To the ITV Daybreak/Good Morning Britain Team, Suggestions for the Show

see the Vive animation

Sunday 27 April update Here's more info on the social media streams for gmb.

Hashtag: #GMB 
(at google, at twitter, at facebook)
Twitter: @gmb (224,243)
Facebook: /GMB (234k)
Instagram: goodmorningbritain (139)
Vine: GMB (26)
Web: itv.com/GMB (54 indexed pages)
Google+    ?
YouTube   ?

I also hear the gmb team have visited +Good Morning America in the US, presumably to learn from them. So where is google+ or youtube?

I will just repeat a few ITV facts. Britains Got Talent, also an ITV show has a youtube channel that has 2.1 million subs and 1.7 billion views (and google+ page with 28.5 millions views). The X Factor Uk also has a youtube channel (with 2.7m subs and 2 billion views and a g+ page with 13.5 million views).

Topsy Twitter @daybreak v @gmb

In case you are wondering, the main ITV youtube channel as 73,246 subs, 24.5 million views. +ITV News has a g+ page with 5.6 million views. Even +ITV Football has 2.8 million views. There is also an +ITV Press Centre (which I particularly like).

So there you are - I am just one simple voice in a million.

Original text (18 April) A month ago, I sent an email to ITV with my suggestions for Good Morning Britain. I received a blanket reply five days later - and that was that. 

I cannot gauge how many suggestions the producers received or how much they listen (and wish to engage with an audience). But I do know I have something to give.

I've had my head in the US for the last few years (via Hangouts). Have a read, I wish the show success. What's not mentioned in my email: Good Morning America's Social Square. 

It seems the show will broadcast it's first episode on Monday, 28 April 2014 (wiki and ITV Press). 

www.itv.com Survey 18 Apr 14

The slide on the left shows an ITV Survey dated today, coincidence I guess.

Having just spent a few minutes answering the questions, I'm pretty disappointed. Same old, twitter, facebook - then, vine, instagram and pinterest, Not one mention of Google+ or YouTube. I will repeat ITV run Google Apps and have done since July 2011.

As a final thinking point, is my digital landscape a place I work with in Public or Private? I now feel I should have gone with my instinct and posted this note in public a month ago. We could have crowdsourced a solution.

What I sent by email: To Daybreak/Good Morning Britain Team, Suggestions for the Show (sent by email 13

Like most people, I wish GMB every success when they launch. I'm also fascinated what will make people watch breakfast TV, especially now we're in the age of mobiles/tablets on buses/trains early in the morning..

ITV are Google Apps already and have a brilliant App (for Catchup, but there is no Live broadcast[?]).. Is that coming soon?

I'm a power user at Google+, I've been in over 2,500 Hangouts, many of those LIVE at Youtube. One example that GMB could replicate is how my friend Maria Quiban of Good Day LA has used Hangouts On Air since 2011 (link to the youtube channel). Now, we have the news anchors (like Tony McEwing) dropping by the hangout for achat - they all get to know the g+ folks in there and call them friends, kinda cool).

The formula is very simple, a guest arrives at the studio, ready for On Air TV, a polite word was said to encourage the guest to say Hello to the people in a LIVE Google Hangout (of course g+ those users were vetted and trusted beforehand).

A few months later, guests where staying longer and longer - eventually we had stars like Mike Tyson, Kevin Bacon, Salman Rushdie and 100s more staying for a full 30 minute fun interview. The guests just love seeing the faces of people all over the world in realtime.

Google see me as an evangelist for google+, I test Hangout features for them, but I'm really working on making someone in the UK successful, we're getting there - but slowly. Manchester United will broadcast fans in the #MUfrontrow very soon, already 600,000+ views at youtube.

Sarah Hill was featured in a Google+ Stories (July 2012) -- I can imagine Susanna and Charlotte doing something like this. My vision, is GMB could be a hybrid of a regular Studio shows, but meets some elements of what The Big Breakfast gave us.

I have a bunch of other ideas.

1, ditch the warm studio and go light weight, on location ie public places or GMA style in Times Sq with a glass wall between you and the audience (Sure other Un Shows have a glass wall, but from a studio - not like in the centre of Liverpool Street etc)

2, get in guests houses -- take the broadcast to them

3, make it more radio show ie where you can listen rather than watch, v important for mobile users (limits on bandwidth etc -- could the App handle that?)

4, put Susannah in situations that brings out her best ie Where's Susannah/Charlotte (on location)? (there are a few videos on youtube of 600,000/925,000+ views usually about what she's wearing or how she is sitting) ..

5, Remember, Channel 4, Sky News and even the odd BBCWHYS have dabbled in Hangouts...

6, make a program that people will watch as Catch Up, my guess -- very hard to do as a breakfast show.

Thanks, Mike

---------------------------

18 March 2014

Dear Mike

Thank you for your email sending us your ideas for our new programme.

We have passed your message on to the editorial team and they will contact you if they are keen to discuss your ideas in greater detail.

Thank you for contacting us and do please get back in touch if you have other comments or enquiries in the future.

Best wishes

Duty Officer - Daybreak