A first for Australian television, Channel 7’s live coverage of Cyclone Yasi via Skype kept the station ahead of the pack. Whilst other networks were travelling with the customary camera crew, Grant Denyer (Sunrise) lightened his load, by reporting live with an iPhone, Skype and a handheld camera.

In the information age, breaking news has fallen into the hands of bloggers, tweeters and basically anyone with a social media account.  Journalists have to compete as much with ‘citizen journalists’ as those in their own profession. Our thirst for immediacy has gravitated us towards digital news consumption and many are predicting the death of the newspaper.

Nevertheless, Channel 7’s approach illustrates how an industry can adapt with the new to continue delivering to their audiences.  A game changer, it won’t be surprising if we see a lot more of this on our screens in future.