Sunday, June 8, 2008

Gasoline stories: stating the obvious

If I see one more package that talks about the fact that Joe Smith spends eighty bucks to fill up his SUV, has a sound bite from a consumer who says he has no choice but to pay high prices, and essentially tells the public nothing it doesn't already know, I'm going to scream.

Those of you who have been on gas station patrol are probably getting sick of doing the same story. But you know what? If it's the same story, it's your own fault.

Incredibly, I have not seen one story, network or local, about the history of gas crises. Not one story about people who are profiting from this, and I'm not talking about the oil companies.

When a topic like this hits and won't go away, you have to look hard for the other sides (yes, plural) of the story.

For those of you too young to remember, we've already had two gas crises in this country, in 1973 and 1979. In '73 prices shot up to fifty cents a gallon, which back then seemed ridiculous. But the problem wasn't so much the price, as the shortage. Some parts of the country started rationing gasoline. I was living in a Connecticut suburb of New York City, and we were under the "odd-even" ration system. If your car's license plate ended in an even number, you could buy gas on even numbered days. Odd plates got in line on odd days. Everyone could buy gas on the 31st of any month. And there were lines like you wouldn't believe, and limits. You could wait an hour and only be allowed to buy three bucks worth of gas.

In '79 the price hit a dollar a gallon for the first time, and we were under the odd-even system again. And this brings me to the part of the story where the ill wind brings someone some good. I was sitting in line one morning when a young guy tapped on my window. I rolled it down and he said, "Donut? Coffee?" He'd figured out there was a constant captive audience of customers and probably made a fortune with his snack and coffee cart. Soon people started selling everything in gas lines. And the station we watched, WABC-TV, did sidebar stories about this. One even featured a woman who was giving disco lessons (hey, it was the seventies) while people were stuck in line. After the gas crises ended, the practice continued, as vendors moved to toll booths, once again realizing that customers would buy a donut or newspaper while waiting.

Who are the "donut vendors" of today? Who is using high gas prices as an opportunity? While gas isn't being rationed, many people are held captive in their own homes. Only this time people are looking for ways to conserve. So who is selling solar panels in your market? He's probably got a line of customers. How can you convert your diesel car to one that burns used restaurant vegetable oil? Someone in your area is probably doing conversions. As people begin to shudder at the cost of heating their homes this winter, who is selling efficient fireplace inserts?

The point is, stating the obvious isn't doing your viewers any good. Yes, gas is the top story right now but you won't find anything new at the pump. If you really want to make a mark, think outside the box and point out something that isn't obvious. Dig for the new angle. And if you want to add a little history to your package, call up the network feed desk and ask for video (actually, it will be film) of those 70's crises.

Do a story that actually helps a viewer, and you've got a loyal viewer.

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