When a huge, complicated news story like the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy breaks, those without a solid background in the topic being discussed turn to the news media in the hopes of an explanation — hopefully one using small words and perhaps some helpful charts and diagrams.
More news outlets are starting to explore using online video for this purpose, and this morning I thought it’d be interesting to compare how two different established producers approach a story of this magnitude. Bloomberg Television and the Associated Press have both been using YouTube since 2006 to put out short clips of the day’s news — and this morning, both released one-minute videos about the news. How do they stack up?
Bloomberg for the web just reappropriates an anchor segment from Bloomberg TV, the video ending with the anchor cut off in off mid-sentence — even the lower-third news crawl from the broadcast remains intact. However, host Mark Barton’s fast-paced reading means that he’s able to include a third bit of news regarding the AIG search for a $40 billion bridging loan, and somehow his British accent makes statements like “filing for bankruptcy protection” not sound like the end of the world.
AP’s news nugget is clearly produced specifically for web distribution, and it’s done on the cheap — the video consists entirely of voice-over coupled with b-roll footage of street signs, people walking on the streets, and, thrillingly, people walking into buildings. But the voice-over is better written, with familiar touches about how the government “suggested” that Bank of America buy Merrill Lynch after BofA was unable to get a loan to purchase Lehman Brothers. The piece covers less news, but in greater depth, and ends cleanly.
Both approaches are low-budget and have varying levels of success — while it’s easier to engage with a news anchor than a shot of the Merrill Lynch building, the careless way in which the Bloomberg clip starts and ends leaves one astounded that this is an official upload. It’s up to the individual which approach works best — though it’s worth noting that the AP on YouTube is the No. 3 most subscribed Reporters channel, and in the few hours this clip has been up, it’s racked up over 1,500 views. Bloomberg is way behind both in terms of subscribers and views — though it doesn’t help that they disallow embedding.
Both publications do a decent job of explaining the latest headlines in a fairly simple manner, though both are prevented from going in depth by their length. I’m still a little lost as to what the exact ramifications of the Merrill Lynch sale might be, though. Perhaps Wallstrip would be able to explain it better — for online video junkies, at least.
