LocalNewser standupkid's dispatches from the frontlines of local news

TBD, Victim Of “Crib Death,” Leaves Lessons For Journalists

Writing on the Poynter website, Rick Edmonds digs in the ashes of the once-grand experiment that was TBD. Among the excellent observations Edmonds makes is this: branding matters. One of the huge advantages that legacy local news operations (like newspapers and television stations) have is the fact that they've been around for years, and people know their name. "Why trade the brand equity of a successful television station for a vaguely clever but meaningless acronym?" Indeed. We've made that argument before as television stations have surrendered decades of investment in those call letters for something new, hip, and clever.

Edmonds also raises the even trickier question that remains largely unanswered when large local newsrooms attempt to corner the market on hyperlocal: is there a market for hyperlocal?