TV Production

How can research tools can help TV producers?

The role of television is to entertain, educate and inform. But in today’s world of the 24-hour news cycle, always-on social media and fake news, it’s essential for TV producers to do their due diligence before putting people or information on the air. Failing to do so can cost them (and their network) their credibility, their reputation and ultimately their audience.

Research tools can be invaluable resources for TV producers, who, depending on the type of show – whether it’s a game show, reality TV, news program, or talk show – need them to:

• conduct background checks for adverse news on candidates, guests, experts, contestants and challengers
• verify facts and ensure accuracy and trustworthiness of information
• find experts and guests to interview
• research past news stories to find interesting questions to ask interview guests
• pinpoint topics of interest to their viewers
• identify potential risks and conflicts
• gather information to disseminate
• find inspiration for new ways to tell old stories
• stay informed on news developments
• keep up to date with what the competition is doing – and stay ahead of the curve

Fact-checking and background checks

Given today’s media landscape, fact-checking meticulously and conducting thorough background checks have never been more important. Responsible networks, their TV producers and other media professionals are therefore investing more time, money and effort into making sure that the people they put on the air are quoting accurate data, referencing verified stories and don’t have any skeletons in their closets. Overlooking a scandal, failing to unearth misconduct or presenting a fraudulent individual can mean bad news for your show.

To protect your production from these costly mistakes, using credible sources to conduct this extensive research is paramount. Available research tools enable you to uncover all the facts by:

• scouring current and archived news headlines and media mentions
• searching company data, legal cases, and regulatory and industry information

Ultimately, reliable research resources allow you to:

• properly vet hosts, guests, experts and sources
• investigate stories, people, companies and connections

In the world of TV and media production, reputation is key. You need to both protect the integrity of your story and earn – and sustain – the trust of your viewers. To do this, you need to ensure that you have the right information at the right time to help you make the right decisions. Your show’s reputation and future depend on it.

Finding experts, topics and material

In addition to presenting trustworthy people and information, TV producers want to tell good stories. Again, high-quality storytelling requires finding the right people to tell the story, identifying interesting stories to tell and uncovering material to support these stories. Robust research tools can help ensure this, too. These tools are a rich source of information for producers and media professionals. With them, you can:

• find appropriate interviewers and interview subjects
• quickly identify story trends
• pinpoint topics of interest for story and show planning and development
• see previous coverage of a story, so you can figure out how to tell it differently – and better
• read media coverage of competitive shows or networks
• provide your on-air personalities with background information and, in the case of interviewers, questions
• find additional information, such as archived material, to support your storytelling

Nexis^®

Whether you need to delve into the background of a guest; arm yourself with the facts on a topic, company or industry; or monitor a breaking-news story, Nexis^® has you covered. With Nexis^®, you know you’ll have your facts straight, your subject-matter experts are legitimate and credible, your interviewer knows the questions to ask and your contestants have nothing to hide.

Nexis^® cost-effectively empowers thorough research and analysis, granting you access to a comprehensive collection of news, company, industry and market intelligence, including news archives that go back more than 40 years, social-listening tools and media-monitoring tools. It has everything you need to support and fact-check your story, incorporating rich analytical tools and customised alerts to ensure thorough, reliable vetting. What’s more, you can find what you’re looking for quickly, which can be critical in this age of 24-hour news.

Plus, because Nexis^® is available on the internet – and through our handy mobile app – TV producers can access it on the go – conducting the research and finding the information they need from their mobile devices anywhere and anytime, whether they’re on location, in the studio or on their way to work.

With Nexis^®, you can be confident that you have the right tools and the right information to protect the integrity of your show and maintain your audience’s trust.

LexisNexis^® Social Analytics

In our digital age, social media and social analytics are also paramount to understanding how to draw in your audience and keep their attention. As TV producers, you want to know people are saying about your shows and the stories and people on them. Our social data intelligence platform, LexisNexis® Social Analytics, empowers you to make intelligent, informed decisions based on social insights.

With our powerful social listening and real-time monitoring tools, you can:

• stay on top of social media ‘conversations’ about your show, your stories and your competitors
• identify patterns
• follow trends
• turn this data from social conversations into meaningful insights
• share information and insights quickly and easily across your organisation

Newsdesk^®

Newsdesk, our award-winning media-monitoring and analytics platform, also helps you stay on top of your production’s media mentions. You can:

• customise Newsdesk® to cater to the particular needs of your production, including filters, customised alerts and newsletters to keep you up to date on the latest news
• access key news and events impacting your show
• track sentiment for your production and run competitive analysis
• use analytics to uncover relevant, reliable information and gain valuable insights

Newsdesk® improves your visibility into the media intelligence you need for the good of your production. With it, you’ll be able to confidently make timely, data-driven strategic decisions in the fast-paced, competitive world of TV production.