While many local TV newscasts are dipping their toe into gathering UGC (user-generated content) – the cable networks have launched an armada.  It has become part of their DNA.  They are constantly asking for viewers to send pictures and video to enhance their 24-hour news content.

CNN has its iReport.  They are relentlessly asking users and viewers to share their photos and video and video opinions both on-air and on-line.  Take a look at their iReport page on CNN.com.  It is chock full of UGC and has become a vibrant idea exchange for the web site.  CNN also showcases the viewer opinion video on the cable channel – showcasing the UCG material to react to the big news of the day.

The Weather Channel has its Weather Warriors.  For 24 hours a day the channel asks for user-generated video and pictures of storms, hurricanes and sunsets.  They showcase this UGC on their Internet home page, and sprinkle it throughout the day on the cable channel.

User submitted weather pictures is probably the area where most local TV newscasts have dipped their toe into the water.  And in most cases it is pictures, not video – as they are not set up to easily capture the moving pictures.

Fox11 in Green Bay does a stellar job during continuous storm coverage of assigning one meteorologist to showcase user-generated pictures.  It adds immensely to their storm coverage and allows them to show us more than the constant radar graphic we see on most stations.

MSNBC calls their UGC effort First Person.  They not only invite pictures and video, but encourage viewers to write their own story about the photos on the MSNBC web site.  On Fox News Channel it is called UReport.

The time is now for your local station to go beyond the toe in the water – and to jump in with both feet.  UGC increases the size of your news gathering staff exponentially in these times of shrinking news staffs.  Don’t be shy about asking for this content during the newscast and during coverage of major stories.  The cable channels do it every day.  Most local TV station let their marketing departments create spots to ask for the content.

Recently there were a spate of tornadoes as a huge storm front moved through the Dallas area.  A half-dozen TV news staffs chased the storms.  The only video of the tornadoes – came from viewers.  None of the professional photographers managed to get anything.

So, I ask again – Do you UGC?  It might be grammatically incorrect – but it is something that must become a key component of your daily newscasts and coverage.

Jim