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Beating Reporter Deadlines With Your Own EOC

One of the toughest learning curves for young reporters can be hitting your deadlines. You know how it goes—you knock out a noon live shot and as soon as you’re done, the EP or Assignment Desk is calling, to say you’re now on a completely different story for 5pm… and you’re live in another town… and don’t miss slot!

So how can you do good work and at the same time keep management off your back so you’re not “the problem child” on the reporting staff?

Well, it starts, and ends, with 3 keys—think of this as your own personal EOC (Emergency Operations Center … for reporters).

Efficiency

The old saying goes: “Get off your ass, get out of the building!” And it’s true. You can save a lot of time by simply being efficient with your time. Let’s say you’re assigned a story in the morning meeting. Depending on how your newsroom works, maybe you don’t have to sit through the remaining 45 minutes of that meeting. Get your story and ask if you can take off. Grab your photog and go. You’ll be thankful for those 45 minutes as you hit crunch time before the newscast.

You can make lots of calls, but remember: it’s easier for someone to blow you off by phone than in person. So if may be more efficient to just show up at that police PIO’s office and ask for a quick interview or a copy of that arrest report than making 6 calls throughout the day.

Plan out your stops to save time— so you’ll go talk with the mayor first because he’s available now. You’ll call the city council member on your way to the mayor’s office (saves time vs. you staying in the newsroom and making calls from your desk) to see if you can interview her right after the mayor. Then you can head to the next stop for B-roll and other material. Then you’ll end up at your live location.

Quickly research story background and contacts, and remember you can do that in the car from your phone if your photog is driving.

Make notes as you record your interview so you don’t waste time when logging and getting ready to write.

If you have a photog (won’t work if you’re an solo MMJ), you log and write while he or she sets up the live shot. Better yet, you write your basic script while the photog is driving to the next location.

If you know you need help from the Assignment Desk, be efficient there too Let them know early if you need something researched or a call made. Assignment editors are insanely busy people and the last thing they need is a last-minute call from you asking for 3 calls to be made on your story.

Efficiency also can mean not biting off more than you can chew. If you’re assigned to breaking news just before airtime, don’t stress too much over whether it’s a pkg. Viewers don’t care about the format, and a good management team won’t either, as long as you do a solid, compelling breaking news live shot. So be confident, get on scene and let your newsroom know what you can provide: “I’ll have a live VO at the top of the show… possibly a live interview if I can track someone down.”

Organization

Keep a list of key contacts from your previous news stories. That way, you’re not re-researching potential interviewees every time you do a story.

Make sure you have the addresses you need and GPS your route so you’re not wasting time getting lost.

Don’t overshoot your stories. No need to shoot an hour of material for a basic pkg on a crash or fire or school board meeting. Make sure you have enough, but the more organized you are with shooting, the less you have to log for your script.

Don’t try to re-invent the wheel every time. Here’s a good example—

I worked with a veteran reporter in Tampa who was a master of working fast and efficiently. Knowing that reporters tend to cover many of the same types of stories over and over (fires, crashes, protests, budget meetings, elections), he basically had templates of these stories in his computer and in his head. If he was assigned a story about an election campaign stop by a candidate, he’d do some quick research on the race/candidate, then sketch out his script even before leaving the station. Why? Because he knew where the story was likely to go when he got there. So all he had to do is get his sounds bites and fill in the blanks. Now, the obvious danger in that plan is: what happens if the story takes a different turn? Well, then he’d just change it as needed. But the point is, he didn’t wait until the 4pm event ended and then scrambled to write the story for 5pm. He pre-wrote a skeleton script and then plugged in the holes.

Clear Communication

Be in touch with your Producer, EP and Desk frequently (at least every few hours or whenever you change locations). Be clear about what elements you have and what else you need. That avoids the dreaded angry EP conversation because she thought you were dong angle X for your story and you have angle Y.

Get script approval as early as possible. When I was a news manager, I can’t tell you the number of times 3 reporters called me at virtually the same time… an hour before the show… for script approval. That gives me very little time to concentrate on your script, make suggestions and have you change it for the better. Write it as early as possible and get it approved. Your managers will love you for it and so will your photog/editor, since they’ll have more time to make it look great.

So keep in mind your EOC to hit your deadlines—be efficient, be organized, and clearly communicate with your newsroom. Since far too many reporters DON’T do these, if you do, you’ll be a hero. Believe me.

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Steve Kraycik is the Director of Student Television and Online Operations at Penn State University. He has more than 27 years of experience in television news, much of that as a manager. He also is an agent with MediaStars. You can reach him at [email protected] and @TV_Agent_Steve.

Social TV: Making The Most Of Planned And Unplanned Interactions

Social TV is storytelling. While just 16 percent of Americans are on Twitter, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are on Facebook, according to a recent Pew Study. Social media users are vocal viewers that are likely to influence their friends and family to tune in. We want those viewers to watch and engage in real time and make live TV a different experience than they get reading the news online – which is where interactive TV comes in.

The interaction can be approached two ways — planned, pre-produced segments; and unplanned moments such as breaking news.

The planned:

Social TV sings when it is a produced element of a show. It should be part of the story telling — not tacked on. You can incorporate viewers into a real-time poll, or asking viewers a question to answer, think of how to engage the audience and take your show into the live TV “you snooze you lose” category.

These stories can be mini elements worked into a package with set-up or more involved. One of the more-in-depth interactive stories we’ve done was our story on the bystander effect. We sent our promotions producer outside in various situations — moaning in the cold as a well-dressed person, again in a hoodie and jeans, and then to steal a bike at a transit station (with UTA’s permission). As the package aired, we asked questions to our audience, i.e. “how long will it take someone to help him?” and “how many people will stop the bike theft” and engaged with them in a conversation and showed their comments in real time.

The story was promoted as an interactive over the weekend and generated a ratings lift over our lead-in — and a lot of people buzzing about how they were anxious to see how people reacted. Our Facebook reach numbers jumped during the story as well.

A fantastic example I saw of this was a Today Show #OrangeRoom segment with Tamron Hall. They had talked about electric baby cradles — and Tamron did a live demo with a crying baby (!) to show whether or not they worked. That’s better than any tweet on air — making TV work for its medium.

The unplanned: Social media becomes your friend and your enemy during breaking news. Photos pour in — but no one wants to be the news station that gets punked and puts false information on air. Set a plan in place now that everyone can follow to verify what information is reliable. Once information is verified, and you have permission to use it, take it to air as user generated content. Let it help you tell the story in real time, as it happens. We have done this in breaking news — especially in situations when we want to break in, and we have confirmed information, but our satellite truck or chopper just hasn’t quite reached the scene. It serves as a bridge.

Here are some tips:

1. Learn who you can trust: I’ve made a twitter list of good social citizens — people that tweet us often with real information, or PIOs that I can trust. From there, I can look at the people they follow and interact with. (This works well with national and international events — start every big event with a Twitter list) 2. Use the information that social media gives you. Look at timestamps and to see the genuine intrigue in people’s messages (are they more shocked by what they just witnessed — or do they seem more interested in having their picture be on TV? It should be the former, not the latter). If it comes through Facebook message, get more information. Better yet, if it’s a good picture, get their contact information, and get an interview.

3. If it is a large event, compare photos. In 2012, we had a horrible wildfire season and every time a new wildfire would start, we would get the same picture of a famous Utah landmark with a fiery sunset behind it. With reverse Google Image search, we were able to trace it to a local photographer who had taken it two years previous.

4. Inform your newsroom. Don’t forget that if you discover something is false, to not live in a vacuum. Tell people, so that all of your producers know and the content doesn’t make it on air.

For a great report on verification and breaking news, read this Q&A with Jennifer Preston of the New York Times.

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Natalie Wardel @nataliewardel is the Social Media Director for KSL in Salt Lake City. Tweet her with questions and/or comments.

How To Deal With Conflicting Messages.

Unfortunately many newsrooms struggle with clearly defining their news philosophy. This can be very confusing and frustrating for the journalists in the trenches. So how do you survive when your ND, AND and EP all have different philosophies?

The first step is looking at who has the most hands-on influence on your work each day. If your EP is next to you in the trenches all day, and the AND and ND only sometimes step in, do what the EP asks. If you call in to the AND for script approval each day, do what that person expects. This will not protect you every newscast, every shift, but it will lessen your being in the middle of conflict.

If you are executing what that main manager asks and another manager steps in and asks you to change it, it is ok to say “I can do that, but (EP/AND/ND) asked me to do this. Which should I do?” If the person now asking you to do something opposite outranks the other manager, do what he/she decides. But you should mention to the lower ranking manager that you changed it specifically at the other manager’s request. Most of the time, the lower ranking manager will acquiesce. If you are told to change it back, tell that manager that you need management to come to a consensus on this issue. You really do not have a choice. If the manager just storms off, do what the highest ranking manager asks. Make sure you document what happened in case you are asked later.

If you are called in to the news director’s office and asked why your reports or newscasts are not meshing with the stations news philosophy, do not lose your temper and yell that everyone needs to get on the same page. (Yes, it is true, but remember from the “Taking Ownership” article, you still have to be a team player and leader even when you are put in extremely unfair situations.) Instead, say “Can you please define that philosophy for me in a sentence or two, to make sure I am clear on it.” Often the ND will then say what the philosophy is. Say “thank you for clarifying. That will help me bring up specific coverage questions as we design our coverage each day.” Then try and get the hell out of the office. If you cannot get out, and are asked “Now I want to know why you did not understand that?” simply say that there are some conflicting messages but you will do all you can to be true to the news philosophy just defined to you. Again, try and get the hell out of the office.

The one thing you must do no matter what is document when you are told to execute different things. Try and show a pattern. That way if you get a bad review and truly feel you are in danger you can use this information to try and show that you are getting conflicting messages and need clarification so you can fully do your job. A response to a review that includes documentation like this does get serious notice.

If you are brought in to the AND’s office and you and the EP are grilled about why you are not executing certain things, stay quiet as much as possible and let the EP handle it. After all, this issue is really between the managers. You can only do so much. If you are pushed by them, it is o.k. to say “I want to give you all 110 each day. I need a consistent message to do that.” Then, leave and let them have it out.

The biggest thing to keep in mind, as frustrating as dealing with these mixed messages can be, is that you can survive it. Most of the time, managers are more at risk in a “confused” newsroom than staff. If your EP is rebelling against the AND and ND, a time will come that the EP pays for that. Same with an AND who wants to work against the ND. Just do the best you can and try and let your frustration go, with the knowledge that the odds are in your favor and that you will end up best off.

What Does “Taking Ownership Of Your Newscast” Mean?

TV news is full of expressions that can be confusing or thrown around lightly. The term “taking ownership of your newscast” is not a term to be taken lightly but can be confusing to producers and anchors. So let’s delve in to what this term means to management and your reputation in the industry.

Let’s start with what it means for producers. “Taking ownership,” is essentially making it clear “the buck stops here” with decisions made for the newscast. In truth, the buck usually stops with an EP or other manager. But the expectation is that the producer will fall on the sword and take full responsibility for decisions made. This is confusing, and frankly at times unfair. It is expected though. So when the ND calls the booth during or after the newscast and asks why the heck such and such story did or did not make air, the last answer the boss wants to hear is “the EP told me to do it.” It doesn’t matter if that’s the reality. The ND wants a reason. He/she wants to know there was some thought put into the rundown. So tell them the reason:

“We thought it was significant because of where it happened.”

“We wanted to add more new stories.”

“We were not able to confirm key facts, but I am happy to help do that now, so the next newscast can air the story.”

These are the phrases the ND wants to hear. Now a little secret to make you feel better: The EP will get the same question, and will then get the litany of reasons why the thinking needs to change. You, the producer, may or may not get that list of reasons. But be sure, the EP will also be questioned.

Taking ownership also means doing all you can to prevent messes and come up with quick solutions when a mistake happens. This is more than factual issues. If your anchor always stumbles on the scripts in the back half of the newscast, you are expected to implement possible solutions to stop the issue. Yes, you the producer. No, you are not the one stumbling. It is still partly your responsibility as the show boss. If master control never gets live shots tuned in on time, it is partly your responsibility to come up with plans to change that pattern. Taking ownership means being the leader of the show, the show boss, the one who takes responsibility when things go wrong. Consider this a chance to get a taste of what upper management is like. Yes, you will have to have a thick skin. Yes, sometimes what you are being lectured about you probably cannot really change. However, you should offer solutions and try them. This will earn you high praise and respect.

Now anchors. Taking ownership of your newscast means sitting down with the EP and newscast producers, regularly, and hearing what issues there are with the newscasat. Do you need to get more men watching the newscast? Help brainstorm ideas. Are the EP and producer at their wits end trying to make sure master control tunes in live shots on time? Perhaps mention to the ND, the next time you are talking, that your EP and producer are busting it trying to fix the problem, but could use some backup. Is a certain reporter killing the meters by constantly fudging the total running time for their package or going SUPER long every live shot? Pull them aside, compliment what you like about their work and ask a favor: Could they trim those live intros next time or call in the actual total running time. Taking ownership means showing support and providing public backing for the producer and EP. If you have philosophy differences, take those issues up behind closed doors. And when there is breaking news, sometimes skip dinner break and sit down and help the assignment desk make phone calls or help the producer write copy. You are the leader of morale for the newscast whether you like the role or not. As the face of the show, you are the image leader. So the more involved you become by partnering with the show boss, the more you will be respected as a natural leader. That reputation can really send your career skyrocketing

Taking ownership of your newscast means you are showing the bosses and your peers that you are ready to take on key responsibilities. You are a leader, not a trouble maker. You believe in the product and the people executing it each day. A reputation for being a team player and someone who is not afraid to make a decision will quickly earn you respect in the industry. This is one of the best ways to ensure your future success and increase your job stability. Even if there are layoffs, the people who take ownership are the ones who have managers working behind the scenes to get them placed in even bigger and better jobs instead of just shown the door. Time and again, these simple efforts will reap large rewards for you. The biggest of which is loyalty. Something that is increasingly hard to come by in the world today. So go ahead, take ownership of that newscast. You owe it to yourself and the team around you.