General Can this news service get Millenials interested in watching the news and being better informed?

[MachidaKarate]

So, Millennials don't really watch the news.

The median age of Fox News and MSNBC viewers is about 65 and the median age of CNN viewers is about 60. I don't have stats for network news, but I doubt they are appreciably different.

I know I didn't give even one fuck about watching the news until I hit my 30s, so it was interesting when I learned recently about this streaming news channel called Cheddar Big News, a general headline news service aimed at younger audiences. (There is also the original Cheddar, a financial news channel that's been described as "CNBC for Millennials").

According the company's website:

Cheddar is the leading post-cable news, media, and entertainment company.

Cheddar broadcasts live on SlingTV, Hulu Live, YouTube TV, Philo, Twitter, Facebook Watch, Pluto, Xumo and more.

Watched live by more than 6.5M people each month, Cheddar also garners hundreds of millions of organic video views monthly across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social & distributed video platforms.

Cheddar currently broadcasts two live video news networks: Cheddar, a business news network covering the most innovative executives, founders, products, and technologies transforming our lives and economy; and Cheddar Big News, a fast-paced, young, non-partisan general news and headline news network.

The company broadcasts from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, its street level studio in the glass corner of the Sprint Store in the Flatiron Building, WeWork in Los Angeles, and the White House.

If you want to check it out, you can stream here:

Cheddar

So here's my question: Do you guys think this can be successful? Could a service like this turn Millennials onto following the news more closely and having a more well-rounded understanding of national and world events?

 

[nuraknu]

Wait who are millennials now? How old are they?

I feel like millennial is going to change its meaning through usage to just always mean "20-something", even 100 years from now.

 

[MachidaKarate]

Wait who are millennials now? How old are they?

I feel like millennial is going to change its meaning through usage to just always mean "20-something", even 100 years from now.

Well I know there's no firm consensus but one thing I just read said the Millennialsl generation encompasses those born from 1981 to 1996. I've seen other sources that push it all the way to the year 2000.

So for the purposes of this discussion I'd say we're talking about anyone ranging between ages 18 to 36. I am mostly thinking about 20-somethings, though.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

I feel like cable news is going to be a thing of the past very soon - it's all going digital. The new generation just doesn't have the attention span for it. And maybe that's a good thing - I can't even imagine what a few hours of watching CNN will do to the human brain. Probably similar to the effects of sniffing glue.

It's a big enough challenge to get people to read past a fucking headline. And it's damn near impossible to get people to watch an online news video all the way through. Hence, the advent of those 30-second TOV's (text on videos).

 

[MachidaKarate]

I feel like cable news is going to be a thing of the past very soon - it's all going digital. The new generation just doesn't have the attention span for it. And maybe that's a good thing - I can't even imagine what a few hours of watching CNN will do to the human brain. Probably similar to the effects of sniffing glue.

It's a big enough challenge to get people to read past a fucking headline. And it's damn near impossible to get people to watch an online news video all the way through. Hence, the advent of those 30-second TOV's (text on videos).

Well Cheddar is available through a handful of cable providers but it IS digital and is also available for streaming directly from their website, on YouTube TV, via their Roku app and so on.

It is cable news-like in its format, however. I've seen other people say they think this model is dying but I am not convinced. I think there will always be a need for linear news services that you can just turn on and let roll.

You said it's hard to get people to watch news videos online. I don't even do much of that myself. But that's a different experience than just waking up and turning the news on and letting it play while I make breakfast. Or coming home and letting it roll in the background as I get settled in.

 

[nuraknu]

Well Cheddar is available through a handful of cable providers but it IS digital and is also available for streaming directly from their website, on YouTube TV, via their Roku app and so on.

It is cable news-like in its format, however. I've seen other people say they think this model is dying but I am not convinced. I think there will always be a need for linear news services that you can just turn on and let roll.

You said it's hard to get people to watch news videos online. I don't even do much of that myself. But that's a different experience than just waking up and turning the news on and letting it play while I make breakfast. Or coming home and letting it roll in the background as I get settled in.

I think I have seen cheddar sponsor bits on news programs

 

[member 3289]

Trump voters put all their trust into RT America

 

[maurice]

You can't get young people to start "watching the news" . . . which is a good thing. Do we really need more people watching the propaganda on Fox News and MSNBC?

That doesn't mean they're ill-informed. On the contrary, studies have shown that people who don't watch cable news are actually better informed, apparently because they get their news from more reliable sources.

 

[MachidaKarate]

You can't get young people to start "watching the news" . . . which is a good thing. Do we really need more people watching the propaganda on Fox News and MSNBC?

That doesn't mean they're ill-informed. On the contrary, studies have shown that people who don't watch cable news are actually better informed, apparently because they get their news from more reliable sources.

First off, cable news has developed a bad reputation on some levels, but I think people get pretty hyperbolic when attacking outlets like Fox.

Let me tell you about uninformed: Last night I was talking to friend of mine and he had never heard of Antifa. He had never heard about the controversy surrounding Trump's family separations. He had no idea there's a huge fire raging in California. The dude is a black hole when it comes to knowing anything about what's going on in the world and I'd venture a guess that a LOT of younger people--especially people under 30--are similarly clueless.

Second, I'll point out that broadcast news is a delivery method, not a journalistic ideology. If you don't like Fox or CNN then watch the CBS Nightly News or BBC International or go find some outlet you do like. But don't act like news delivered in a video-based format is somehow less reliable because it's not in print.

Besides, I never said you should get all your news from one place.

Also, I'd be curious to know know what outlets you'd recommend that you feel are substantially more reliable than broadcast news outlets.

 

[MachidaKarate]

An interesting interview with the Cheddar CEO:

https://decider.com/2018/04/19/cheddar-ceo-jon-steinberg-interview/

 

[Banchan]

No

 

[MachidaKarate]

No

Insightful.

 

[Banchan]

Insightful.

Well since you're talking about my group but millenials dont trust any one news service. Usually they hear about events and try to piece things together using multiple sources rather than dedicate themselves to one source. Cheddar would just be one source among many who is advertising on social media but no more unbiased or reliable necessarily.

 

[Banchan]

Wait who are millennials now? How old are they?

I feel like millennial is going to change its meaning through usage to just always mean "20-something", even 100 years from now.

Anyone under the cusp of REAL adulthood. Currently early thirties and under. Yes early thirties is now consider in the young adult category where it used to be late twenties where the cut off.

 

[MachidaKarate]

Well since you're talking about my group but millenials dont trust any one news service. Usually they hear about events and try to piece things together using multiple sources rather than dedicate themselves to one source. Cheddar would just be one source among many who is advertising on social media but no more unbiased or reliable necessarily.

I support not placing all your trust in any single news outlet, but where does the assumption come from that if you watch Cheddar you can't also get your news from other places as well? If you're going to get your news from multiple sources, that's good, but why can't Cheddar be one of those sources?

I watch Fox a lot, but I also occasionally watch CNN, CBSN and RT, and I have a news app on my phone that aggregates articles from several different outlets.

 

[PaleAndGangly]

TV news, like regular TV, is going to be a thing of the past. It’s all about people watching what they want, when they want.

 

[MachidaKarate]

TV news, like regular TV, is going to be a thing of the past. It’s all about people watching what they want, when they want.

You never just want to have something on, but don't have anything specific in mind? You don't like to just have something playing in the background as you get ready for work, cook dinner, play on the computer, fold laundry, etc?

The thing about news-gathering via going out and reading a bunch of articles and hunting down videos on YouTube is that it's much more active and takes a lot more effort than just turning on a news broadcast and letting it roll. I think there are times for all of us where we don't want to, or can't, put a lot of time and effort into catching up on current events and we just want to be able to sit down and be fed the news of the day. Let them do all the work of curating stories and editing it all together while you take 10 minutes or 30 minutes or an hour to consume it.

I tend to turn the news on first thing when I wake up and will let it roll for the first hour or so while I get ready for the day. Then I'll usually turn it on again when I get home in the evening while I get settled in. And usually a third time as I'm getting ready for bed.

So I rarely just sit down on the couch with a beer and watch the news, but rather I fit it in during times when I'm doing menial tasks but can still keep an eye on the TV. I think there will always be a place for services like this. And that's not even to consider the value of live news coverage during sudden events of massive consequence.

Can you imagine 9/11 without any professional live television coverage?

 

[Jesus X]

Wait who are millennials now? How old are they?

I feel like millennial is going to change its meaning through usage to just always mean "20-something", even 100 years from now.

millenials are people born from 1981 to 1996 which to me is a stupid definition because I don't have much in common with people born from 1991-1996 and people born in 1981-1990 had a way different upbringing. I didn't own a cellphone until I was 20 or have a computer until I was 16. technology wasn't as important.

 

[PaleAndGangly]

You never just want to have something on, but don't have anything specific in mind? You don't like to just have something playing in the background as you get ready for work, cook dinner, play on the computer, fold laundry, etc?

The thing about news-gathering via going out and reading a bunch of articles and hunting down videos on YouTube is that it's much more active and takes a lot more effort than just turning on a news broadcast and letting it roll. I think there are times for all of us where we don't want to, or can't, put a lot of time and effort into catching up on current events and we just want to be able to sit down and be fed the news of the day. Let them do all the work of curating stories and editing it all together while you take 10 minutes or 30 minutes or an hour to consume it.

I tend to turn the news on first thing when I wake up and will let it roll for the first hour or so while I get ready for the day. Then I'll usually turn it on again when I get home in the evening while I get settled in. And usually a third time as I'm getting ready for bed.

So I rarely just sit down on the couch with a beer and watch the news, but rather I fit it in during times when I'm doing menial tasks but can still keep an eye on the TV. I think there will always be a place for services like this. And that's not even to consider the value of live news coverage during sudden events of massive consequence.

Can you imagine 9/11 without any professional live television coverage?

Sometimes I have things on for white noise, mostly when I'm laying in bed falling asleep. I usually put on a podcast. Something boring to put me to sleep. Or I play Netflix on my phone with headphones as I fall asleep to a show I've watched several times like The Office or Friends, or something.

 

[Banchan]

I support not placing all your trust in any single news outlet, but where does the assumption come from that if you watch Cheddar you can't also get your news from other places as well? If you're going to get your news from multiple sources, that's good, but why can't Cheddar be one of those sources?

I watch Fox a lot, but I also occasionally watch CNN, CBSN and RT, and I have a news app on my phone that aggregates articles from several different outlets.

Well if youth are not watching those stations what makes you think they will watch Cheddar?

 

[MachidaKarate]

Well if youth are not watching those stations what makes you think they will watch Cheddar?

Well Cheddar is specifically geared toward younger audiences. The style is meant to appeal to younger people, with lots of bright colors and motion graphics, and most anchors appear to be under 40. And the selection of stories also skews younger, with the channel covering a lot of news that will be interesting to Millennials but that you just would not see on CNN or Fox.

For instance, I just turned it on to see what they were covering and there was a story about Ariana Grande's appearance on Carpool Karoke. They cover more serious news as well of course, but they frequently work this youth-oriented kind of content into their story line-up.

Apparently the approach is actually working, in that 60% of Cheddar's audience is under 35 according their website, but I'm not sure how many people are actually tuning in.

 

[kneeblock]

Desus and Mero are the template of tomorrow's news shows imo.

 

[MachidaKarate]

Desus and Mero are the template of tomorrow's news shows imo.

So the future of news is a comedy duo who, to my understanding, don't even do their own reporting but just discuss the news as gathered by others?

 

[kneeblock]

So the future of news is a comedy duo who, to my understanding, don't even do their own reporting but just discuss the news as gathered by others?

Yep. Pardon the Interruption for news, basically summarized off of Twitter. I'm not optimistic that young folk can stomach much more.

 

[MachidaKarate]

Yep. Pardon the Interruption for news, basically summarized off of Twitter. I'm not optimistic that young folk can stomach much more.

I sure hope that's not the future of news. Young people eventually grow up to be older people and I sincerely hope that as they grow older they'll grow more interested in understanding what's going on in the world.

I never cared about the news until I was in my 30s. I always figured if something big happened, I'd eventually hear about it one way or another. But when that changed it basically changed overnight and I became a news junkie almost with the flip of a switch.

I think for me this was largely because I became interested not just in understanding current events, but also in the actual process of news gathering and dissemination. I became interested in the journalistic method and the news business itself.