The Ticker Debate

By Abby Sears, UW-Madison

In an age where the attention spans of readers and viewers are relatively short, journalists are constantly searching for new ways to rope them in and maintain their interest. This New York Times article discusses a new way for cable networks to keep viewers tuned in – by keeping their tickers running during commercial breaks. For networks, they’re able to deliver the essential information viewers want to see at all times. For advertisers, however, the constant ticker could mean paying for a smaller advertising space that isn’t exclusively focused on their product or service. Does the ticker distract viewers from the advertising messages in front of them, or does it provide them with immediate access to information?

According to the article, the constant ticker might not be as bad for advertisers as one might think. For one, it keeps viewers from changing the channel during commercial breaks, which means the viewer is more likely to watch at least some of the commercial as opposed to watching something else. Having a constant ticker would force both the advertising and news industries to change somewhat. Advertisers would need to redesign their campaigns to allot for the ticker space while still drawing the viewer’s attention, and the television news industry would need to alter the use of the ticker to keep the viewer tuned in while still giving them vital information. All in all, I think the Ticker Debate reflects a popular ongoing trend in today’s media world – how can we grasp the public’s attention, maintain it and still provide them with the most up-to-date information before the competition?