That took guts, but it changed the world
Two weeks ago, we had a meeting with the head of a network in England and his top news people.
Unlike so many meetings in the past, everyone at the table agreed that VJ was the only way to go.
“You don’t have to sell us on the idea”, the head of news said proudly, “we’re already doing it!”
This, of course, was a big change from the kind of response we used to get even but a few years ago.
“Yes”, the head of news continued, “we already have 80 VJs”.
Well, 80 is a big improvement over the 5 that a US network proudly told me they had trained after only 3 years. But this UK network has both a national news operation, a foreign operation and nearly a dozen regional operations. Spread that 80 over that many places and you get 2 or 3 in each bureau – maybe.
Good, but hardly a seminal change.
And a seminal change is what is necessary if that network, or indeed, any network is going to survive.
As we are talking about England, It’s time for a ‘bit of history’ to make a point.
I am a big fan of British history.
In 1346, Edward III, King of England (and my wife’s Plantagenet ancestor – full disclosure here), was pissed off.
He was pissed off because Philip IV, King of France had seized his lands.
That these lands were in France was of little concern or notice to Edward. It wasn’t called the Hundred Years War for nothing.
In any event, Edward gathered up an army to go to France and teach Philip a lesson.
This might prove hard, as Philip had the biggest, meanest and best equipped army in the world. And now he was also going to have the home court advantage.
What Edward had on his side was ‘new technology’. In this case, the long bow.
The French army, and indeed every army in the world was, until then, using big horses and heavy armor. The English crossed the Channel and landed in France with a force of 12,000 men. Philip’s army consisted of anywhere from 35,000 to 100,000 of the biggest, best armed and best equipped knights in the world.
On August 26, 1364, they met on an open field outside the French village of Crecy in northern France.
To the English soldiers, dressed only in their light clothing, carrying their bows, it must have seemed a suicide mission. Roaring down on them (and one can only imagine the noise) was the biggest, best equipped and best trained army the world had ever seen. In massive numbers – all armoured and chain plated on massive horses. The English were on foot. It must have been absolutely terrifying.
Yet Edward held his ground.
He cooly told his soldiers to prepare their bows… wait… then fire.
The arrows arched across the skies… and found their mark. The French knights began to hit the ground. Many of the English aimed not for the knights, but rather for their horses. As the horses collapsed out from under them, the knights, clad in heavy armor, lay immobile in the mud. The English would soon dispatch them with a knife through an eye slit or under the arm. The knights could do nothing.
When it was over, the French army was decimated. And so was the whole notion of knights, armour and chivalry.
Technology had won the day – and so had the English.
What made Edward victorious was that he had had the courage not just to try out a new technology but to embrace it wholeheartedly. Had he said, ‘well, we’ll bring all our knights and a few long bowmen’ he would have been defeated.
When it comes to the VJ and digital revolution and news, the same rules apply.
You must completely embrace the technology – not just ‘dabble in it’.
For any news organization that has the courage to do with today’s digital gear and laptops that which Edward did with the long bow, also shall come certain victory.
Even over a much larger and better equipped opposition.
