Ted Turner’s passing marks a line in the sand for news distribution

Sad news about the passing of Ted Turner, the US media mogul who launched CNN and created the concept of the rolling news channel. 

While the obituary columns have focused on his colourful and frenetic life, and the significant contribution he made to business and philanthropy, his passing also underlines how much the world of news and news distribution has changed and is changing.

CNN’s breakthrough moment came in the 1991 Gulf War where its round-the-clock coverage of Operation Desert Storm, as the only broadcaster allowed to report from Iraq, set the news agenda. 

The rolling news, satellite TV format pioneered by CNN was adopted by other broadcasters, including Turner’s great rival, Rupert Murdoch at Sky, and even by BBC News 24. While opponents of rolling news have offered jibes such as “never wrong for long” to describe the, at times, slightly breathless ongoing reportage, the dominance of CNN and other rolling news channels was an early indicator of the public’s thirst for instant updates and real-time information that has blossomed with social media.

Research from Reuters Institute and Oxford University charts the changing dynamics of news: younger audiences increasingly turning to social media and podcasts, widespread adoption of social channels for news alerts, but with TV news channels continuing to hold up in terms of viewer numbers as a trusted source of news and a provider of detailed analysis.

Ted Turner’s death is a reminder of just how much has changed in news distribution, not just for the broadcasters but also for print media. 

For corporates, this often comes as a challenge. The thirst for clickbait headlines and hooks to draw in eyeballs means that balanced reporting isn’t always an immediate priority. It is notable that many clients now reference pieces of coverage that ensure factual accuracy rather than the ‘telephone book’ of multiple articles which used to be the expectation from a media-relations programme. 

The intense competition for breaking news has also marked an end to traditional deadlines for print and television channels. Online news sites allow breaking news through the day, and night, but also change the role of TV and print media. In a world of social and AI, exclusivity and the opportunity to own a story is something that is measured in seconds. 

To differentiate themselves and prove value to viewers and readers, traditional TV and print media have evolved to become trusted sources, the place you go to check that the AI bot isn’t feeding you propaganda. It has also provided an opportunity for newsrooms to deliver greater analysis and colour that contextualises stories (albeit sometimes with significant political bias).

Looking forward, our increasingly busy lives provide a good foundation for the rolling news format to continue but delivered in a multi-channel way. 

News alerts and breaking stories will inevitably continue to be broadcast on social channels (by professional news organisations, citizen journalists and state actors). Yet the desire for reputable information and analysis, delivered in a format that appeals to our dwindling attention spans, still leaves a strong place for video and podcast news content, and an opportunity for corporates to provide the experts and deep-level analysis and commentary that professional news organisations need to differentiate themselves in a congested news environment.