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One Telco's Local Content Success by Ken Pyle |
January 20th, 2004 Issue |
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Telcos of all sizes and shapes realize that video has to be a feature of their service offering. The challenge is how to get started with an activity that is so radically different than providing dialtone and Internet access. To compete against the much larger, better funded entities that have deeper content connections, it is important that independent telephone companies take a holistic approach to the creation of content. What this means is that, where possible, the production of video should be part of a program that leverages the telco’s other marketing and community activities. If done right, video promotes existing activities, while the existing activities promote viewership of video. The resulting content produced could be anything from a single event to a program series. Horizon Chillicothe Telephone is one example of a telephone company that has been on the cutting edge of local content production. They were purely a telephone company up until a few years ago, when they were asked by their city leaders to offer cable service. After deliberation, they opted to rebuild their network with high speed VDSL as a last mile access technology. One of Horizon Chillicothe’s initial drivers for producing their own content was to give them a channel that the competing MSO (Multiple System Operator) would not be able to match. They have been very aggressive in the implementation of local, original content. They have redefined the abbreviation “itv” to stand for “inside the valley”. inside the valley, is Horizon Chillicothe’s weekly program that covers events of interest to their community. The half-hour program is pre-recorded with new episodes appearing every Thursday. It is then replayed several times for those who missed it the first time. The first season consisted of 12 episodes. Additionally, they created a special version of that aired live every night from their county fair. This was so popular that Horizon Chillicothe received requests for videotapes of this event. They look for segments that are unique to their area. For instance, they aired segments on “haunted houses” of their county. An example of one of their activities that links their community involvement with the creation of original video content is their pumpkin carving contest. In this event, kids submit their carved pumpkins to be judged in various categories. The winners of the contest appear on the television show. A measure of their success is that they have been able to convince local businesses to support this programming through advertising. Horizon’s Chillicothe’s productions are a team effort. It involves a team of 15 people who plan and produce each episode. All of the team members hold their regular, full-time job at Horizon, so the net effect has been the production of some pretty unique content without adding any staff. Since this team consists of members the Horizon Chillicothe marketing group, they easily integrate promotional efforts across their other forms of promotion, such as bill inserts and newsletters. Interestingly, only one member of their team has previous experience in television, proving that initiative and drive is probably more important than a degree in radio and television. All displayed trademarks, logos and service marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2004, Viodi, LLC. All Rights Reserved |
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