Final Book Outline

1. Research Objectives
1. Based on research, come up with recommendations about how to create a new and
improved Mountain Morning Show for Park City Television to reach and engage
3 target audiences:
1. Millennials 1. Millennials are an important demographic for any business and
Park City TV wants to create a morning show that will have
greater appeal primarily to millennials in Utah, as well as to the
large national audience of millennials.
2. Locals 1. Local support contributes to the success of any organization, and
that is especially true with a local television morning show. Park
City TV wants to garner more local viewers from Park City and the
surrounding Utah community by making the morning show more
appealing to local interests.
3. National/International Audience 1. Park City TV wants to offer a little bit of everything so that it can
appeal to a broad national audience, and to some extent an
international audience.
2. Research Strategies
a. Conduct secondary research on the history and background of morning shows to
better understand what elements contribute to making a successful morning show.
b. Conduct primary research through focus groups, surveys and social media to
determine more specifically what people think of the Mountain Morning Show
and to determine what can be done to better reach target audiences with the
Mountain Morning Show and make it more appealing to the target audiences.
Secondary Research
3.
3.
3.
3.
3.
3.

Background of Morning Shows

Morning show statistics
Overview of Successful Morning Shows
Format of Morning Shows
Park City TV
Description of Target Audiences
a. Millennials
b. Locals
c. National/International Audience
3. Secondary Research Ideas and Recommendations
a. Segments/Content
b. Setting
c. Hosts
d. Commercials

Primary Research
10. Findings from surveys
10. Findings from focus groups
10. Findings from the social media group
Background for Park City TV Morning Show
BACKGROUND OF MORNING SHOWS
Morning shows are television news programs shown live typically between 6 and 10
a.m.. They are often hosted by one person or a small group of people and the show is designed to
be informative and entertaining. This combination is known as infotainment.The first half of the
morning show targets individuals who are getting ready for their day and prefer watching hard
news. Because of this, the shows feature some updates of recent events, including political news,
business news and sports news, as well as various interviews. Another important element of
morning shows is the forecast for the day and, for large cities, traffic reports. The second half of
the show has more soft news where they show lifestyle interviews and entertainment stories.
Morning shows from many T.V. channels offer a break for local stations or affiliates to air a
small newscast that serves as a recap of major local news headlines. Morning shows follow this
same format in many countries around the world. Approximately sixty-one countries use a
similar format on their own T.V. channels.

MORNING SHOW STATISTICS

For years morning shows had seen declining viewership, particularly since 2004. An
average of 12.4 million people watched network morning news in 2010, down 3 percent from
12.8 million in 2009. On average, viewership had been declining by 382,000 viewers a year.

However, not all the morning shows suffered major declines. Viewership of ABCs Good
Morning America held steady at an average 4.3 million from 2008 to 2010; ratings were also
stable at 3.2; share grew in 2010 to 12.4, up from 11.9, which means that a higher percentage of
people who happened to be watching TV during that time period were tuned to ABC than the
year before.

Unfortunately for the CBS Early Show, they suffered the largest loss in viewership falling
to 2.9 million viewers, from 3.1 million. Ratings fell to 2.2 from 2.3 in 2009. CBS share fell by .
3 points to 8.5.

(Guskin, 2010)
After a major decline in viewers for most morning shows from 2004 to 2010, audiences
for morning shows have begun to grow since 2011. An average of 13.1 million people watched
the three major network morning news programs, up 5.4 percent from 12.4 million in 2010,
which is an increase of 666,400 viewers for the year on average.
While the Internet is responsible for some loss in potential morning show viewers, as
stated previously, early morning newscasts have been doing fairly well over the past couple of
years compared to the rest of the television business. This is due in part because people are busy
getting ready for their day and are more likely to turn on the TV than to take a moment to search
something on the Internet. However, morning viewership can vary greatly depending on the
market, because some people are more night owls then morning people. For example, the
Birmingham, Ala., market is relatively wide awake at as early as 4:30 a.m., with 26.7 percent of

households tuned in to early morning newscasts. The Salt Lake City market has the lowest
percentage with 9.1 percent (Stetler, 2010).
Demographics of Morning Show Viewers
Morning news audiences skewed slightly younger than evening news audiences and were
more likely to be female. The average age of a regular morning news show consumer in 2010
was 51, which is five years older than the average survey respondent and two years younger than
the average evening news consumer (Guskin, 2010).
Over two-thirds, or 68%, of morning news audiences were female, compared to 52% of
the survey population. Currently, more people are watching morning shows than in the past few
years (Taibi, 2014).
The following is a list of additional demographic information for what types of people watch
morning shows:

Gender of morning news viewers: 38 percent male, 62 percent female

Ages of morning news viewers: 12 percent 18-29, 29 percent 30-49, 36 percent 50-64, 21
percent 65+

Women ages 16 - 34 spend more hours watching TV than men, especially those with
school-aged children

Ideology of morning news audiences: 25 percent Republican, 29 percent Independent, 39

percent Democrat

Education level of morning news audiences: 27 percent college graduates, 27 percent

have some college, 46 percent of a high school diploma or less education

(Taibi, 2014).

Money in Morning Shows

Morning shows have proven to be a very lucrative business. While the Internet has upended the
nightly news, and on-demand services like Netflix continue to disrupt prime time, the morning
shows remain one place in the TV industry where the business model still really works, at least
for now. Today earns NBC $500 million in annual revenue because of its five million daily
viewers (Stetler, 2013).
Another reason why morning shows are a lucrative business to be in is because many
morning shows are like talks shows, which are relatively inexpensive to make. It costs less than
$100,000 per episode, as opposed to $1 million or more for a TV drama episode. These things
combined have led to a proliferation of talk shows and morning shows, which is part of the
reason why competition is so intense between morning shows (Tennant, n.d.)

SUCCESSFUL MORNING SHOWS

Some of the most popular morning shows on the air are Good Morning America, The Today
Show, This Morning, Morning Joe and New Day (Stetler, 2013). Good Morning America
(GMA), at its number one spot among successful morning shows has over 5.3 million viewers on
an average week day, which is 700,000 more than second-placed Today Show (Stetler, 2013).
Much of GMAs success can be attributed to the content they have on their show. In the last few
years, GMA has become more entertaining with its stories, ranging from serious news stories and
sensational court cases to celebrities and current trends. While GMAs rivals dismiss the show as
too tabloid-oriented, ABC defends GMAs coverage as a reflection of what viewers want to see
when they wake up. People want to hear stories about celebrities, hard news, tabloid news,

human interest stories, and activities; they want the show to have good hosts, random funny
things, intriguing subjects and good storytelling.
Other major elements that contribute to the success of these morning shows are the
morning hosts or anchors, as well anyone else who runs the show. People often develop virtual
relationships with show hosts, and the nature of those relationships, whether good or bad, can
often determine how interested people are in watching the show. The relationship they develop
can be comparable to the fixation people have with their favorite celebrities. The better people
can connect with these hosts the more willing they will be to invest their time and attention to
watching the show. Bernard M. Timberg of the Museum of Broadcast Communication, said,
The host maintains a high degree of control over their show, from subject matter to comedic
tone. They are also the brand and must carry that burden. The host can attract and repel guests,
negotiate in kind for their program and, in many cases, name a successor when they retire.

Timberg also gave advice on another important aspect to morning show success. He said,
A talkshow must be experienced in the present tense, whether it is broadcasted live or taped in
front of an audience earlier in the day. They should feel fresh, as if they are happening in the
moment, even if the show is a 10-year-old rerun. These are important elements to incorporate to
create any successful show.

SHOW FORMATS
Good Morning America
ABCs Good Morning America has two hosts, one news anchor, one lifestyle anchor and
one weather anchor. They themselves come from various backgrounds as well. For example, one

of the hosts Robin Roberts is 53 and she studied communications, had breast cancer and publicly
declared she is a lesbian. The number and personalities of anchors play key roles in the set up
and execution of each morning, as does the order, length and type segments that the show
features. The following is an outline of a typical GMA schedule:

00:00 - 01:05 - breaking news

01:05 - 07:10 - other news
07:10 - 08:20 - weather
08:20 - 10:45 - over the shoulder graphics of news and voice over video
10:45 - 12:49 - news with correspondent in Washington
12:49 - 15:00 - more news
15:00 - 17:28 - other news
o Commercial break
17:28 - 31:45 - news
31:55 - 32:18 - traffic update
32:18 - 33:36 - news
o Commercial break
33:36 - 36:52 - Pop news
36:52 - 39:15 News
39:15 - 47:29 Dancing Cast Revealed
o Commercial break
47:29 - 54:43 Dancing Cast Revealed
54:43 - 56:47 News on Oscar
56:47 - Wrap Up
o Total Running Time: 01:04:50

NBC Today
NBC Today is similar to GMA. It has a 2 main hosts, Mat Laue who is 56 years old and
Savannah Guthrie who is 42 years old. Today also has a weather anchor, a news anchor, and a
social media reporter. The following is typical outline for Today:

Breaking news, 3 minutes

Breaking news follow up, 3 minutes
o Interviews with specialists possibly done standing up
Developing news, 5 minutes

Weather, 2 minutes
o Short commercial break
World news, special interest, 3 minutes
Orangeroom (social media reporting), 2 minutes
o Live tweeting
o Long commercial break
Developing news, 4 minutes
Interview, 8 minutes
o Pre-recorded, done in interviewees home
o Short commercial break
Orangeroom, 1 minute
Developing news, 4 minutes
OrangeRoom, 1 minute
Whats Trending - 4 minutes
Celebrity interview, 4 minutes
o Everyone sitting on the same couch
Interview (continuing from earlier interview), 5 minutes
Technology, 3 minutes
OrangeRoom, 1 minute
o Commercial break
Backstage with viewers, 3 minutes
Music, live performance and interview, 5 minutes
o Total run time: 88 minutes

In NBCs Today show, about every half hour the anchors and other hosts would switch from
sitting around a high table to sitting on a couch. The color scheme of the set was orange and blue.
The most viewed clips from the show are news interviews, not celebrity interviews, and in most
cases you cant watch the entire show online No news was repeated except for the weather
Late Night Show
Late night shows are distinct from the their morning show counterparts, but similar principles
and formatting apply to late night shows as they do for morning shows. One major advantage
that late night shows have over morning shows is their shareability on social media and how they
draw people to re-watch segments of the show online. This is due in part to their unique content

and format. Jay Lenos Late night show is one of the most successful late night shows, and the
following is an outline of a typical show:

Announcer talks about opening credits

The first part is a 10 minute monologue from Lenno, talks about current events with
comedy mixed in
o Example: jokes based upon the facts of current government blunders
Second part is a comedy sketch
o This can be extremely varied, often its comedy involving spoofs on current
events and popular figures
Third part and fourth parts are an interview with a main guest
o Interviews can be extremely varied, but they are often with celebrities, political
figures, actors and musicians
Fifth part is an interview with a second guest
o Guests also are varied
The last segment is usually a musical performance, but sometimes a comedian performs
o Again the type of bands and singers that performed are various

PARK CITY TV
Park City TV is a licensed TV station founded in 1987 that has developed a large and
loyal audience. Park City TV broadcasts throughout Summit County to Evanston/Cokeville WY,
as well as along the Wasatch Front in cities such as Payson, Provo, Salt Lake City, Ogden,
Logan, Tooele and Grantsville. The total coverage for Park City TV gives the network
approximately one million viewers. The basis of this network is a coverage of action sports,
action snow in particular. Its purpose is to aim for young people, including the young at heart.
Park City TV also has a Facebook and a Twitter page to promote the station and reach out to its
viewers. Park City TV offers many different services including the following:

Show hosts who live, work and play in the community

Show hosts tell people what theyve learned about such as concerts, restaurants, and
recreational activities happening in Park City and along the Wasatch Front
Ideas for nightly dinner segments
Entertainment news
Headlines of national news
Minute by minute schedule of events and what is happening on the show

Online streaming availability for all shows

Combining of LIVE local broadcasts that focus on local news, local events,
entertainment, LIVE music and interviews, weather, sports and a myriad of local features
Park City's Emmy Award-winning TV station featuring sports, US ski and snowboarding,
music and more
On Twitter at Park City TV with 5,184 plus followers
Skyped athletes from Sochi during the Winter Olympic Games of 2014
Live stream available 24 hours a day on any computer or device with internet access
The station has an interactive map that shows where they shoot or what the resort looks
like
Short feature videos are available of PCTV that features shoots in Park City as well as
other locations around the country
(Park City Television, n.d.)
Mountain Morning Show
In the Mountain Morning Show, the hosts go to the community and then tell people about
restaurants, recreational activities, and concerts happening in Park City and along the Wasatch
Front. They show weather conditions every 10 minutes and guests from the community come to
the set to inform about events, fundraisers, and activities in the area. They also feature bands and
on the weekends the hosts go to farmers markets, museums and other places outside the studio.
Other key elements in the Mountain Morning Show:

Whats going on segment with up-to-date happenings for adults and kids
Interactive platform where viewers can email in/call to pitch different story ideas and also
to provide feedback about the content of the show
Focus on live local broadcasts that include local news, events, entertainment, live music
and interviews, weather, sports and other local features
Focus on encompassing the adventure that can be experienced living in Utah
Focus on promoting an active lifestyle

Park City TV wants the Mountain Morning Show to be the TV show watched in the morning
before people go to work, hit the slopes or do anything else fun in Utah. Park City TV currently
has sponsorship connections with the Sundance Institute, Outside Television, Ski Utah, Kimball

Art Center, Black Tie and many more to aide them in their quest to be the best morning show in
Utah.
MOUNTAIN MORNING SHOW TARGET AUDIENCES
Park City Television wants to revamp the Mountain Morning show in large part so it can reach
three key target audiences: Millennials, Park City/Utah locals, and the national and international
audience that would watch Park City TV channels for various reasons. The following sections
give a brief description of each audience.
Millennials
Traditional broadcasting methods are becoming less effective as online streaming services are
becoming more and more common. The Millennial generation in particular are watching less
traditional broadcast media and turning more towards new, modern forms of online media. A
research project performed by the New York Times revealed that of the people surveyed 34% of
Millennials (18-34) watch mostly online video or no broadcast TV, compared to 20% of
Generation X (35-49) participants and 10% of participants from the Baby-Boomer (50+)
generation. The research clearly reveals a large difference in the ways that different generations
consume media. Although online video streaming is becoming more common each day,
according to a Nielsen survey traditional broadcast media is still the main source of media
consumption in the United States. The survey revealed that in the last quarter of 2013 18-24year-olds watched nearly 21-and-a-half hours of traditional TV per week compared to two hours
of video on the Internet or a mobile phone. While more people are turning to online streaming
services traditional TV consumption still isnt giving in to the advent of online video (Recode,
2014).

Information for reaching Millennials:

Digital marketing is very important, but traditional marketing and promotions are also
effective
Digital content must be authentic and interesting, shareable
Most likely age group to say they like to do unconventional things, but they also need
others approval
34 percent spend 10 or more hours a week on a computer at home.
Most likely age group to use cellphones and laptops to access the internet
27 percent watch TV online
18- to 24-year-olds are far less likely to use TV as their main source of entertainment than
any other age group.

Local Park City/Utah Residents

Park City Television and the Mountain Morning Show appeal mainly to people living in the local
Utah community, in particular to those who are involved in outdoor recreational activities. There
are almost 3 million people living in Utah, the majority of which are white, but there are is also a
large Hispanic demographic in Utah. One of Utahs biggest contributors to its economy is
tourism. Utah has an abundance of national parks, ski resorts, lakes, rivers and other features
that make it a prime location for outdoor recreation, and so people from all over the country
come to Utah to participate in these outdoors activities. But that means there equally as many
opportunities for Utahns to take advantage of. Many people who live in Utah participate in
outdoor recreational activities. And in particular because Utah is known for a place where many
families come or stay to raise their kids, family activities and events that take place in Utah are
especially appealing to locals. The Mountain Morning show is capable of taking better
advantage of the many outdoor activities and events that are family friendly, and this can be
realized by having the Mountain Morning show feature more of these family friendly outdoor
recreational activities (Utah, 2013).

National/International Audience
Currently, Park City Television is broadcast mainly to people living in Utah and surrounding
Park City. It relays information that is relevant to the people living in these areas, and it caters to
the self interest of these people. In order for Park City Television to reach more of a broader
scale in the United States, they need to come up with information that is relevant to more than
just the people who are living in Utah. They need to see some sort of value that they can connect
with and use in their daily lives. This could consist of ideas such as reporting news that is more
on a national scale of impact as well as incorporating guests and segments from all over the
country. On an international scale, many people tune in to keep up with their favorite athletes or
the live action that is involved with the news coverage. By incorporating this action and the
famous athletes that these people love, it may be a great opportunity to grow and connect more
with an international audience (Park City TV, 2014).
Secondary Research Ideas and Recommendations
Ideas for Segments/Content
Run time: 88 minutes of programming, 32 minutes of commercials
All different types of sports news
How to segments
o e.g. Show how to rock climb on set by bringing in rock climbers with all their
gear and with a rock climbing wall
o e.g. Demonstrate survival skills needed for being stranded in the mountains
Features of Sports Repair places
Highlights of local businesses
Cooking and Food segments
o Include bringing in a chef from local restaurants to cook dishes
Weather updates:
o Have ticker across the bottom or on the side that features weather updates, in
particular the snow segments
Feature shorter segments that can be easily shared on social media
Interviews with outdoors experts and athletes
Videos of Extreme/Crazy activities that are related to the show

Sports and outdoor gear/product reviews

More segments on the outdoor set
Comedy Skits
o E.g. Similar to skits featured on Saturday Night Live
Capitalize on Big Events
o Sundance
o Olympics
o World ski/snowboard championships
o X games
More onsite interviews with famous celebrities
Every half hours switch settings
o e.g. Good Morning America switches every half hour
Segments that feature events and activities associated with different seasons of the year
Art Feature that goes once a week or every other week
o e.g. Have a local painter come in to feature and tell about their art

Hosts:
Hosts make or break your show
o Have more hosts on the show at once, so they can interact and build more
chemistry (similar to the Good Morning America) more of an ensemble
o Have more energetic, funny hosts
o Have them wear more light colors, or brighter shades of colors (colors that wake
you up)
Settings:

Make settings with bright colors and decorations

Have theme colors for the show that could change depending on what's being featured
that day on the show
Create a more modern look
o e.g. Have a sleek, reflective and cleaning-looking metal for furniture material
o e.g. Have furniture with more rich, vibrant colors
Have a change in sets during the show, move to different rooms
If they want to keep the wood, do a much lighter colored wood
Make it more modern looking
Bright lights, bright settings, get rid of panels on the window
Get rid of the large name bar on screen or make it skinnier and go across only half the
screen
Have an area for cooking
Install much bigger windows
Possibly have changing artwork for different times and seasons
Always have at least one segment of the show off set at another location; usually will be
pre-recorded

Commercials:
More frequent and shorter commercial breaks
Potential Commercials:
o local hotels and lodges available
o local places to eat
o local shops
o local outdoors equipment gear
o Park City TV and things associated with it

Works Cited
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To Stiff Competition & Focus On Interactive Programming. Deadline Hollywood.
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