Journalism has taken on many forms over time and has undergone many changes in the process. From print media to the first broadcasts, journalism has been shaped and reshaped time and time again.
One such change has been the emergence of television news magazine shows, which was pioneered 40 years ago by CBS with “60 Minutes”. The show was revolutionary for television and provided a staple for American culture with the ticking clock
Roughly 28 years later, HBO unveiled the sports counter-part to “60 Minutes,” with Real Sports hosted by Bryant Gumbel. The show has pushed the issue on many topics related to sports, like race and international incidents. They also added a debriefing segment after each story where the reporter would be asked questions by Gumbel and add any more interesting tidbits for their story.
However, with the debut of E:60, ESPN’s try at a news magazine show, the landscape for this market has been changed.
Away are the stiff suites and traditional camera work and in their place are young reporters who show up to their production meetings with open collars and jeans. They have a clock too, but in 2007, the clock has turned digital.
E:60 has video of the production meetings, see why the reporter wants to do the story and what problems they have with the story. They also have “web bios” for each of the reporters that allow you to get to know the people telling you the stories.
So, for news consumers today, there is the traditional (60 Minutes), the modern (E:60) and the in-between (Real Sports). With journalism organizations trying to find what connections to the young adult demographic, has ESPN hit the mark with their new show?
E:60 will have to overcome some issues in breaking away from the conventional way of doing this type of show, but being bold and being committed with air time and money will make this show a success and change the way we as a society look at in-depth reporting both in sports and other genres.
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