It's not my title. Diane Mermigas from MediaPost wrote the article "6 Ways To Improve Broadcast TV". I thought it was an interesting read as several predictions are made for revenue in 2009. So what are the basics of the 6 Tips she provides.......
*Go direct for Internet-based download, time-shift and pay TV (including day-and-date) to soften recessionary blows. Netflix's booming new direct to TV downloads are cheap and convenient. Give consumers what they want in a user-friendly way.
*Consider what's working and try it. Digital home entertainment spending (home DVDs and games) rose 3% in 2008 with family genres games contributing more than one-third of the growth to the $11 billion videogames market. Family DVD sales fell 18%. Is there a Wii in your station's future?
*Invest in quality--not quantity--while reducing overall content production, distribution and marketing costs. Cable networks that prove a few good original series go a long way. Hitless broadcast networks need to make innovation and creativity job one. Going digital means more than loading mediocre product online--something YouTube does well and still can't monetize.
*Launch dynamic ubiquitous mechanisms (dashboards) to create, effectively price, sell and coordinate cross-platform advertising. TV stations especially need it.
*Make "local" a star. Craigslist rules because newspapers and TV stations abdicated their community advertiser and consumer ties. Revamp as an enterprising, relevant consumer-centric local hub for all digital interactive platforms and mobile devices.
*Bite the bullet. Begin eliminating and replacing legacy with all-digital structure and costs everywhere on a graduated three-year plan. There is no other way out.
These tips don't just apply to TV, I can see they have relevance across a broad spectrum of properties and situations.