Cranky, magnificent bastards

That’s what talk show host Craig Ferguson called us over the weekend, and it was a compliment. The host of the CBS Late Late Show entertained a packed crowd at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington on Saturday night. Mixed in with the jokes about Vice President Cheney already moving [...]

Going solo

VJ, one-man band, sojo, mojo. Is there a distinction? Pete Liebengood, president of the VJ training company OnQCo, says the only real difference is that a one-man band uses more gear than the others. In his opinion, a VJ, sojo or mojo only needs a camera and a laptop to do the job. [...]

Reporting for graphics

Developing a good graphic depends primarily on the quality of the information, according to New York Times graphics director Steve Duenes. In an online chat with readers, Duenes said one of his rules is “don’t invent,” by which he means “no guessing.”
We have software that lets us create photo-realistic renderings, but it can be [...]

Video sharing

It’s not a new concept. TV networks have done it for years in Washington, where it’s called “pooling.” But a report this morning on what two Philadelphia stations are doing made me sit up and take notice. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC-owned WCAU and Fox-owned WTXF are sharing video this [...]

The “beeb” converges

The old, staid BBC is no more.  “Auntie Beeb” got a new look this week and, more importantly, a new structure.  The visual rebranding features slick new graphics, including a swirling red globe that has some viewers complaining of nausea, according to the London Times.  The network also rebranded its all-news channel.  What was “News [...]

The state of multimedia

For a long time convergence and multimedia were dirty words in many newsrooms - and that may still be the case for some.  But there is more evidence that journalists are simply embracing the idea that having more ways to distribute their stories can actually improve the quality of their work.
At the Broadcast Educators Association [...]

What’s legal online and off

With so many outlets for content these days, broadcast lawyers are busier than ever. Jerry Fritz, legal counsel for the Allbritton stations, says the vetting process for TV news is actually faster and better than it used to be because he can read scripts and watch video online before stories go on the air. [...]

Passing the job interview test

Be on time. That’s the first rule to keep in mind if you’re lucky enough to get a job interview at a TV station. Rule number two: Allow plenty of time for your station visit, news directors say, because you’ll still have a lot to prove.
Be prepared to take a current events quiz [...]

Producing for the small screen

If you need a reason to think about producing content for mobile devices, consider this:  The cell phone industry estimates 30 million people in the U.S. will be video subscribers in 2009.  That’s 30 million people available to watch your stories on the go.
So, what do you need to do differently to capture this new audience?  It depends on who [...]

Va. Tech one year later

The Roanoke Times marked the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings with an extensive multimedia tribute, including “the sights and sounds of the events of April 16, 2008, as captured over a 24-hour period.” The “day in the life” concept is well executed, visually compelling, and deep. It includes video, time-lapse photography, [...]