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| TOUCHVISIONsm screen grab from launch video |
By now you've probaly heard of CW39 KIAH's NewsFix which eschews anchor/reporter types for a voice overs and graphics. The show has been running since March of 2011. The idea of a news revolution also arrived at the station's Dallas Tribune sister KDAF 33 although in a different way.
Now as stations chase the all elusive younger news demo, other companies are joining the fray.
NewsFix creator Lee Abrams, formerly of Tribune, has just launched a new start up called TOUCHVISION Robert Feder reported. I think it looks like similar to NewsFix and at least one of Feder's commenters agrees.
Here is more from the company's press release:
TOUCHVISIONsm Network, the first 24/7 live video stream information network designed for Millennials Plus, is set to launch this summer on television, online, on tablets and on phones - reinventing news and information programming. Featuring stunning visuals, a powerful soundtrack and unbiased reporting, TOUCHVISIONsm is smart but not elite, offering a compelling draw for an audience that up to now has often shown little interest in TV news programming. It's TV news for the digital world.
Those words sound a little NewsFix-ish, but wait there's more!:
With a pedigree in TV news and online/digital information and led by executives with a history of reinventing media, TOUCHVISIONsm provides the next generation of news and information that stimulates the eye, the ear and the brain.
The news is updated 24/7. Segments are presented as "News Movies," scored with a rich soundtrack and compelling graphics. The Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, Getty Images and additional sources provide the initial feed, which is supplemented with TOUCHVISIONsm's proprietary features.
TOUCHVISION's video reel also has the modern/cutting edge aesthetic of NewsFix (screen grab above). One promised TOUCHVISION segment called "America by Numbers" might even sound like NewsFix's "Houston by Numbers."
Abrams was famously dismissed from Tribune months before NewsFix debuted so his impact had somewhat diminished by the time of the show's roll out. I suspect TOUCHVISION is his chance to give the world more of his original vision.
Unrelated to Tribune or Abrams, Fox launched a new show on New Jersey's WWOR-TV in place of the station's traditional 10pm newscast. From the short clip released online, it looks a lot like TMZ down to the Harvey Levin staff meeting. The show is called Chasing New Jersey and guess what? The TV trades are reporting that Fox has applied for several Chasing trademarks around the country including Chasing Texas.
Looks like the TV news revolution (aka quest for younger demos that don't watch news) is slowly spreading.
touchvisiontv.com
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