Madison Road Paves Way for Citizen Network

NEW YORK Do the math. With roughly two-thirds of adult mobile users able to create and share pictures and video, and the popularity of such devices on the rise, it pays to tap into the burgeoning viewer/producer marketplace.So says branded content provider Madison Road Entertainment of its decision to partner with broadcast graphics specialist Chyron Corp. to launch an ad-supported citizen-journalism service.The network will roll out early next year, feeding content to mainstream TV outlets nationwide. For users, the set-up provides the chance to get breaking news video and snapshots aired on their local stations (provided the outlets allow them to do so). It's also the latest twist on the social-networking craze."Viewers can act as man-on-the-street reporters and connect with their TV newsrooms," said Madison Road CEO Jak Severson.Beyond on-air exposure, the user-generated coverage will be simultaneously published on the TV outlets' Web and mobile sites. For local TV stations, it's "an added hook to draw viewers to their newsroom," said Severson, noting that announcements during TV newscasts will lend marketing support.Severson said that the service's potential to attract larger, younger audiences informs his pitch to advertisers eager to reach engaged, interactive consumers. "Advertisers are immensely interested in getting to know theses cell phone users who are not just watching content but are also making content on their devices," he said.The network, which builds on Chyron's Wapstr application, will match ads with editorial content. "If someone is documenting a traffic jam, it may well serve an insurance company or tire manufacturer," explained Severson, who is currently shopping the service's "contextual targeting" to advertisers ranging from the automotive to beauty sectors.Ads will appear as a logo or graphic message on the lower third of a screen or as "over-the-shoulder" still shots behind a news anchor, among other options currently being explored, said Chyron CEO Michael Wellesley-Wesley. While he considers these techniques "unobtrusive," he cautioned that not all news content would be ad friendly. "I'm not sure how quickly broadcasters would be prepared to adopt an advertiser's model within the news environment," he conceded. "I think it will have far more application and be a far larger revenue generator for local stations in other daypart segments, not completely news dominated."By the same token, Wellesley-Wesley believes advertisers may think twice about sponsoring certain hard news, including the catastrophe beat. "Whether major advertisers would want to be associated with a major disaster is [unclear]. It's a tricky advertiser message: 'The tsunami, brought to you by ... !' " "The major use will be in the realm of entertainment," continued Wellesley-Wesley, stating that deals are currently being secured with star-minded shows like Entertainment Tonight. "Viewers will be encouraged to send in photos of celebrities in strange situations," he said. The partners even have a term for their wireless celebrity hounds: WAParazzi.

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Madison Road Paves Way for Citizen Network

Laura Blum

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