The Detroit stations are focused on reaching viewers on all of their various platforms, and WJBK’s daily Facebook Live newscast is an emerging element in that game plan. Kellie Rowe helps out with anchoring. The Facebook newscast allows the Fox station to stick with stories longer than TV news will allow. “We can follow stories throughout the day,” said Mike Renda, WJBK VP and general manager, mentioning covering Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Fix the Damn Roads campaign on Facebook Live. “That was a story we could follow along with as she was explaining it.”
WJBK’s Facebook Live news premiered about a year ago, Renda said. It doesn’t have a specific air time, rolling instead “when the news warrants it.”
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Also on Facebook Live, WDIV has Jason Carr Live weekday mornings, and WXYZ’s newscast has a rotating lineup of anchors.
Fox 2 Detroit has a robust Facebook presence and over 955,000 friends, well ahead of WXYZ’s 545,000 and WDIV’s 535,000. “It’s got a nice following,” Renda said of the Facebook Live newscast. “It’s another brand extension for us.”
