Put four TV, newspaper and radio pundits on a stage and there’s a lot to be quoted. Get them talking about reinventing a career on alternative platforms and there’s practically no stopping them.
“It’s clear that if we want to be meaningful, we need to get into social media,” said Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago and previously of a long career at the Chicago Sun-Times. But it’s not always that simple.
Steve Dahl, who has a long radio career and started podcasting as “something to do,” soon realized it was the perfect medium for him. He’s had his domain name since 1995, three years prior the Chicago Tribune purchasing theirs. He refers to it and his podcast as a lifeline to the listener.
Feder was “completely out of the loop” with the Internet, and had to decide between quitting completely after leaving the Sun-Times, or starting something new. “It’s up to each of us,” he said. “We’re responsible for our own brands.”
Nancy Loo of WGN-TV has found a home and a strong audience via Twitter after jumping on three years ago. “It made TV a two-way street,” she said. “We are doing the work we enjoy. (It’s an) outlet.”
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper has seen the possibilities of social media, but it isn’t always what it seems. “Every time you see news break, it broke on Twitter… What they’re saying is that a reporter from the New York Times reported it,” he said.
With this proliferation of easy media, there is a lot of content, and much of it is free. “There’s only so much money in the universe and it’s being dissipated among so many outlets,” Dahl said. “People got pissed off (for paying for a podcast). What’s your time worth? I can deliver the essence of what I do in 90 minutes or two hours for less than 50 cents a day with virtually no commercials. For me it’s the perfect medium.”
Loo noted that she’s not paid for her blogging or social media work. But she considers it an investment in herself, while Feder cautioned “as soon as you give your work away for free, you’ve established your value at zero.”
Roeper takes questions at random via Twitter and his show and values the instant feedback.
Feder is very excited about Twitter: “Big public events – it’s like being in the room with the smartest, funniest people you know. They’re all chiming in on real time. Those events are a transcendent experience.”
Along with the good comes the bad. On the negative feedback, Feder says that you have to develop a thick skin. “That’s what being open means. I have my say, I start the conversation and I open it up. That’s the most dynamic and exciting part of the world of blogging,” he said.
Tools spanned the gamut but most were open source: Loo uses WordPress, while the Chicago Tribune uses P2P; Feder is using Drupal; Roeper is using WordPress and Tweetdeck. Dahl is on WordPress and Echofon.
Among their picks for whom they read, Dahl is a fan of Gapers Block, Frank Senate and TimeOut Chicago. Feder endorses Roger Simon, Roeper reads Eric and Justin Stengel, the head writers for the David Letterman Show, and other television show writers. All cited Roger Ebert.
For those who are looking to do the same as our panelists, Roeper cautioned, “It’s more difficult to break through. (We) had the advantage … to take the audience with us. My path is gone. I can tell you my story but it’s not there anymore. Find out what you love to do and the really, really, really hard part is to find someone to pay you for it. Find a specialty.”
Dahl said that a blog is good place to start. “Podcasting is pretty easy to do. Content has always been king and more so now.”
Roeper thinks we’ll see a wider gap of those who can communicate and those who can’t, no matter the device.
Said Feder, “It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s the quality of your content. It will rise to the top and millions of people will see it. When has media been so democratic, ever, in history?”
