A Reflection of Social Media Strategies
Media
This blog has taught me many valuable principles in social media strategies. It has allowed me to experience first-hand the direct effects of social media on personal content. Lackluster promotion, which I am proficient at maintaining, will only result in a failed experiment as the world lives online nowadays and you must meet your audience where they are.
Twitter proved to be my favorite social media platform for engaging with my audience. Through the use of polls and retweets I felt as though I was engaging in meaningful conversation and also being validated when people engaged with me. For the live election coverage, we were able to maintain a steady stream of engagement because of our timely updates and well-edited content. This is one example of how I should have worked to improve my personal site and mimic the experience of the live election coverage.
I saw very little results with Facebook, yet somehow it was the main referral to my blog site. This was strange because I had very few engagements on Facebook analytics, but WordPress showed it as my highest contributor. Nevertheless, I know my Facebook strategies were ineffective and in the future I should focus on creating more visually engaging posts that have fewer verbiage.
Overall, I learned many of the things I should not do to create a successful social media presence. With more consistency in my posting I can create an environment where my viewers rely on me for information constantly. My content and engagement also need to be more creative as my topic was rather bland and is not likely to draw a large audience long-term, and I should have included more polls and comments within my pages to create a conversation for viewers. In the future I will be sure to maintain consistency and creativity to promote my content.
Election Reflection
Media
Twitter is one of the, if not most, used social media platforms to break news and share information. I know that I mainly use Twitter for that purpose alone. Therefore, I believed using Twitter to cover the 2020 election was going to be quite easy.
When we were assigned Twitter as our social media platform for the election I thought we were handed a cake-walk of an assignment compared to the other students’ platforms. I did not realize, though, the planning and credibility that was involved in every Tweet so that our audience was properly informed. Twitter is arguably the most valuable tool for breaking news and trending topics in today’s modern world, but what is never seen is the effort that goes into making the platform’s content worth of a post. We proofread each post and reworked writing to sound more natural, and then sent it for approval to the group to make sure it was worth a post and ensure we did not create a duplicate story from a different account manager. Overall, it took an enormous amount of communication and teamwork to create.
Examining other group’s media platforms, I am still not sold on the functionality of Facebook Live as a news platform. It seems too time consuming to create when most consumers just want the bullet points. Instagram is a valuable tool for journalists if it is used correctly. The most important part of the post is obviously a high quality, relevant, and interesting image that draws an audiences’ attention to the comments for more information. I personally enjoy pop culture news on Instagram because of its ability to show related pictures or videos with ease.
Overall, I would put Twitter as the main hard news media platform with Instagram filling more of an entertainment news role. In the future we are sure to see other platforms take the center-stage such as Snapchat or TikTok, and we can only imagine what their value could be.
COVID’s Effect on Sports Productions
Camerawork, In the Studio
A typical SEC Network sports broadcast is a high energy and well orchestrated spectacle. This Fall, however, the control room and venues feel slower and less electric. Part of this change in tone is due to the lack of fans that typically fill up local sports venues. The other contributing factor are the new health and safety regulations to prevent the spread of COVID.
Typical sporting events in Knoxville are overwhelming. Fans are filled to the brim of whatever stadium plays host that day, and players have no fears of interacting with fans. COVID has changed all of this in one fatal swoop. The venues hold less people and require social distancing be practiced through the events entirety. This also affects the people working the games as well.
Camera crews are quarantined to the venue from crew call until the game’s resolution, and are not allowed field access of any kind. On top of this, they must wear face coverings while working and scrub their gear after use. In the control room, crew members have been thinned out to meet social distancing requirements, and plexiglass dividers sit between each workstation. These employees are also required face-coverings for the game’s entirety.
All of these typical gameday changes, and more, affect the streamlined and effective processes of producing a televised sporting event. Masks occasionally distort audio transmissions and plexiglass barriers are obstacles waiting to be knocked over. Cameramen being restricted to the venue once entering creates a difficult issue to resolve when a piece of equipment is broken or left behind. Crew meals are also done away with which lowers employee morale and forces them to bring a sack lunch on their own dime.
While these issues may not be the greatest facing our world today, they are still affecting people around us. Our daily lives may not be the same for quite some time, so we should adapt to this less energetic, more restrictive, “new normal”.
Game Days on Rocky Top During COVID-19
Home
How Rocky Top Will Feel This Saturday
October 1st, 11:13am
Ahead of The University of Tennessee’s home opener, we look forward to football being back on Rocky Top, but we will miss some traditional aspects of what makes Knoxville special on a Fall Saturday. It is well-known that capacity will be at 25% in Neyland Stadium, but the university has also confirmed that there will be no Vol Walk either. The Tennessee tradition is anything but social distancing as players walk across campus embracing fans before the game, so its cancellation comes as no big surprise. One shocking cancellation is the removal of one blue-tick coonhound from the sideline of Shields-Watkins Field. The COVID-19 protocols for NCAA schools only allow vital personnel access to the field level to protect the players, and sadly Smokey X does not fall under the category of vital. The players will also not run through the “Power T” due to the removal of all band members from field access. The Vols fans still have something to look forward to… it’s football time in Tennessee!
Different Atmosphere on Rocky Top
October 3rd @ 6:35pm
Today was the first Tennessee Volunteers home game during the pandemic. It felt very strange here on Rocky Top as there was no traditional Vol Walk or running through the “Power T”. The stands were peppered with socially distanced fans and the coaches were required to wear face coverings throughout the entire game. The Volunteers did secure a dominant victory over the Missouri Tigers, but the looming presence of the pandemic seemed to put a damper on those wearing orange. The sounds of Neyland are typically seismic and electric, but the game today at 25% capacity was far from normal. In the coming weeks we may see slight increases in fan attendance, but social distancing and health concerns seem to be embedded with every game-day experience this season.
In-State Rival Memphis Ups Seating Capacity
October 6th @ 9:14 pm
The Memphis Tigers have increased their stadium capacity for pandemic games. The University of Memphis has almost tripled the previous number of 4,500 fans, bringing the stadium total to 12,000 this coming Saturday. This increase in fan attendance means that the social distancing policy will be altered from a 12 foot required separation to 6 feet. The increase in fan attendance in a smaller stadium is a good sign for Rocky Top. With in-state schools increasing their attendance, The University of Tennessee could soon see an upgrade as well, and any increase in Neyland Stadium will be far greater than any other Tennessee state program. Neyland will likely never make the same jump in fans seen in Memphis, but any step in increasing Rocky Top’s in-game noise is welcomed with open arms.
How the NCAA Has Handled COVID-19
Media
The world of sports froze in March. What is typically a month for the best basketball games of the year was overcome with the spread of coronavirus. For over four months sports fans were without anything to watch other than the occasional golf tournament or classic reruns. Today, football is managing its return while baseball, basketball, and hockey are coming to an end. However, the revenue lost in every corner of the sports world leaves a gaping hole in the industry.
COVID-19 brought the national and global economy to a screeching halt. From dairy farmers to car manufacturers, everyone has been affected by the coronavirus. Some industries have bounced back quickly through adaptation to their original business model. Yet, other industries have been at a standstill for months.
The NCAA is a billion dollar organization that manages collegiate sports nationwide and ensures the wellbeing of student-athletes. Coronavirus has been one of the greatest threats to student-athlete lifestyles, and has kept the NCAA searching for answers. To ensure the safety of its student-athletes and the fans, the NCAA and the “Power 5” conferences have drastically reduced the fan attendance and health regulations that take place in every sport. While this initiative is aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the revenue lost across the nation will be in the multi-billions.
Imagine how much money The University of Tennessee receives every game from regular admission tickets. With up to a 102,455 seating capacity and an average ticket price of $85.00 (which would likely be higher this season), the University would be losing close to $9 million every home game. This is not factoring in the concessions, box seat pricing, or merchandise stores that also raise gameday revenues.
With this lost revenue, athletic department budgets have been shredded. Thankfully, The University of Tennessee has done everything possible to retain employees, but this means that media budgets, facility updates, gameday experiences, and everything else that makes an athletic program stand out will be the first to go. Video production crews have already been reduced which means more room for error in broadcasts. Also, instead of broadcasting from efficient production trucks, the University will now be operating out of their in-house studios which is uncharted territory.
The average viewer at home may not notice all of these dramatic changes in typical gamedays, but the behind the scenes of colleges across the nation will be messy and underfunded. The good news is that most colleges still maintain a group of donors to get them through these uncertain times and keep safe what matters most in all of this- the people.
The Modern Journalist’s New Friend
Media
The social app TikTok is currently dominating the global media scene with its meteoric rise and newly famous personalities. The app has led the world in downloads over the past year and joined the list of commonplace social media platforms in the average person’s phone. Many people use TikTok simply for entertainment in the form of dancing, dares, or daily blogs, but others are using this new platform to further their business. Instead of simply recording a video of a dance trend, some journalists are adding deeper meaning to the usage of TikTok in creative ways.
The best journalists on TikTok know that to hold an audience on a fast-paced platform, you need to entertain while informing. Nick Kosir, a weatherman with FOX46 in Charlotte, might be the best example of this adapting to the platform. Kosir has gone viral with his dancing abilities on and off the air. He has coined the name “The Dancing Weatherman” and gained over a million followers in TikTok which is no small feat. Kosir understands that TikTok is the most effective platform at gaining an audience with his talent. He has built his brand and maintained his audience’s attention so that he is known nationally, and perhaps globally.
On smaller scales, plenty of other journalists are using TikTok to simply share their information with those listening. Countless bloggers and lifestyle enthusiasts have turned to TikTok to share style trends, news, and life hacks. DevanOnDeck has branded himself as a men’s lifestyle journalist on TikTok with over three million followers. With the use of colorful content and popular editing transitions made available through the app, Devan has branded himself as a style guru.
The best journalists adapt to the times and use what tools are popular for the masses. Having a well-branded image on TikTok is a sure way to reach new audience members that are younger, while maintaining other demographics with platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. People go on TikTok to be entertained in a split second. If one can produce energetic and interesting content with the effective tools TikTok provides, then audiences will constantly return to be entertained again.
The Cameraman and COVID-19
Media
The vast world of sports has countless people that depend on it for their livelihood. To the common viewer at home, they might assume I am referring to sports betting or the players with multi-million dollar contracts, but I am not. With no sports to be televised, there is no need for the people who produce live sports for the viewers at home. At any sporting event, there can be anywhere from ten to one hundred crew members that are hard at work documenting the game for those not in attendance. These videographers arrive at games long before the first whistle, and stay long after the last fan exits the building. They are dependent on the players suiting up and competing, while the audience might not even realize they are there. But what do these crew-members do when there are no sports to be filmed?
When the pandemic of COVID-19 hit, sports were cancelled indefinitely. For the safety of the players and fans, this was the correct decision while we sought to understand the risks of the coronavirus. What many people did not realize however, was that thousands of videographers were left without work. They rely on basketball season ending, and baseball season immediately beginning. Instead, they were left in limbo.
The majority of live sports productions are freelance jobs and therefore work is never guaranteed. Six months without the majority of sports playing, and these freelancers have no income to depend on. “When COVID-19 arrived, I went from working four games a week to nothing. I had to find a part time job to compensate for lost income” says Peyton Craven, a lead replay operator for sports in Knoxville.
This is an issue for freelance videographers. And while sports are beginning to make a comeback, every crew member has had to make changes within their lives during these uncertain times. So the next time you watch a game on television or an app, think about the people that are making it possible for you to be a part of the game. You may not see them, but they are there.
Sports: Brought to You by Students
MediaThe University of Tennessee is readily equipping a group of students for a career in live television production.
VFL Films, a production department at the university, employs around thirty students that work key roles in the production of the Vols’ home games. The students, most of whom have little prior production experience, run jobs such as camera operator, replay operator, audio technician, and associate director for ESPN, SEC Network, and online broadcasts of every home sporting event through the year. The students gain invaluable experience in a competitive field, and the university can maintain its own production team as opposed to freelancing for every event.
The Bachelor and Baseball on UT’s Campus
MediaThe University of Tennessee played host to Colton Underwood, the most recent contestant on “The Bachelor”, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at a home baseball game.
Underwood’s season on the “The Bachelor” ended in March, and he visited Tennessee’s campus to promote his charity for children with cystic fibrosis during a midweek baseball game versus in-state opponent Lipscomb University. While on campus, Underwood worked closely with VFL Films as he held a media availability in the departments studio, and visited the commentators booth during the televised broadcast of the game.
A Tough Two Weeks for VFL Films
In the StudioOver the two week span from March 5 to 18, VFL Films, a video production department at the University of Tennessee, covered ten games ranging over three sports. The stretch of games began with the final basketball broadcast of the season, and ended with a top-25 softball matchup.
A handheld cameraman and his utility shoot the postgame interview with Admiral Schofield (photo courtesy of Andrew Chase).
There was rain, wind, and sunshine over that period, and the majority of the games were outdoors. People want their sports whether it be a rainy winter evening or a warm spring day. “It gets challenging when you are juggling multiple sports at once to keep everything straight” says Ross Goodman, a producer for VFL Films. He says “There definitely is stress involved with working so many games and the season can turn into a grind if you allow it to. However, you try to enjoy each game and make it fun.”
Behind The Lens 