While BBC World News couldn't be bothered to invite or at the very least just even tell journalists, TV critics and TV writers covering television about its press presentation, Al Jazeera had a conference room filled with more than a 100 people.
BBC World News and it public relations people couldn't even manage the most basic press release before or even after the press presentation to all journalists and TV critics and writers who were not there, not invited, and those who RSVP-ed but who then didn't show up. Meanwhile Al Jazeera executives and commissioning editors talked about their news channel, discussed its programming and upcoming shows, and took and answered questions from a rapt audience and a crowd that pleaded for more time when the Q&A session was over.
The stark contrast between the BBC World News and its lousy (actually non-) communication and Al Jazeera and its spot-on communication with stakeholders, in the same city, on the same day, and only a mere kilometres apart, is a case study of how even big so-called mass communication media, news institutions and TV channels which one would think would know better and follow best practice, can sometimes fully and shamefully fail to get something so very simple, right: to properly communicate.
News channels such as BBC World News who completely botch even the few opportunities they have when they are able to and decide that they want to talk about programming but bungle their PR exercise with moronic behaviour, come across as totally uninformed as to how the rest do it -and who they talk to.
If, as a 24 hour global news channel you can't even correctly identify the people you need or want to talk to locally, how on earth do you think you're message about your programming is going to reach the wider audience of viewers or readers you want to reach?
News channels such as BBC World News and Al Jazeera that fall in the category of mostly non-commercialised TV channels already have a struggle against counter-channels such as sport, entertainment and movie channels which offer "sexier" programming.
News channels "sell'' their content - mostly to more cerebral viewers - on the access, journalistic reach and depth, perspective, longform documentary programming and interview exclusives. That's their value proposition and content offering they have to compete for eyeballs and viewing time duration.
Sadly BBC World News, which has a new news show it wanted to talk about and introduce, utterly failed in its press presentation to even just let the right people know - let alone even trying to get them there. And in that they lose exposure for their programming.
Al Jazeera on the other hand - despite even a last-minute change of venue - still managed to pull a crowd late on Monday afternoon and the right crowd, showed promos, talked, answered, and worked hard to sell its brand, sell its news channel, and its news value.
It's much more than what BBC World News managed today which actually spent money today to create the opposite of what it probably intended, and carelessly flushed away a golden opportunity to get publicity for its programming.
