The Hill: Rising Creative Reformat
Reformatting The Hill’s Flagship Political Show to Drive Audience Growth
875KAverage Daily Viewers
20M+Plays in April ‘23
80%Year Over Year Growth in Plays
5Hrs Daily Programming Supported
In This Case Study:
The Hill, owned by Nexstar Media, brought in BMG to consult on and lead the reformatting of Rising, its daily flagship political program.
The engagement focused on improving the viewer experience while making the show easier and more efficient to produce each day. BMG evaluated the program’s creative direction, production workflows, control room capabilities, editorial processes, talent needs, and cross-platform opportunities.
As part of the reformat, BMG developed a new on-air graphics package, trained producers, created standard operating procedures, supported talent auditions, improved studio blocking, and helped The Hill maximize its existing production resources without adding budget.
BMG Main Services
The Challenge: Improving a Daily Show Without Rebuilding the Operation
A Show That Needed a Clearer Visual Identity
The Hill needed Rising to feel more polished and recognizable on screen.
That required a refreshed graphics package, updated show branding, stronger visual templates, and more consistent execution across daily segments.
More Output From Existing Resources
The team needed to deliver five hours of daily programming using the staff, equipment, and control room resources already in place.
BMG had to identify practical workflow improvements that could increase production quality without requiring a larger budget or a full technical rebuild.
Stronger Daily Processes
A daily political show depends on consistency.
Producers needed clearer standards, the booking team needed stronger workflows for pursuing exclusive interviews, and the production team needed repeatable processes that could keep the show balanced, efficient, and visually consistent day after day.
The Solution: A Creative and Operational Reformat
New On-Air Graphics and Show Identity
BMG developed a new broadcast graphics package for Rising.
The package included a refreshed color palette, updated logo design, new show open, lower thirds, show backgrounds, and visual templates that gave the program a more cohesive on-air identity.
These updates helped modernize the viewer experience while giving the production team a more consistent visual system to use across the show.
Workflow and Control Room Optimization
BMG assessed The Hill’s existing production workflows and equipment to determine how the team could get more from its current control room.
The goal was to improve the way the show was produced each day while staying within the existing staffing and budget structure.
BMG developed technical workflows that helped maximize the control room’s capabilities and created standard operating procedures to support consistency, balance, and production quality across the program.
Producer Training and Editorial Support
BMG worked with producers to improve content quality and daily output.
That included training, workflow guidance, and process development designed to help the team produce a stronger and more consistent show.
BMG also worked closely with The Hill’s editorial management to improve access across internal teams and better connect editorial priorities with production execution.
Talent, Booking, and Promotion
The reformat also looked at the elements surrounding the daily broadcast.
BMG auditioned additional talent to provide backfill options for primary hosts, supported the booking team with workflows for pursuing exclusive interviews, and produced show promos for cross-platform distribution.
BMG also helped block studio shows to improve the overall look of the program on screen.
Impact
After BMG’s engagement, Rising delivered its strongest viewership month in more than a year.
In April 2023, the show averaged 875,000 viewers per day, reaching a 15-month high in viewership. The program also generated nearly 20 million plays that month, representing 80% year-over-year growth.
The results showed how creative development, workflow improvements, producer training, technical optimization, and stronger daily processes can work together to improve both the show and the operation behind it.
Deliverables
Reformatting of Rising, The Hill’s daily flagship program
New broadcast graphics package
Producer training and workflow development
Talent auditions and backfill support
Studio blocking and visual production improvements
Booking workflow and exclusive interview strategy
Production quality standards
Key Information
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