by John C. Morley, Independent Producer
Instead of competing, pull phones into the community TV experience
Local community TV has always been pretty simple at its core: turn on the channel and see people and places you actually recognize. That part still matters. What has changed is how viewers watch. They sit on the couch with a phone in their hand, half watching and half scrolling. That sounds like a problem, but for community stations it can actually be an opportunity. With a few new tech ideas, you can pull that phone into the experience instead of competing with it.
The easiest place to start is the humble QR code
A few years ago, most people ignored QR codes. Now they’re on menus, posters, buses, and bills—and people really do scan them. For a local station, that means you can turn a passive segment into something a viewer can act on in the moment. Interviewing someone from a nonprofit? Put a small code on screen that goes straight to their volunteer form or donation page. Covering a town event? Link to a map, schedule, or sign up sheet. No apps, no logins, just a clear label like: Scan for more info.
Some simple tools for interacting with viewers
Once you’re comfortable with that, you can try simple viewer input. Big networks are leaning on interactivity to hold on to younger audiences. The same tools are available to community TV, just on a smaller scale. Instead of guessing what people want to see, ask them. A basic online poll, tied to a QR code or short link, can let people vote on low risk decisions: which community event to cover next, which guest to invite back, or what topic deserves a deeper dive. You may not get thousands of responses, but the people who take the time are exactly the ones you want to hear from.
Think of your channel as the front door, not the whole house
Larger broadcasters often air a short piece and then send viewers online for the longer version, extra context, or tools they can use. Community TV can borrow that pattern without getting fancy. Say you produce a five minute segment about a local small business fair. On air, you keep it tight: a few quick interviews and some good visuals. On screen, you add a code or URL that goes to a simple landing page with the full list of vendors, links to their websites, and maybe a longer cut of one of the interviews. The broadcast stays watchable, and the people who really care have somewhere to go.
Younger viewers are a different challenge
Many younger viewers barely touch cable, but they will watch something if it shows up in their feeds and feels like it was made for a phone. That doesn’t mean you have to reinvent everything. When your crew is already out shooting, grab a few extra clips vertically on a phone. Later, cut those into short, captioned pieces for Instagram, YouTube Shorts, or TikTok, with a line like “Full story on Channel 34 this Thursday at 7 p.m.” It’s the same content, just packaged in a way that has a chance to land in someone’s timeline.
Community TV can help viewers acquire basic digital skills
A lot of people in town still struggle with things that tech folks take for granted—spotting a scam text, turning on closed captions, or signing up for local alerts. Stations can create a series of very short “tech tip” segments that show, step by step, how to do one small thing. Point a camera at a phone or laptop screen, have someone talk through the steps in plain language, and then repeat the key point on a graphic at the end. Those tips can fill odd time slots and live online as well.
Think about local emergencies and important events
Finally, think about the serious moments: storms, power outages, big public meetings, or other local emergencies. New TV standards and connected platforms are pushing bigger stations to rethink how they handle alerts and critical information. Community channels can plan ahead too, even with basic tools. That might mean building simple templates for on screen maps and checklists, keeping key hotline numbers handy in your graphics system, and having a QR or short link ready that leads to a “one page” local resource list. When something happens, you’re not scrambling—you’re plugging solid information into a system you already tested.
None of this requires a huge budget or a full time tech team. It’s mostly about small tweaks: adding a code here, a link there, a short poll, or a vertical clip. Community TV has survived everything from cable to streaming by staying rooted in real people and real stories. A few thoughtful tech touches won’t change that. They just make it a little easier for your neighbors to watch, respond, and feel like the station is still theirs in a very different media world.
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How Your Phone Is Making Your Local TV Station Smarter
Posted: January 8, 2026 by Doug Seidel
by John C. Morley, Independent Producer
Instead of competing, pull phones into the community TV experience
Local community TV has always been pretty simple at its core: turn on the channel and see people and places you actually recognize. That part still matters. What has changed is how viewers watch. They sit on the couch with a phone in their hand, half watching and half scrolling. That sounds like a problem, but for community stations it can actually be an opportunity. With a few new tech ideas, you can pull that phone into the experience instead of competing with it.
The easiest place to start is the humble QR code
A few years ago, most people ignored QR codes. Now they’re on menus, posters, buses, and bills—and people really do scan them. For a local station, that means you can turn a passive segment into something a viewer can act on in the moment. Interviewing someone from a nonprofit? Put a small code on screen that goes straight to their volunteer form or donation page. Covering a town event? Link to a map, schedule, or sign up sheet. No apps, no logins, just a clear label like: Scan for more info.
Some simple tools for interacting with viewers
Once you’re comfortable with that, you can try simple viewer input. Big networks are leaning on interactivity to hold on to younger audiences. The same tools are available to community TV, just on a smaller scale. Instead of guessing what people want to see, ask them. A basic online poll, tied to a QR code or short link, can let people vote on low risk decisions: which community event to cover next, which guest to invite back, or what topic deserves a deeper dive. You may not get thousands of responses, but the people who take the time are exactly the ones you want to hear from.
Think of your channel as the front door, not the whole house
Larger broadcasters often air a short piece and then send viewers online for the longer version, extra context, or tools they can use. Community TV can borrow that pattern without getting fancy. Say you produce a five minute segment about a local small business fair. On air, you keep it tight: a few quick interviews and some good visuals. On screen, you add a code or URL that goes to a simple landing page with the full list of vendors, links to their websites, and maybe a longer cut of one of the interviews. The broadcast stays watchable, and the people who really care have somewhere to go.
Younger viewers are a different challenge
Many younger viewers barely touch cable, but they will watch something if it shows up in their feeds and feels like it was made for a phone. That doesn’t mean you have to reinvent everything. When your crew is already out shooting, grab a few extra clips vertically on a phone. Later, cut those into short, captioned pieces for Instagram, YouTube Shorts, or TikTok, with a line like “Full story on Channel 34 this Thursday at 7 p.m.” It’s the same content, just packaged in a way that has a chance to land in someone’s timeline.
Community TV can help viewers acquire basic digital skills
A lot of people in town still struggle with things that tech folks take for granted—spotting a scam text, turning on closed captions, or signing up for local alerts. Stations can create a series of very short “tech tip” segments that show, step by step, how to do one small thing. Point a camera at a phone or laptop screen, have someone talk through the steps in plain language, and then repeat the key point on a graphic at the end. Those tips can fill odd time slots and live online as well.
Think about local emergencies and important events
Finally, think about the serious moments: storms, power outages, big public meetings, or other local emergencies. New TV standards and connected platforms are pushing bigger stations to rethink how they handle alerts and critical information. Community channels can plan ahead too, even with basic tools. That might mean building simple templates for on screen maps and checklists, keeping key hotline numbers handy in your graphics system, and having a QR or short link ready that leads to a “one page” local resource list. When something happens, you’re not scrambling—you’re plugging solid information into a system you already tested.
None of this requires a huge budget or a full time tech team. It’s mostly about small tweaks: adding a code here, a link there, a short poll, or a vertical clip. Community TV has survived everything from cable to streaming by staying rooted in real people and real stories. A few thoughtful tech touches won’t change that. They just make it a little easier for your neighbors to watch, respond, and feel like the station is still theirs in a very different media world.
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