As everyone in public relations knows, VNRs are nothing more than a client's marketing messages dressed up as a "real" news segment. A "reporter" breathlessly announces the latest innovation from a company in a slick 60-second package delivered to TV stations via videotape or satellite. Producers were often more than happy to use this provided footage in their newscasts, as it was a fast, cheap and convenient way to fill time, especially on a slow news day.

Of course, there was a major scandal when viewers started to realize that these "news" segments were nothing more than free advertising, and TV stations backed away from using prepackaged VNRs (although many still welcome what has become known as "B roll" footage, which are unedited video segments such as product shots or an interview with the CEO that TV stations can weave into their own news format).

Today, VNRs are deployed sparingly; everyone in PR has heard the horror stories of segments that receive zero pickup, which isn't fun to explain when there's a five-digit invoice involved.

Enter the Internet. Thanks to widespread deployment of broadband access, not to mention faster multimedia chips and better software, watching video on a computer has become commonplace. Media companies desperate for eyeballs are redesigning their sites to incorporate streaming video footage; Yahoo! has even launched its own financial news network that competes directly with CNBC, MSNBC and CNN.

Unlike traditional TV, where the news is usually packaged into 30- or 60-minute packages, Internet news is non-stop. Announcements happen in real time, breaking stories are covered as they occur, and every browser refresh is an opportunity to deliver brand new content. As we've noted before, nobody who's anybody can afford to wait for tomorrow's newspaper or tonight's broadcast to learn why their favorite stock went up or down today.

But the Internet media companies have the same challenge as the cable TV channels two decades ago. So much time to fill, so little quality footage to fill it with.

Enter the digital VNR.

Suddenly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of news sites that would love nothing more than an interesting, well-produced, topical segment from a reputable source that they can run for free. After all, capital to create original programming is extremely scarce these days. And the old linear concepts of filling a specific timeframe don't apply on the Internet; standalone video segments can be made available for viewing on a news site for days, weeks, even forever, for the cost of a few megabytes on a server and a link on a web page (i.e., free).

The process has already begun. Thanks to Reg FD, many companies already webcast their quarterly earnings presentations, as well as analyst meetings. Press conferences are suddenly back in vogue, especially when reporters can ask questions in real time via email, instant messaging or chat-room technology. And don't forget, you can post all these video segments on the company's own web site, too.

The audience is ready; nine million people recently watched a billboard for Madonna's latest record masquerading as a "free" concert webcast. The news sites are ready, and growing more desperate every day. The only thing missing are the companies and their PR agencies to start producing and distributing digital VNRs by the truckload.

Hint, hint.

Contact Mainsail's very own Bob Purcell at (510) 647-1500 for more information on webcasts, digital VNRs and other interactive PR strategies that maximize the Internet for maximum results.

Based in Brussels, Chris Clark is senior vice president of strategic services for Mainsail. He is also the author of "Byte Back," a monthly humor column for Adweek Magazines' Technology Marketing.

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