SOME OF TRIBUNE'S SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS ON BOTH COASTS

It goes without saying that an organization like The Tribune Company is going to utilize various forms of social media.  For a major media conglomerate of this size and scope, it would look rather odd if they did not take advantage of each and every social media and social networking tool made available to them.  Still, with so many different types of publications and television stations in their purview, it’s inevitable that the range and types of social media (not to mention the amount of people they reach) will differ. 

For example, when taking a look at WPIX - a television station owned by Tribune in the largest market in the country (Manhattan), and a television station I grew up with- one can quickly notice the many different types of social media they are involved with.  A quick look at the blog section of their website (http://www.wpix.com/news/blogs/) will reveal the different blogs belonging to newscasters and other WPIX “celebrities”.   They’re all over Twitter, and they recently even tweeted pictures of WPIX newsroom staffers (via Photobucket) dressed-up in Halloween costumes.

It should of course come as no surprise that a television station like WPIX in a market such as New York City would take advantage of any and all social media outlets available.  But what happens when we instead focus on a newspaper in a much smaller market? 

The Pasadena Sun (owned by the Los Angeles Times, who is owned by The Tribune Company) is a weekly publication that made its debut this past August.  Obviously, given the fact that it is still in its infancy, it may not yet have the depth of social media endeavors as WPIX.  And let’s face it, a blog penned by a newscaster from New York City is probably going to have far more engaging content and a much larger following than one written by a journalist for a weekly paper in the San Gabriel Valley.  Still, one has to admire the efforts of The Pasadena Sun.  They do have blogs, but the blogging is much more simple and direct. 

A quick visit to Twitter shows a vast difference in the number of followers; The Pasadena Sun has 319 followers as of today (and unlike WPIX, they don’t appear to utilize any photosharing), and the main Twitter page for WPIX has over 8000 followers.  While that’s far more than The Pasadena Sun, I’m actually somewhat surprised that WPIX doesn’t have more followers.  Though not one of the major networks, WPIX is still a strong CW-affiliate in a huge market.  And consider this: the official Twitter page for The Chicago Tribune has over 63,000 followers.

WPIX has an impressive YouTube channel, with the obvious content consisting of recent segments from news telecasts as well as promos for CW shows like Gossip Girl.  And, as is often the case, there are plenty of online video "shrines"  on YouTube that is devoted WPIX nostalgia.  Anyone who grew up in the tri-state area is no doubt familiar with the Christmas Yule Log that “glows” for 24 hours every year starting on Christmas Eve.  And while it’s not yet Thanksgiving, here’s an example of what I mean to help get you into the holiday spirit:

Again, I’m comparing apples and oranges to a certain extent, but it’s interesting regardless to see the contrast in social media efforts made by a television station based out of The Big Apple versus a small weekly publication on the West Coast.  Still, it will be interesting to see how The Pasadena Sun might increase their social media efforts as they become more established.   They will certainly want to do this as they continue to try to increase their presence and build a loyal following.