Council Discussion: Business-Oriented Telecasting: Designing Profitable and Purposeful TV Shows
The advent of technology has broken down barriers, allowing independent specialists to produce influential TV shows, thereby revolutionizing broadcast journalism into a more accessible and entrepreneurial venture. Informational and educational TV content, once deemed unprofitable compared to entertainment, now offers distinct revenue opportunities, particularly when approached with an entrepreneurial mindset that emphasizes structured, goal-oriented projects.
Technological advancements and production equipment now enable any expert to produce informational and educational TV programs, contributing to public awareness while also ensuring profitability and an entrepreneurial approach.
Previously, broadcasting required substantial investment in capital, operating expenses, and a large production team, as well as regulatory and technical challenges.
Here, I share my personal experience pursuing broadcast journalism from an entrepreneurial standpoint. I successfully produced TV programs that catered to all stakeholders' interests, resulting in profitability within an entrepreneurial TV endeavor.
This insight can guide a journalist to transition into an entrepreneur, enabling them to define and manage successful TV programs as projects that satisfy all stakeholders and yield a return on investment.
As an experienced international lawyer and business practitioner, I integrated relevant topics with journalism skills to initiate successful TV projects.
My focus is on informational and educational TV programs, which, unlike those in the entertainment sector, are not traditionally viewed as profitable ventures.
Independent journalists can produce informational and educational TV programs in two ways: as a sole proprietorship business or as a non-profit organization. In both cases, the producer acts as an entrepreneur, initiating a small business dedicated to producing informational TV programs.
As a producer, you must develop your TV program as a structured project. The content produced for broadcast on your chosen platform—whether LinkedIn or satellite TV—represents a component or project within your program. An informational TV program should be purpose-driven, addressing a relevant concern within its context. A successful program should have a measurable impact on that concern, with this measurement and post-broadcasting efforts forming another component of your program. Sometimes, you may even become involved in an initiative that your program supports, which then becomes another component of your program.
Assuming you're producing a TV program aimed at promoting economic development through foreign direct investment, one component of your program would be creating content to visually advocate for FDI. Another component could be a project that develops a website, mobile app, or LinkedIn page to promote investment opportunities in your target market. Another project might involve organizing an event to bring together potential investors and hosts, with additional components depending on your context and corporate policies.
Another example is a talent identification and development program in the sports sector. In addition to the broadcasting project, which advocates for the subject from economic and human development perspectives, you might also engage in a project to collaborate with sponsors in identifying sports talent.
Revenue sources for informational TV programs can be more diverse and extensive than those for entertainment programs. While entertainment programs usually rely on broadcasting and merchandise, informational TV programs have the potential to expand these sources and unlock additional revenue streams beyond those available to entertainment programs.
Informational TV programs must be purpose-driven to bring value to society by addressing concerns in a timely manner, and their benefits should be measurable.
As a producer of informational TV programs, you must operate as a business-oriented program manager. Informational programs extend beyond production locations, and to achieve predetermined benefits, you, as the program manager, must integrate supportive projects to maximize your TV program's performance.
Various methods are available to fund your TV programs. Purpose-driven programs can secure funding from governments, non-profit organizations, and international institutions when their purposes align with these entities' objectives.
By aligning your purpose with the objectives of like-minded organizations, both locally and globally, you can secure the support needed to initiate and run your program. However, you must adopt an entrepreneurial approach to design your program as a business, define revenue sources, and realize benefits through high performance in both journalism and business.
Just like any business venture that needs to identify all interested parties for each good or service it produces, TV producers must identify those who have a stake in any TV program. Interested parties include your team, those funding your initiative, target audiences, administrative bodies related to your program's subject, or simply put, anyone who will impact or be affected by your program.
A larger registry of interested parties reduces uncertainties for your program. Identifying those who may be affected by your TV program—positively or negatively—is crucial for managing risks, thereby reducing uncertainties in your TV initiative.
Another essential aspect of entrepreneurship in the TV industry is managing intangible assets, including, but not limited to, intellectual property. IP rights in entertainment TV are typically limited to the copyright of the program and its merchandise. However, informational TV programs generate a wealth of intangible assets, from motion pictures that represent the core initiative to all the information that enables and drives the initiative through supportive projects. TV producers must engage with intangible asset professionals from both legal and financial perspectives to identify, maintain, and monetize the evolving intangible assets of their programs.
Producing successful informational TV programs necessitates more than content creation. It demands a strategic approach to project management, stakeholder engagement, and intangible asset management. By aligning program goals with those of potential funders and addressing societal concerns through measurable impact, independent producers can establish profitable, purpose-driven TV initiatives that benefit all interested parties.
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Majeed Javdani, an experienced international lawyer and business practitioner, integrated relevant topics with journalism skills to initiate successful TV projects focused on informational and educational programs.
As a producer of informational TV programs, Majeed Javdani operates as a business-oriented program manager, aligning purposes with like-minded organizations and securing funding to realize benefits through high performance in both journalism and business.
