Yahoo today began rolling out its strategy for 2012 election-related content, showcasing its capabilities as well as its massive audience. It’s a way for the company to remind advertisers that it reaches 90 percent of online U.S. adults as it stumbles through rumors of internecine squabbling and corporate takeovers without a chief executive officer.
Tonight (Nov. 8) ABC News and Yahoo will host interviews by George Stephanopoulos (pictured), Christiane Amanpour and other well-known broadcasters with each of the Republican candidates live from the campaign trail. They will be live-streamed throughout the day on both ABCNews.com and Yahoo.com, then excerpts from these interviews also will be incorporated into World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline, This Week with Christiane Amanpour, ABC News Radio and elsewhere. Members of the public have been invited to ask their own questions at Yahoo Answers or by using the #AskGOP hashtag, although there’s no guarantee they will be addressed.
Also launching today is The Signal. So far it’s basically a blog, but in December it will start adding dynamic content like data visualizations, with experimental games, polling and other interactive elements soon after. The Signal is hosted by Yahoo Labs’ scientists David Rothschild and David Pennock along with other experts on predictions and data and is designed to provide real-time predictions, sentiment, games and commentary.
“In this time of enormous economic and global challenge, the Yahoo audience will determine the next president of the United States,” Ross Levinsohn, executive vice president of Americas at Yahoo said in a statement. “We’re building Yahoo News to be the source for political coverage, harnessing the voices, opinions and proposed solutions of Americans from across the country to deliver content and reporting focused on the issues and decisions that voters and their families must deal with daily.”
Beginning in January, Yahoo will launch a video series called Remake America that follows the experiences of eight families who are striving to “achieve the American Dream” while dealing with joblessness, foreclosures, health care and other issues. Interaction with the audience will be a big part of the series.
Overall original news reporting and analysis will be led by Washington bureau chief David Chalian, previously political editor at PBS Newshour and former ABC News’ political director.
Levinsohn said, “This will be the most important election for millions of Americans in years, and with 90 percent of the online electorate visiting Yahoo each month, we embraced the opportunity to play a role in helping Americans choose their leaders, understand the issues, and propose solutions.”
Related links:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/signal
http://news.yahoo.com/remake-america
Photo by Flickr user Yampy Yankee High Dynamic Ranger, used under Creative Commons license
