First Name:
Lauren
Last Name:
Brigman
Major Department:
Electronic Media Broadcasting
Thesis Director:
Michael Fields
Date of Thesis:
May 2013
This thesis demonstrates how television news stations are utilizing social media to engage their viewers by allowing them to act as co-producers, and in some cases providing incentives for their interaction. Email and social networking sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter, are tactics explored. The creative portion of my thesis is a ten-minute video illustrating the opinions of two news directors, two news anchors and a digital media producer. The three designated markets covered in this thesis are (1) Bristol, VA/Kingsport, Johnson City, TN, (2) Asheville, NC/Greenville, Spartanburg, SC and (3) Charlotte, NC.