A news organization is no longer just a newspaper, just a television channel or just a radio station – it’s everywhere. And everywhere on the web is exactly where you’ll find CNN, thanks in part to digital producer Eric Weisbrod.
Above: Weisbrod posted this photo to his Instagram page ahead of the 2012 election night.
Weisbrod’s interest in media began at his high school’s TV station in Massachusetts. He went on to attend George Washington University, majoring in TV production. While in college, he interned on CNN’s “Crossfire” show. After graduating in 2005, he landed a freelance news assistant job at CNN. In 2006, Weisbrod started as a production assistant on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” show, where he produced segments highlighting ways the internet is changing daily life.
He soon recognized the power of platforms such as Facebook for sharing news.
“I noticed that 'The Situation Room' really had no social media presence,” Weisbrod explained. “So I launched all of our Twitter and Facebook accounts. And at this time there wasn’t any dedicated person to do all of this, so I just started doing it and that was on top of my other responsibilities for the show.”
What began as a side project soon turned into a full-time job for Weisbrod. Since 2012, he’s held the title of digital producer of social programming, leading CNN’s Washington, D.C. bureau digital and social media team.
Weisbrod’s job is to promote CNN's D.C. shows and politics in the most effective way possible, using social platforms on the web. This involves drumming up buzz online before and during CNN-TV programming, as well as creating social-specific content such as short video clips or infographics that are quick and easy to consume by web users.
The wartime scars changed survivors & their children forever. "Voices of Auschwitz" will air shortly on CNN & @CNNgo
https://t.co/V9vObsZ5Jm
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2015
The American hostage that #ISIS claims was killed has been identified as Kayla Mueller, 26. http://t.co/SjNqH7B4tV pic.twitter.com/ph7kqB4Xe3
— CNN (@CNN) February 6, 2015
“What I’m doing has evolved as social media evolved and become more a part of journalism. I can confidently say that I feel our social presence is just as important as our TV channel or as our website. CNN’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Vine offers different ways for people to follow the news, especially as you have a lot of people who aren’t turning on the TV to get the news or going to a news website – they’re just following us on social media. So what we try to do is put the most compelling information right there on Facebook or Twitter so you’re still going to discover CNN content.”
Along with being very active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine, CNN launched a Snapchat presence on Jan. 26, 2015. The mobile-only photo and video messaging app based on “snaps” that disappear after a few seconds might seem like an unusual place to consume news, but it’s just the latest example of CNN’s effort to be everywhere online.
Above: Weisbrod posted this Vine video showing him using CNN's Snapchat portal.
Occasionally, this aggressive strategy backfires. In 2008, CNN created a virtual island in the online multiplayer game Second Life. The idea was that gamers would gather at the island and discuss news. After a few months of minimal success, the concept was scrapped. Click here for a blogger's brief review of CNN's Second Life hub.
An “average” day for Weisbrod doesn’t exist. His work changes based on upcoming special programming or breaking news.
Above: Weisbrod shared this photo of CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau to his Instagram Jan. 2015.
Planning ahead is key to ensure maximum social media reach.
“Believe it or not, we’re already starting to think about 2016 elections… the ways that we can have a unique, great social plan,” he said.
As social platforms and user media habits are constantly evolving, so is CNN’s online presence. During the 2014 midterm election, Weisbrod and his colleagues experimented with various methods of distributing news more quickly and in a more visually appealing format.
“I really wanted Twitter or Facebook to feel like a breaking news channel just like TV or our app breaking news alerts,” he explained of CNN’s election night social media strategy. “But I didn’t want to just do it as text. I wanted to play into what really makes Facebook and Twitter posts shine and do it the best way possible. So we designed a template for infographics… I led a team of designers and as soon as they [CNN-TV anchors] called a race we’d put up these infographics. And they did really, really well and a lot of them went viral.”
Weisbrod has tips: “You have to love the news. You can’t say social media is your expertise. Your expertise has to be politics, it has to be history, it has to be journalism – something that makes you credible at presenting the news.”
He suggests getting journalism experience at a newspaper or TV station before jumping into his line of work. A foundation of good journalism is invaluable. “I really think that integrity should always be about the journalism first. You need to be a good journalist.”
Social media and mobile content viewing are changing the fundamental way news is presented at CNN. Compared to the past, when CNN was exclusively viewed on televisions, text broadcast on the network is now larger, and camera angles are tighter to complement viewers watching on smaller-screened devices.
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| Viewers can watch CNN on almost any device, thanks to CNNgo, the network's online streaming application. (Photo courtesy: CNN) |
Weisbrod’s work does not simply send viewers to watch CNN-TV; it helps to broaden CNN’s reach as a multimedia news organization producing content for every platform.
