New Suspects

In the classic film Casablanca, after the Nazi Major Strasse is shot, the prefect of police, Capt. Renault, tells his men to “round up the usual suspects”. If you remember the movie, you’ll recall that Renault represents the status quo, the man who is a survivor, with just a few redeeming qualities. Of course Renault was not a fool; he knew what he was doing. But Renault is not an innovator or a real leader, not the kind of person who makes a difference. The real leaders in the movie are Rick, memorably played by Humphrey Bogart, and the resistance leader, Victor Lazlo. These two compete for the affection of the beautiful Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman.

As I watch what is happening these days in local television news I’m reminded of how many of the “leaders” at stations are more like Capt. Renault than Rick or Lazlo. It seems that whenever there is an opening for a job that could make a difference, the GMs and group executives reach out to the “usual suspects”. Nobody gets upset, nobody gets too excited or takes much risk, but nothing really changes, either.

With this week’s news of massive layoffs at CBS stations, and recent cuts at many other stations, you wonder why bold leadership is in such short supply. The consequences of these latest cost saving moves will declare themselves in the months and years ahead. The already diminishing audience for local TV news will shrink even more. Unlike industrial layoffs where fewer assembly line workers mean fewer cars produced, TV stations slash these jobs and keep on programming the same—sometimes more—amount of content. Inevitably, the quality diminishes and the diminishing quality means fewer viewers: the ultimate lose-lose situation.

If you doubt the truth of these assertions do a little analysis of the last ten years in local TV news. The mantra of the late 80s and early 90s was “do more with less”. Then it became, “do even more with even less”. As more got done with fewer people, the audience eroded, fragmented, and went elsewhere for content. On top of all of these cuts, many of the “usual suspects” failed to recognize the power of the emerging juggernaut known as the “web”. Oh, they finally came around but not before real innovators created better websites and ways of distributing content.

If you doubt that quality still sells, look at the number one market in country. WABC continues to work at producing an outstanding product, by keeping good people in important jobs. For these efforts, Channel 7 Eyewitness News is rewarded with good ratings and viewer loyalty. This doesn’t happen simply by throwing money at the news department. It requires good people who know their jobs and understand the audience. But this scenario is increasingly unusual. And as good as WABC is, it is a traditional newscast much like what stations have been airing—with obvious updating in style—since the 1970s.

So we are now at a critical point in the evolution of television news. With a bad economy the imperative to become more creative is categorically critical. We have to use the technologies of today to touch viewers with stories that matter in ways they can access easily and enjoyably. Dare to be different but tell stories that matter. Try new approaches but remember the foundation of good story telling, meaningful content. As a producer at NHK, Japan’s national network, told me a few years ago, “see like an eagle, taking in the big picture, but also see like an ant, taking in the small details that make the big picture meaningful and interesting”.

And when you are looking to create don’t only seek out the usual suspects. They may be predictable, even safe, but the unusual suspects can help us all see in new ways.