All your Michelle are belong to us

South Cackalackey TV boss puts life size cutout of Michelle in newsroom and says to cater everything to her.

» TV newsroom uses ‘Michelle’ the cardboard cutout to portray its target viewer JIMROMENESKO.COM


Here’s Kelly’s memo to her reporters and producers (via ftvlive.com):

Subject: MEET Michelle

Michelle is who you want watching your newscasts, your stories.

She will be in every editorial meeting with us and in the newsroom during the day. She will likely make occasional trips to Greenville and Anderson.

When you pitch, pitch to her. When you write, write to her.

This is who we need watching in February.

Women 25-54 is her demo.

She has children and she cares about:
Their Safety
Saving Money
Recalls that have impact on her family

Even if you think a story doesn’t directly impact Michelle find a way to write it to her.

Give her additional information that is relevant to her.

Post stories and send alerts on stories she cares about.

 

I'm sue she'll appreciate those UFC highlights.

 

Can she copy edit?
Hell, this is the kind of thinking that has newsrooms where they are today. There probably isn't a local news (TV or print) outlet that doesn't have the same guidelines.

 

All the news that's fit to bend.

 

Well, it worked for these guys:

 

I once had a managing editor who joked that whenever I took time off and she had to fill in on the sports page (yeah, small shop), she would make sports section entirely about gymnastics and figure skating.

So there's that station's sportscast all throughout February: Little Jenny's skate meet instead of Little Bobby's basketball game.

 

People are never really interested in watching/reading what they say they want. A newscast filled with recalls and money saving tips would have a new boss inside of a month.

 

"Have Great Mom Sex" would be a ratings winner for sure.

 

Find love at Barnes and Noble

 

Wins the thread!

 

Solid 6.

Strike that... Corrugated 6.

 

You can laugh all you want about this sort of thing...but I know for a fact Gene Pope created an entire genre of American journalism by demanding his editors and writers at the National Enquirer write every story for a mythical Ethel in Keokuk, Iowa. And if you wrote a story that Mr. Pope thought could get Ethel's husband, George, to slap his hands and say, "Ethel, did you see this!" then you got a cash bonus.