Behind the Scenes Q&As Reinventing Local TV News

How WCVB’s OTT Content Producer Leanna Scachetti is Transforming Local TV News for Digital Audiences

To better understand what digital consumers are interested in when it comes to engaging with local news content online, Northeastern University’s Reinventing Local TV News Project (RLTVN) explores how TV stations can share stories that entertain and inform their growing audience on digital platforms.

Leanna Scachetti was an RLTVN fellow at WCVB, Boston’s ABC affiliate, where she produced content specifically for digital platforms. Following her fellowship, she was hired as an OTT Content Producer at the station.

Scachetti is no stranger to covering the news. An Emmy award-winning journalist whose experience ranges from multimedia news reporting to podcast production, she has a deep understanding of how to create digital stories that engage younger audiences in the rapidly evolving world of TV news. 

We sat down with Scachetti to learn more about her process, the challenges she faced and what she learned from her time as a fellow at WCVB.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

What attracted you to the Reinventing Local TV News fellowship at WCVB?

I kind of sensed that I wasn’t necessarily ready or looking to go back into the Monday through Friday, live at six every night grind — I was really excited about the digital space. I also was really excited about the research aspect of it and working with an academic institution. I’m so passionate about journalism and journalists and just our industry as a whole. I was very excited about the opportunity to contribute in a broader way to…figuring out how to keep moving forward and engage those younger audiences because I think…we can’t keep pretending like the way that we have been doing TV news is how we are always going to keep doing TV News.

“We can’t keep pretending like the way that we have been doing TV news is how we are always going to keep doing TV News.”

Leanna Scachetti

Tell me a little bit about your process. Where do you get your ideas from?

I see story ideas in everything, I have millions of notebooks filled with story ideas. I have more story ideas than I have time. 

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Occasionally, my news director or my digital content manager will give me story ideas or suggestions. So, for example, my news director recently wanted me to work with our investigative unit. They were doing a series of stories about the elderly drivers of Massachusetts — how to talk to your parents if you think it may be time for them to give up driving. She wanted to rally some interest online in the series ahead of it ahead of airing. 


I worked with the reporters who worked on those [segments] to really make it a “news for me” focus, which is something we learned from the research at SmithGeiger, is a way that we can approach stories that we know resonate with young audiences. 

So, in the digital version of the story with the reporter, I focused on his own personal experiences that you were not going to see in the television story where he was talking about the facts and figures, interviewing people, and talking about the resources. The digital story included that, but it was also about his own experience with his mom, and I think that resonates with people because it’s intimate and it’s authentic. 

@5wcvb

When should Mom and Dad stop driving? Giving your older relatives “the talk” can be hard. There are tools to help navigate the decision and the conversation. * * * #drivingboston #Boston #drivingsafety #roadsafety #elderlydrivers

♬ original sound – WCVB Channel 5 Boston

How do you approach making content for digital platforms? 

I think just because it’s TikTok doesn’t mean it’s not an opportunity to talk about serious stuff or learn, you know? It’s a great platform for humor and lightness, but I think I’ve learned from this to just go for it. Just try it because you never really know. 

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Like with the fire safety story, I was like, I hope people like this. I hope people think it’s interesting.
And it was actually shared over the weekend by the Los Angeles Fire Department on their Instagram story. And so, clearly, it’s resonating with people on some level, so I think you just go for it. 

I really value good quality production and I don’t think you have to abandon that for online platforms, but I think that you can’t also let that hold you back from producing content. They are a little bit more of an exception, as long as the content is quality. People get hung up on making it this perfectly polished thing, which I think is counterintuitive to being authentic and raw, which can sometimes perform [better].

https://www.tiktok.com/@5wcvb/video/7440064508934245678?_t=8sNaqOq087O&_r=1

What has been your biggest takeaway from being a WCVB fellow? 

WCVB has been amazing and I’m so lucky and so fortunate to have spent this past year here. It truly is one of the best stations in the country, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge how incredibly fortunate I am to work here. 

I think the other takeaway has been just a re-ignition in my love for this industry and in the roles that we serve in our community. I’ve experienced burnout in my career like so many of us have. I feel like this position allowed me to ease my burnout, and just really reignite that creative sense in me and give life to that. 

Lastly, something that I’ve thought about a lot, is just really to trust your intuition. And, again, this is really cheesy, but believe in yourself, because there are a lot of times in the last 10 years where I’ve doubted myself or I wish I had a certain experience that I didn’t come to the table with, but I’ve really just learned the value of leaning into your journey. When you follow your interests and your gut, it will take you where you need to be. 

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