infrastructure, to training, branding
and enhancing coverage through
Reuters News Service and custom
programming.
A couple of weeks ago I met
with someone who wanted to
launch a TV channel but didn’t
quite know how to go about it.
Maybe they’ll use our services, but
in any case it starts a conversation,
it’s a door opener. Even if it doesn’t
lead to us launching the channel,
hopefully it will lead to us
providing content for them.
But mostly it is about supporting
our existing clients, enabling them
to do things more cost-effectively
while improving their coverage and
programming. One example is
COP21, the UN Climate Change
Conference in Paris. We can
support our broadcast clients by
providing custom content for them
so that they don’t need to send
teams of people to cover the event.
Another example is a client who
sent over 200 staff out to the World
Cup, but still commissioned us to
do a series in the run-up to it.
There’s a lot that the Custom
Video Solutions team can do to
help broadcasters, from new start-
ups to established partners, there is
a plethora of ways we can help them.
So is Reuters becoming a
client won’t be seen anywhere else
(Kimberley heads up our team in
London). This is different to the
World News Service content where
the broadcaster or media publisher
will take the video and package it
as their own. In most cases we
commission new content
specifically for our clients.
Do those clients know what they
actually want?
It varies. Sometimes they have a
very specific need and know
exactly where they want to go but
just don’t have the resources to do
it. One of the big projects this year
was a channel who had the studios
and systems in place, but didn’t
quite have the people in place to
actually get going.
So we launched the channel for
them and that meant flying out 19
people who had the expertise to get
the programme on air, on time and
on budget.
We continue to produce an
additional one and a half hours’
worth of programming from
London, which enhances their
programming schedule. We built a
new studio for the client and
leveraged Reuters resources to help
them launch the channel.
On another occasion it was a
very specific brief: “We need to
have a live news and market
update from these very specific
locations, can you do that?” Our
answer was “Yes, we can.”
Where does editorial control lie?
Editorial control remains with
Reuters journalists: we abide by the
Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Everything we report is balanced,
objective and unbiased. We adhere
to the Trust Principles at all times,
but if the client decides they don’t
want to broadcast a particular piece
of content, they can make that choice.
We also have to follow our
editorial guidelines. This makes us
stronger because people know
what Reuters stands for, it gives us
and our clients credibility. There are
some broadcasters who specifically
want to work with us as it will give
their news operations further
credibility: because it’s the Reuters
team producing the content.
I think the only time that we’ve
had challenges is with coverage of
protests. We had to say:
“Unfortunately this is it. This is
how the rest of the world is
reporting it. This is how we’re
going to report it. You can choose
not to air it.” And they didn’t.
People take us seriously. For me
it’s a must that we have to comply
with the editorial integrity
guidelines.
Does the Reuters brand appear on
all work?
It varies. It really does depend on
the client. Some clients want to
utilise the Reuters brand, while
others have their own branding. We
are able to give clients a choice
because the content we deliver is in
line with the Trust Principles.
So if I wanted to set up an
international TV news station, I
could come to you?
Yes, and we’ve already done this.
We offer end-to-end solutions, from
the very first stages of building
studios and setting up technical
32
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ISSUE 2 2015
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THE CHANNEL
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