Jackson's Death: Media Messages Changed by a Moment

Michael Jackson's sudden, suspicious, and untimely, death spawned a level of news coverage seldom equaled and even more rarely surpassed. Depending on your age, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, bring back vivid memories of non-stop news reports on radio and TV. In their own times, those three stories were as big as it gets. Close behind and similar, in news value, to Jackson's death were Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, who all died of unnatural causes. Jackson's official cause of death is pending, as toxicology findings will take more time. But the big difference, this time, is the role of the internet.

First news of Jackson's death surfaced on the TMZ website. The story was unconfirmed but, we now know, clearly correct. Once the LA Times began reporting Jackson's death other MSM (mainstream media), picked it up. Because TMZ, ET, Extra, Access Hollywood, and other syndicated entertainment "news" programs are taped in Los Angeles fairly early in the day, some struggled to update the programs, with varying degrees of success for east coast viewers. On local news channels, and the network evening newscasts, the story played prominently and consumed most of the day's airtime. Later in the evening, network specials and extended coverage continued.

Michael's talent, fame, and colorful history--along with widely available and abundant video--combined to create the ultimate television era story. TV was integral to Jackson's success. His music videos are among the most breathtaking and innovative ever produced. He also came of age during a period when television was unchallenged as the leading medium for the dissemination of popular culture. But as the world wide web grew in influence Michael's popularity benefited as well.

Now the internet and web enabled portable media are more dramatically shifting the balance of power in terms of how we get our news. But one new medium does not entirely replace older media. Typically, the hierarchy of influence may shift along with the demand for one over the other. But radio and TV did not put the movies or newspapers out of business; television did, however, change everything as it came of age, including the pecking order and roles older media play in our lives. Big stories, like the death of Michael Jackson can accelerate these changes and also help us understand and focus on what is happening as it happens. As the story was unfolding, websites--Google, TMZ, Jackson's own official website--all experienced service issues due to the heavy interest in the story. Social networking giants Facebook and Twitter also reported big spikes in activity. The web's influence on this story represents one of those moments where everything changes in terms of media impact.

With video now a routine feature of the internet, the death of the King of Pop serves as an even more important turning point for the web. Viewing Jackson's highly produced videos on a computer, Blackberry, or iPhone is a far different experience than watching the same video on a large LCD hi-def screen with hi-fidelity surround sound. So watching the same video on different media is really not watching the same video at all.

Smart media executives, who understand these differences, can create different "events" to give readers, website users, and TV viewers complementary experiences. Creating news organizations that understand this, and recognize how to use each different medium in the manner most appropriate will be able to move multi device consumers between programs in ways that will be financially rewarding because they serve the customer so well.

For example, when the big story breaks, you get notified on your Blackberry, and directed to a website. Once you are there you get the basic facts along with whatever quick video presentations are available. When you get home, or back to the office, you can get updated content on your computer, including clips of whatever video has been compiled. More highly produced content, music videos, for example, in the case of Jackson, could be downloaded for playback on large screens and high quality sound systems. While all of this is happening, news specials are being produced that include the higher quality content. For pure tributes to the artistry of the likes of Michael Jackson, the highest quality audio and video content become part of follow-up specials, presented in high definition with 5.1 audio.

Some may recognize this as the current reality. On a limited level that’s true. But the coordination of media platforms happening routinely or regularly has not effectively become part of news and media organizations' every day way of doing business. More often it's the result of a big story such as the death of a cultural icon whose work is well documented and highly produced serving as the wake up call for what can--and should--happen on more mundane stories, almost every day.