More than one hat

Want to be a TV news producer or reporter? Be prepared to wear multiple hats. Mary Ellen Hardies, who produces the 6 p.m. newscast at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio, does a lot more than assemble a rundown and write lead-ins. She screens video on her desk top, makes all her own graphics, [...]

Team building for producers

TV newscast producers may not think of themselves as leaders or managers, but the good ones are both. Even in the smallest stations, producers are team leaders. They have to work with anchors, directors, graphics and assignment editors to put together the best possible newscast. They also have to manage their [...]

Ratings data more sophisticated…and scary?

It’s a reality that some TV newsrooms live and die by the numbers. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, Nielsen will soon be offering “second-by-second” ratings information to some clients, and the cable companies’ set-top boxes have made this all possible.
Under the deal with Charter Communications, Nielsen receives information from 320,000 households [...]

Tapeless in Savannah

While TV news hasn’t had “Film at 11″ for decades, many stations still “go to the videotape.” But the days of using that phrase are numbered, too. In Savannah, Ga., [market #97], the WTOC-TV newsroom went tapeless this summer. Reporter Charles Gray wrote in the station’s newsletter that the advantages are obvious: [...]

Behind the scenes on Live at 5

What goes on off camera during a local newscast can be perfectly hilarious. Unfortunately, most stations don’t let us in on the fun. But anchor Derek McGinty at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., lifted the curtain recently on his blog “What the heck was that?“
Sometimes the dearth of good material sparks creativity, and the [...]

The new “News at Seven”

In our textbook, “Advancing the Story: Broadcast Journalism in a Multimedia World,” we describe a virtual newscast being developed by Northwestern University’s InfoLab (www.newsatseven.com). Now, a new customizable version of News at Seven is live on the site, albeit in a Beta launch.
Previously, the site displayed a virtual newscast in which the stories [...]

Webcast producing

Anyone who produces Webcasts or streams newscasts online might want to take a look at what ABC News is doing with its afternoon Webcast, called “World News.”  According to an article in the New York Times:
“It is intended in part for people who view Web pages on iPods and cellphones and ABC executives say they [...]

Becoming a “director’s producer”

The best television news producers will tell you that they always try to build an excellent relationship with their directors.  Producers who realize that directors are more than “button punchers and camera callers” find their shows looking better and communicating content more effectively.
But what do directors want from their producers?  Jeffrey Blount is a veteran director [...]

Don’t drop local sports, change it

Market research indicates that sports is near the bottom of the list of reasons people give for watching local TV news. Some stations, most recently WTKR-TV in Norfolk, Va., have decided to drop the local sports segment to save money and make more time for news. Bad idea, says News8 Austin news director Kevin Benz:
If [...]

VNR: FCC says pay for play doesn’t matter

The Federal Communications Commission says just because you’re not getting paid to air it, doesn’t mean you get a free ride when it comes to identifying VNRs for viewers.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, the FCC has issued four more proposed fines against Comcast for airing four video news releases (VNRs) on non-controversial topics for which [...]