Tucker Carlon’s show, Tucker, on MSNBC is kinda awesome.

Sure, it serves up the content like a snarky J-Crew ad, but it’s actually witty and they oscillate well between real news and serving up the anti-news stories we all crave– like Paris Hilton’s possible pardon and parliamentary brawls in Taiwan.

If you look at all the latest batch of news shows trying to target younger audiences it actually seems like the program designers are coming up with a more effective formula. As we know, they really need th 18-34 crowd so badly.

Thoughts on what I would do as an exec to lure the spring chickens in after the jump.

Features for a news show aiming for people not old and sad:

*Internet-driven on-air content
Have a good website where users can control or contribute to show content

*Short documentary-style story packages
Quick cuts with no narration tracks

*Lifestyle & international stories
It may seem contradictory, but the two types of content I enjoy most are interesting stuff from abroad and everyday style content

*Young people as interview subjects and guests
I feel like most of the talking heads on news should already be dead

*To-go-ability
Most people consume news as background or on the fly. I would design the product to not only be deliverable onto cell phones and iPods, but also maintain a pace that would entertain someone on a treadmill at the gym– that’s the normal level of focus I would say.

Tucker, for example, mixes in a lot really creative and actually hip graphics with minimal text. At the same time, they lay down music under almost all the talking. Also, their banter seems natural instead of pointless and forced.

Downside: Too much of the show still remains on-air talk without enough video. Also, I think the show could use some short video packages, or anything from outside the studio.

Posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 6:59 pm in DC, Entertainment, Media. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.