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On a new show from ABC News, anchors Gio Benitez and Ashan Singh help viewers fill rabbit holes before getting stuck in them.
During a recent live-stream of “Searched, “a relatively new entry to the schedule of ABC News
Live, Benitez, clad in bright white sneakers and a short sleeve shirt, offered followers different angles on top news stories — the ones they were asking about on their own. “Searched” uses data from web queries to determine what stories viewers are most curious about and what questions they truly want answered. On the program, Benitez explained who owns Taylor Farms, the massive produce supplier that has been linked to the recent cyclospora outbreak; asked about the status of algae in the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in Washington D.C.; and did a quick hit about a Botox problem recently suffered by Britney Spears.
The informal nature of “Searched,” says Benitez, is one of its key points of appeal. “The dress code makes a huge difference,” he says of his casual on-screen appearance. “It mentally puts you in the mind of like, okay, we’re just we’re just relaxing and having a conversation.”
More such discussions are on tap for ABC News Live, the Disney news unit’s broadband service. Many of the streaming news programs launched by traditional media outlets like NBC News, CBS News and others, have tended to the conventions of the genre. ABC News has, too. Anchors hold forth from behind a desk, throwing to a variety of stories, dispatches from correspondents and newsmaker interviews. ABC News is in the process of launching several programs, however, that are decidedly more experimental.
“Searched” is one of four new half-hour programs debuting on ABC News Live. “Burden of Proof,” which launches Tuesday, is led by Ike Ejiochi and Perry Russom, and focuses on key trials such as that of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is accused of murdering Tupac Shakur. Like “Searched,” it will run every weekday. “Doctor’s Note,” a new weekly medical show hosted by medical correspondents Dr. Tara Narula and Dr. Darien Sutton, is slated to launch this fall. And a weekly newsmaker interview program, “All Access with Linsey Davis,” will soon appear featuring the anchor,well known to ABC News Live viewers, in conversations with key celebrities, politicians, athletes and cultural influencers.
Davis intends to give her audience “a more fulsome picture” of the people who join her program, she says during a recent interview of her own. Too often, she says, viewers see “a sound bite, or a debate” but not “who somebody is and what they bring to the table. I think that’s often not able to be expressed when you’re in a rigid sit-down and everyone’s buttoned up with their tie on.” The program was devised in response to viewer data that suggested audiences crave longer interviews with people in the news.
Content from all four programs will also be served up on Disney+ and Hulu, as well as via ABC News podcast unit and in vertical videos.
Many live-streamed news services started out offering more of what viewers had already come to expect from mainstream TV newsrooms. Many were based on the “wheel,” or a repeatable block of content that was updated throughout the day as news developed. Others offered new hosts in traditional formats, such as a series of MSNBC streaming opinion programs that relied on personalities such as Zerlina Maxwell.
In recent months, however, several outlets have evolved. NBC News Now, a live streamed service backed by NBC News, has gradually launched a handful of evening hours that offer deeper-dive reporting or put some emphasis on certain news topics. CBS News has tested bespoke streaming programs based on its reportage in the nation’s capital and another show that emulates the “whip-around” feel of the popular “Red Zone” NFL highlights show.
Executives at ABC News are confident their new programs will gain traction, because they are based on data about what audiences are seeking out when it comes to news and information, says Seni Tienabeso, an ABC news vice president who oversees the live-streaming outlet. “We love that we have the freedom to tinker and experiment, but we don’t just tinker for tinkering,” the executive says during a recent visit at ABC News’ headquarters in New York City. Analyzing what viewers want from streaming news means the company can create programming that stands apart from linear-TV mainstays like “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America while giving viewers something “supplemental” to those programs.
The entire line up of “Searched,” Tienabeso says, is devised using analytics about daily activity tied to online searches for information. “That show’s stacking is literally based on where the audience is at that moment.” Meeting viewers is more than just about “where they consume the news,” he adds, but also “what they’re interested in consuming.”
The assignment is different from what the anchors typically offer. Indeed, things may change so quickly that Singh and Benitez keep their iPads close on set, where they can read updated information from on-screen teleprompters. “We’re able to ask and answer these questions that people are maybe feeling a little shy about,” says Singh, noting that viewers may want more basic details than people might previously envision, such as the geographic importance of Poland after a drone wanders into its airspace. “This show’s going to be there for you,” he says, even if the queries are just for basic facts.
ABC News Live could launch similar offerings in the not too distant future, says Tienabeso: “There’s definitely more in the works.”
