How ‘Anderson Live’ Is Socializing the Talk Show

When Anderson Cooper's talk show returns with new episodes next month, the show is going to have a much more social feel.

The show, now called Anderson Live, will be aired live to tape, abandoning the pre-taped format the show employed for its first season. As a result, the show's producers are looking at how to take advantage of Cooper's active social following in order to infuse social and digital into the show itself.

We spoke to Terence Noonan, Executive Producer for Anderson Live and Bob Mohler, SVP of digital media for Telepictures about the show's new format, the importance of digital and how much Cooper really loves Instagram

Going Live

The biggest formatting change with Cooper's talk show is the decision to move to a "live-to-tape" format. This means that the show will air fully live in some markets (such as Philadelphia) and still air the same day in others (such as Los Angeles).

This is a big move for the show and one that Noonan feels "really plays to Anderson's strengths." Says Noonan: "Anderson is so good live and is so good at talking about what is current and topical, we see this as an opportunity to become the watercooler for daytime television."

Being live also means that the show can engage with the audience on Facebook and Twitter before, during and after the show.

"The hard part last year," Noonan says, "was that because it wasn't live, it was hard to stop and start social media efforts because you didn't know when the episode would air." An episode with a major recording artist, for instance, could be greatly promoted across social, but it's difficult to do that if the show isn't going to air for two or three weeks.

Cooper will host each show with a co-host each day and Noonan says that the first twenty minutes of the show will be about current events. This will allow for more real-time engagement with the audience.

Noonan notes that the show is already reaching out to users via the web, Twitter and Facebook for feedback on future show topics. What makes the new live format even better is that responses from users on Twitter or Facebook can then be incorporated into the show as it airs.

Moreover, once the show does start airing, users can talk back to the show using the #AndersonLive hash tag. The producers will monitor the feedback from Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr and incorporate it within the show.

With any luck, the goal is to make what social elements appear for users different for each time zone. That means that users in LA might see more timely or relevant user responses on-screen for their local time, rather than whatever was plugged in when was broadcasting from New York City.

Working out social integration across timelines is a challenge, Mohler tells us, but it's something the producers are looking forward to tackling.

Social Show Elements

In addition to the #AndersonLive talk back bits, social is also going to be more integrated into the show itself.

A new weekly feature will appear called "Stump Anderson." This segment will encourage fans to send it trivia questions over social media. If they can stump Anderson live on the show, they'll win a t-shirt that says "I Stumped Anderson Cooper." This segment, which was Noonan's brainchild, helps connect Anderson with fans in a more authentic and humorous way.

Understanding that fans often tweet from the show, Anderson Live will have a special "Seat Tweets" section for reserved members of the audience that allow for live-tweeting during a taping. These user's tweets will then be highlighted across the Anderson Live social accounts.

We think this is a great idea.

And of course, Anderson himself will continue to be the biggest promoter of the show. "Anderson has such a massive following on Twitter," Noonan tell us, "it would be silly not to leverage that audience as a way to engage with fans give feedback."

In addition to Twitter, Cooper has joined Instagram (he loves it), Viddy and maintains a Backstage Blog on Tumblr. All of these channels — in addition to tons of YouTube videos — keep fans informed even after the show is over.

Staying Authentic

Lots of television producers want to make their shows more social, but the challenge is getting the talent (and sometimes the studios or networks) on board.

Fortunately, Cooper doesn't need much convincing. "The problem with a lot of celebrities is they just promote and think that's engagement," Noonan says. "It isn't authentic."

Cooper, Noonan says, "is up for anything." "He's embraced all of them — even the things he's not sure about." That authenticity is noticeable to users and it's why he has cultivated such a following.

"Getting buy-in from talent is critical," Mohler tells us. "Anderson gets it and wants to have real engagement, not cursory back and forth."

Making the Talk Show Relevant

One of the overarching goals for Anderson Live is to help make daytime TV more relevant in the age of social media. To that end, Mohler and Noonan didn't announce any plans for a second-screen app — but they didn't count out the possibility either.

The biggest challenge will be bringing social into the show in a way that makes it feel natural and that allows viewers to feel part of the conversation. In the weeks since Anderson Live was announced, the producers on the show have gone to great lengths to keep fans and would-be fans engaged and informed.

What do you think of the way Anderson Live is embracing social and digital? Let us know in the comments.