As some readers may know, I spent five years from 1994 to 1999 working at Teletext. In that time, I really learnt a lot - the importance of writing clear and concise, getting good stories and writing for the audience.
Plus I had (or at least I think I had) a great time working with various people at Teletext including former editor-in-chief Graham Lovelace who actually gave me my real first and major break into online/electronic journalism.
So if is with great sadness to see the service having to make itself a bit leaner and trim its editorial.
Yesterday, Media Guardian reported that 55 editorial staff are set to lose their jobs as Teletext moves certain elements of its sport, racing and personal finance out of house and will now take a feed direct from the Press Association.
Teletext MD Mike Stewart says: “We’re in the middle of the process of consultation with staff. It is never easy dealing with job cuts. But what we’re seeking to do is free up money to further invest in digital services.”
And here is the problem, Teletext has dipped its toes and spent millions in various services none of which has really matched or come anywhere near to what the analogue Teletext service had to offer. If you are going to invest in digital services, invest in services that people are actually using today and will want to use.
In the past Teletext was in a unique position, it was the online media property. These days, it is just part of the overall media mix.
Last year, it axed its website, something I was one of the founding team members of and that resulted in many people losing their jobs. Of course, the site may have been costing money to operate, but with the traffic it was getting and resources to promote itself through its parent, the TV service, Teletext on the Web could have turned a profit with the right strategy.
Teletext currently operates various digital text services, but digital text is not proving very popular for any broadcaster as people can get information via the web.
And these days with an always on broadband connection, getting the latest news is as quick if not quicker than Teletext used to be. Plus of course, you can use your computer at the same time as watching the TV or at least listening to it!
So the old excuse of Teletext being better and faster than the internet is no longer true.
Teletext never really understood the impact the internet would make to it and how its traditional holiday advertisers do not really need Teletext to reach an audience. These advertisers can create their own websites and if they want to, TV stations.
They can go direct to the consumer and there are now many online ways to reach them compared to even ten years ago.
So with being reliant on holiday advertisers, the amount of advertising would always drop as these advertisers have their own direct sales channel. The need for Teletext in its present form is no longer required.
Holiday advertisers changed their strategy over five years ago while Teletext has kept things exactly as they were, it has never really adapted the way it should.
So what’s the future? Is it all doom and gloom? Well, without a change in strategy and development of new business opportunities that will attract advertisers and an audience to what they want, it is not too bright.
It’s still just about possible to turn Teletext around, but it needs to redefine what Teletext is and what is wants to become.
