SnapStream’s ‘TV Searcher’ Blog

Sometimes, we hear about cool and unexpected ways that our customers are using our TV search technology.  This one example.

Local TV stations live and die by their local news operations.  In their 2008 “State of the News Media”, The Project for Excellence in Journalism says:

Newsrooms are a big factor in the economic success of local television. They contributed 42% to a station’s total revenue, according to local news directors. And the majority of these news directors say their newsrooms are profitable.

So competitive intelligence for a local TV station is important — this means knowing who’s getting the scoop on local news stories and how other local TV stations are covering the local news.  And that’s why one of our local TV station customers started using their SnapStream Server to scan for the words “breaking news” filtered on the names of their local news competitors.

This particular local TV station setup multiple SnapStream E-mail TV Alerts on the exact phrase “breaking news” for each of their local market competitors.  And by setting the frequency to “as it happens”, the news director of this TV station now gets an e-mail alert everytime a competitive local station is reporting on “breaking news”!

For example, at 10pm yesterday, they might have received this mention of breaking news on our local ABC station:

13 Eyewitness News at 10PM  Yesterday, 10:00 PM - 13 hours ago >>> Breaking news tops the news, right now firefighters are battling a two-alarm warehouse fire. Authorities are not sure exactly what is burning at the elwood warehouse but they are evacuating that building. We have on the telephone assistant fire chief from the houston fire department omar longoria. Channel: 13 (KTRK) – Show Length:34:27 - Play - View Transcript - Download Transcript - More

We thought this was pretty cool, so we’ve setup e-mail TV alerts on “breaking news” on a couple of the SnapStream Servers we are running here in our office.

So whether it’s sports news on ESPN:

SportsCenter  Today, 9:12 AM - 2 hours ago The sentencing hearing will be carried live here on “sportscenter” at noon eastern. Roger cossack will return to discuss that. We appreciate the insights this morning. >> My pleasure.breaking news out of the nfl and it is about the new england patriots who have signed another player. You may have heard of him before, linebacker junior seau entering his 19th season. He’s returning to the patriots once again. He played for them in 2006 and in 2007, a 12-time pro bowler. Channel: 33 (ESPN) – Show Length:59:42 - Play - View Transcript - Download Transcript - More

Or celebrity gossip on EXTRA (OK, maybe they shouldn’t be calling some of this stuff “breaking news”!):

EXTRA  Wed 12/3, 4:33 PM - 2 days ago I have a contrac through 2011. So right now that’s what I have. Until somebody wris me another one. Ok? >> We need you. >> No, you don’t. >> Oprah was in new york last night honoring susan taylor. Breaking news. She reveals there’s big time confusion about who’s throwing the party of all parties at obama’s inauguration next mom. >> Everybody is calling me about having a party. Channel: 12 (KPRC) – Show Length:33:53 - Play - View Transcript - Download Transcript - More

Or national news on Fox News:

Hannity & Colmes  Yesterday, 8:31 PM - 15 hours ago The next news break is about an hour away, “hannity and colmes” continues right now. breaking news tonight in the minnesota senate recount. While most of the votes are recounted norm coleman is sill in the lead. Yesterday 171 ballots turned up giving franken an extra 37 votes, and with thousands of challenged ballots, his 316 lead could easily change. According to the republican party of minnesota franken is calling for an investigation into a minneapolis church and could possibly be connected to more than a hundred missing votes. Channel: 38 (FNC) – Show Length:1:03:53 - Play - View Transcript - Download Transcript - More

Searching on the term “breaking news” is one useful way to put your finger on the pulse of television!

One field where SnapStream’s TV search technology is having an impact is broadcast television research in the field of journalism.  Rather than manually transcribing TV broadcasts for the purposes of content analysis, researchers are using SnapStream to automatically retrieve full transcripts for TV shows.

We recently heard from one such customer, Dr. Nancy Jennings from the University of Cincinatti.  Broadly, Dr. Jennings’ research has focused on children and the media (this article talks more about Dr. Jennings’ research background).  Dr. Jennings’ current research, for which she is using SnapStream, seeks to inform the development of television and online media that increases in literacy young children:

“I’m very pleased with the SnapStream server.  I have used it thus far to record Saturday and Sunday morning children’s shows for the entire month of October on 8 different channels simultaneously.  I’m just beginning to get through that data, so I don’t have any findings yet.  But it was such a pleasure using the server compared to how I was doing it before…literally having 8 different VCRs taping different shows on different machines, then having to digitize them after that.  I also recorded 2 of 3 presidential debates and the vice-presidential debate on the SnapStream on several different stations at once.  I’m curious to look at the commentary of the debates by the different stations, and now I can code it by time stamp as well.    It has also helped me with some experimental studies of educational television that I’m doing.  Through use of the SnapStream server, I was able to record programming on HBOFamily called Happily Ever After which has inspired a new line of research with a PBS Ready-To-Learn program called Super Why.  Also, the transcription function is phenomenal!  I’m sure that would come in handy with content analysis of language use.  I’m hoping I may use that with another study on another PBS Ready-To-Learn program called MarthaSpeaks.”