face a backlash to this individualized approach in the next 10 years, and we could see a revival of traditional broadcast media?
Independent and Brekkie gave kudos
:-(
A former member
I think of the UK broadcasters, ITV are ahead of the game (if not obviously so yet). There is less and less need for “straight” news as more people are getting news alerts straight to their mobiles, or can read the stories that interest them via various apps. I think ITV twigged this a while back, hence changes to News at Ten and more obviously so to GMB to make them more than just straight news.

TV’s USP with news is the personality and commentary it can add. Look at the reintroduction of branded strands on Sky News (The Kay Burley Show etc) and the BBC News channel. A straight “wheel of news” format isn’t the direction of travel they’re all going in as that’s already well catered-for online.
CH
chris
I think of the UK broadcasters, ITV are ahead of the game (if not obviously so yet). There is less and less need for “straight” news as more people are getting news alerts straight to their mobiles, or can read the stories that interest them via various apps. I think ITV twigged this a while back, hence changes to News at Ten and more obviously so to GMB to make them more than just straight news.


I agree, though News at Ten hasn’t quite delivered the analytical style bulletin it was supposed to be. I’ve always thought it would be interested to trial having a couple of politicians and / or commentators as guests thoroughout the bulletin, a bit like The One Show, discussing the day’s main stories.

I’d be surprised if we see the end of TV news bulletins but I think they will morph. I suspect traditional News channels will be a thing of the past.
BB
BBI45
I'd imagine something along the lines of Reuters TV (https://www.reuters.tv/), with custom length bulletins and just some studio bits and the odd interview added. (If anybody hasn't used Reuters TV before, you should. It is surprisingly handy for international news)
BR
Brekkie
chris posted:
I’ve always thought it would be interested to trial having a couple of politicians and / or commentators as guests thoroughout the bulletin, a bit like The One Show, discussing the day’s main stories.

God, we would hate that.

If anything we're seeing a return to the importance of the scheduled network bulletins over rolling news - in a world where we're being almost force fed information 24/7 having it summarised at key points of the day by trusted organisations is all the more important. Just like news channels, the internet and apps haven't killed off traditional bulletins I can't see anything on the horizon in the next few years which would change that.
Quatorzine Neko, tightrope78 and BBI45 gave kudos
RD
RDJ
The future I would say will be more reliant on the latest technology and using this at the advantage of the convenience to the viewer.

The Reuters TV app and website (http://www.reuters.tv) shows news how I think it will be picked up and implemented for other news providers into the future. Tailor made news bulletins at a chosen length of time depending on if you have time for a quick bulletin update or want to view something more detailed and in-depth.

This could be easily adapted for the regular TV viewer at home, making linear new channels only really focussing on breaking news.
IN
Independent
I'm part of the younger half of the millennial generation and I find social media to be overwhelming a lot of the time. For me, a standard bulletin is vital because it's comprehensive and the information isn't fractured and all over the place like that on a Twitter feed. For that reason, social media is supplementary for me, filling in the places where bulletins neglect due to constraints.

I think I'm in the minority. Hopefully, I'm wrong or things change because it would be a shame to see the traditional bulletin go away.
Quatorzine Neko and Brekkie gave kudos
LL
London Lite Founding member
The downfall of the traditional bulletin has been exaggerated. Yes, there are other ways of conveying the news and targeting different audiences, such as Derbyshire and the Kay Burley Show, yet the mainstream bulletins are still how most people watch the news in digested chunks.

I also use social media and news apps, but as part of a multi platform way of getting the news of which linear tv bulletins play their part.

Twitter and Facebook will never fully replace a well researched and gathered bulletin.
RK
Rkolsen
The downfall of the traditional bulletin has been exaggerated. Yes, there are other ways of conveying the news and targeting different audiences, such as Derbyshire and the Kay Burley Show, yet the mainstream bulletins are still how most people watch the news in digested chunks.

I also use social media and news apps, but as part of a multi platform way of getting the news of which linear tv bulletins play their part.

Twitter and Facebook will never fully replace a well researched and gathered bulletin.


I agree with you. Things will change but they won’t disappear. A lot of people say the downfall will occur soon are people no longer in the business or in some cases burned.
BK
bkman1990
Even though online news appears to become popular now then ever. I still believe that a professional well structured news bulletin or current affairs programmes are still the key to making the story be laid out as it should be. One that is detailed, analytical & informative for the average viewer to take stock with forming their own opinion on the subject afterwards.

I still watch traditional news bulletins like RTÉ News & Nuacht TG4 in Ireland for most of the week because they still provide critical news to me involving affairs dealing with my home country. If I wanted more details on specific topics involving Irish issues; I will go to watch any of RTÉ's current affairs programmes on a random week like The Week in Politics, Prime Time & RTÉ Investigates, Leader's Questions, European Parliament Report, Oireachtas Report, Referendum & Election coverage.

If I was watching current affairs on VMT (TV3); my usual show there would have been Tonight with Vincent Browne.

I still go to the British news bulletins like BBC News, ITV News & Channel 4. I watched some of the NC tonight for an hour to see the News at 10 with Huw Edwards including Sportsday & The Papers. I than watched a bit of Sky News on Youtube for a few minutes this afternoon in where I found out the story of HMV going into administration in the UK.

Now for one thing; that news on HMV's administration did have an effect on me because I still collect physical media like CDs, DVDs & Blu-rays. I used to be a customers of theirs in Ireland for many years. It is strange that this type of story can affect people like me if many others are still into ownership of this stuff. It feels like that it is an end of an era of the high street when news like that is digested on random occasions like this one. I only heard from someone on Blu-ray.com this afternoon that HMV recently resumed international delivery into the Republic of Ireland after Hilco shut down the online webstore of their business in 2016. To hear things like that along with the news of it's administration today is heartbreaking to hear for the likes of me.

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