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When Reality Hits. TV News The Calling

Small Market, USA — No matter how many hours you’ve spent watching Diane Sawyer over the years and dreamed of anchoring Good Morning America or World News, for some people getting that first TV reporting gig results in a revelation: I wasn’t cut-out for this.

I recently got an e-mail from a young woman who was frank that journalism isn’t the part of the TV business she feels passionate about. Not only that, she worries she’s not doing a good job.

“I went to school, yes, but there’s things they don’t teach there,” she said in her first e- mail to me.

SurviveTVNewsJobs.com has agreed not to reveal the woman’s name or current market, which is small, in order to protect the relationship with her news director and allow her to be completely honest about her feelings in our e-mail exchanges.

“This is my first job outside my hometown,” she said. “I worked in (a large market) and loved it there…I did fun stories and the traffic. Well, I got laid-off and now I’m in (this small market) trying to keep-up my resume, but I’m finding that I’m starting to really dislike this job.”

Judging by how she ended that first e-mail (“you can be blunt with me,” she said), she was expecting the sort of tart-tongued tirade Holly Hunter’s character in Broadcast News would’ve delivered. She didn’t get that from me, though. I actually feel a lot of compassion for her. As I like to tell high school classes, journalism is like the priesthood. It’s a calling. If you don’t feel the insatiable need to be a journalist — if doing something else with your life would literally leave you depressed, thinking less of yourself, or feeling some other variety of intense and sincere mental anxiety — then this is not the career for you. Ok, I’m being dramatic. But you know what I mean.

So first, I had to make sure this young woman didn’t want to be a news anchor. If her desire is to go back to her big market hometown someday and deliver the news to millions of people, then reporting stories out in the field for years is the apprenticeship she’s just going to have to endure. When you’re an anchor, you have to know, based on your own experiences out in the field, which questions are and are not appropriate to ask your reporters in a breaking news situation.

For instance, in the first couple of hours of the Boston Marathon bombing coverage, I didn’t hear a single network or Boston anchor ask a reporter on the scene, “Was this a terrorist act?” That would’ve been irresponsible. We could all see the video. We could see that there were two explosions very close together and that white smoke rose from both. We could see that a lot of people were injured badly. But in those first crucial minutes on the air, your reporter hasn’t had a chance to talk with police. The officers who know anything are too busy to answer your questions and the PIO’s are likely in the dark, too.

What local Boston TV reporters did, which I thought was very good journalism, was describe the scene. I’ll never forget one of them saying in the early-going that he had seen victims who’d lost limbs and that we should prepare ourselves for fatalities. He told us what he saw. He didn’t speculate that this was a terrorist act. Are we bomb experts? Explosion experts? Most likely, no. Who’s to say that if x, y, and z go wrong underground that a utility explosion might not cause similar destruction?

My point is, when you’re sitting on a news set and guiding your station’s live coverage — and by the way, the teleprompter is blank — you’ve got to know what questions are inappropriate. Plus, as soon as persons of interest (yeah, I hate that phrase, too, but it’s a legal term of art we sometimes have to use) or suspects are named, you have to know on-the-spot as you’re ad-libbing which statements about them are fair in light of the on-going news story and which statements could get you and your station sued for defamation if you and the police are wrong. (See: Richard Jewell/Atlanta Olympics bombing coverage.)

The young woman hating her small market TV reporting experience never wants to be an anchor, though.

“Being an anchor, I never much cared for it,” she said in her second e-mail.

I told her not to feel bad, that I think a lot of people force themselves into the TV reporter box just so they can be on television. I really appreciated her honesty. I am also convinced her TV career isn’t over.

Next week, I’ll write about my advice to her about what she should do next. Based on that, she’s made a big decision that I’ll fill you in on, too.

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Matthew Nordin is an investigative reporter at WXIX-TV in Cincinnati. Join him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @FOX19Matthew.

Are we too forgiving of mistakes? A call to demand credibility.

I keep watching the debates, and heck throwing up questions to encourage debates about the swearing anchor who got fired right after his first night. Many brought up the fact that EVERYONE knows (or should know) to assume a mic is always hot. Some say management essentially set him up. Many thought it was wrong that he ended up being essentially celebrated on the morning show circuit. At the heart of all of these debates is a simple, yet crucial quality all journalists must possess to do their jobs: Credibility.

As a rule of thumb, I try not to throw up a strong opinion about the industry much on survivetvnewsjobs. Frankly, who am I to say much, right? I’m just another longtime journalist who worked hard and had a mostly rewarding career in the biz. BUT, when I do editorialize it is consistently about one issue: Credibility.

I could go off on the fact that each time a new anchor debuts on-air, stations should require run throughs to prevent confusion and calm nerves. I could go off on the producer and/or director for not personally counting down the brand new anchor coming out of each commercial break so he would not get confused. Or I could go off on the anchor for not assuming the mic is always hot, even when he walks down the hall after the flipping newscast. (By the way, reading scripts and adding pronouncers so you can get through tough names ahead of time is very helpful) I could also go off on the industry as a whole for continuing to give very inexperienced journalists, roles that are simply too big, do it too quickly and with no training to get them up to speed. The sink or swim mentality has always been a part of TV news that begs for this kind of scenario. That’s why I constantly write articles about training issues.

But my focus in this article is this: How many industry leaders, from local news to network, are flippant about mistakes. I get “Live with Kelly and Michael” throwing this guy on TV. It’s a pure entertainment show. But the anchors on the Today show appealing to people to give him a second chance? Despite Today leaning more toward infotainment, many still consider it a news program. What does that say for their anchors’ credibility? It’s crazy, but not surprising. After all a CNN internal note and spokesperson’s statement hit the web essentially stating “So what if we screwed up on huge facts during the Boston marathon bombing. It’s ok because we then corrected the gaffes within the hour, so it was an excellent job.” In another memo, the AP reminds its staff about it’s one source policy. (Get another source too and really verify first source’s credibility) How about industry analysts using the same excuse: Consumers have a “responsibility” to know the information they are being given may be unverified when following Twitter and online websites. I get that this meant to include an average joe’s blog or twitter feed, BUT it’s too cavalier an attitude about news people online. How many stories has your station or network aired obliterating a doctor, company or law enforcement office for serious mistakes that resulted from lack of training or resources? Do we accept cheap excuses from them when we cover their mistakes?

So let’s get to the core of the importance of credibility. Everyone from the swearing anchor, on his first day, to the high powered execs at CNN and AP needs to understand that the entire industry’s future is on the line. It is an honor and a privilege to report news. This is not a reality TV show. Communities depend on the information. And they depend on it being right. If you want to be a star, go to hollywood or your local theater. You impact people’s daily lives in crucial ways. When will this industry openly admit this behavior is shameful? It is against everything a journalist is supposed to stand for. Make fun of that all you want, (many of you will) but I know a lot of journalists who still believe in the institution. Show pride, join them. Networks: Could you set the standard again? Is that really asking too much? Let’s start with this: Have two credible sources verify information before you run it? Is that really so hard to do even during breaking news? Is that really such a novel concept that you have to send out a memo saying it needs to start happening again? If a journalist tweets supposed “facts” without verifying information and running it past a manager, there should be discipline. Make it crystal clear that the errors will not be tolerated. Is that really so hard? It shouldn’t be.

I would love to know why the swearing anchor went into news. Does he feel a sense of social responsibility? I am calling him out because he seems to be eating up the publicity and seems unconcerned about the potential ramifications for the business he represents. I felt a little bad for him until he hit the talk show circuit. Now, he’s opened himself up for analysis and critique. I have also invited him to join our community and support network so he can grow with us, if he is a dedicated journalist.

Now I ask you: Is it better if he just wants to be on TV? Will he thrive more, because so many higher ups obviously view the biz as a type of entertainment or at least something you just throw on the air and hope it works?

If you believe being a TV journalist is a calling, please do every other like minded person a favor, post this in your newsroom somewhere. Then take a picture of the article hanging on the wall and post it to the survivetvnewsjobs Facebook page. Let’s show some pride for the “calling” that being a journalist really is for many of you. Who actually has the guts to demand that the entire newsroom, believe in themselves and expect more? Make a call demanding credibility. This industry depends on it!

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FYI, Beth Johnson, the founder of Survivetvnewsjobs wrote this article.

“Welcome to the Big Leagues kid.” A reporter’s perspective.

You’d think that standing on 5^th Avenue, just yards from the Empire State Building, with police, tourists and business people swarming everywhere, would drive home the reality that I was finally reporting on the nation’s biggest stage.

But none of that had really sunk in until I started my 10^th or 11^th straight live shot of the afternoon and a big New York City garbage truck pulled up about three feet from my left hand. As I began recounting the story of a deranged man killing a former coworker outside the city’s most recognizable landmark for an NBC client in Australia, a guy jumped off the back of the truck, walked nonchalantly between me and the camera, grabbed a sidewalk trash can, walked back to the truck, slammed the can loudly on the deck, and crossed back in front of me to put the can back on the sidewalk.

As I tried to maintain a straight face, all I could think was, “welcome to the Big Leagues, kid.”

A year ago, I never imagined I would be reporting for NBC’s affiliate service alongside consummate professionals like Jay Gray, Michelle Franzen, and Brian Mooar. In fact, there was a good chance my journalism career was over.

In December 2011, I left my job as Senior News Reporter and fill-in sports anchor/reporter at the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama.

I had been there 11 years. I was getting married and moving to New York to be with my wife, Sunday, with no job and no real prospects.

For most of my tenure at WVTM, it was an NBC O&O. So from time-to-time, I was fortunate to do some work for Newschannel: a hurricane here, or a tornado there. I worked with some phenomenal producers and editors over the years and kept in touch with a lot of them.

I guess I impressed enough people because last May I got the call: go to 30 Rock and package the Facebook IPO for NBC affiliates around the country.

As I pecked away at my script in the newsroom on the 7^th floor, I’d occasionally peer to my left… in the same row of desks: Robert Bazell, Anne Thompson, Michelle Franzen, Ron Allen… and Chris Pollone.

Unreal.

I went to voice my first script and the booth was occupied. When the door opened, out walked WNBC anchor legend Chuck Scarborough. He gave me a hearty, “Hey there!”

The booth smelled of integrity and excellence.

Sitting on my couch that night reflecting on my day, it hit me that there are two things that separate the major markets from the “lower rungs”: eyeballs and toys.

At the end of the day, the work I do for NBC is the same work I did at WBNG in Binghamton, at WCCM in Lawrence, Mass., at WJTV in Jackson, and WVTM in Birmingham. Yes, the stakes in New York or at the network level are higher, and the margin for error is tighter, but the work is no more important than what journalists do in every market around the world.

There are a lot more viewers at this level, and we might have producers, runners, shooters, and bookers by the dozens, and the best lights, cameras and microphones on the market, but those toys mean nothing without strong, compelling storytelling.

So what’s different here?

Oversight.

When I left WVTM, I had earned enough trust that generally no one reviewed my scripts before they aired.

Now, I work very closely with my on-site producer, the managing producer in Charlotte, and sometimes the top levels of NBC Newschannel management to make sure my scripts are accurate, concise and compelling.

The script development process is also a lot more collaborative.

On some stories, I actually conduct interviews and do original reporting.

On others, my producer will email me a list of shots and logged sound bites, and I write the story without interacting with any of the newsmakers at all.

In the hours following the Newtown school shooting, I started doing live reports for our U.S. NBC affiliates, MSNBC, CNBC, and our clients in Asia, Australia, Canada, and England.

I did nearly 80 live shots from 2PM to 2AM, and every bit of information I shared with the world was being fed to me through my IFB from Charlotte and emailed to my iPad because our field producer had not yet arrived on scene.

I never actually attended a press conference or interviewed victims and townspeople until the day after the shooting.

Some days, I never leave my living room.

When Newschannel is short on correspondents and needs a package put together for the affiliate video-on-demand service, I get a list of elements from a producer, I write the package on my couch, and record voice track on my iPhone with a $50 Tascam microphone.

Working with Newschannel, there is a lot of travel and a lot of decisions made on a split-second notice. The day the new Pope was to be announced, I flew to Boston, ate dinner, and flew back to New York just in case Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley was named the new Pope.

There are long hours and not a lot of sleep.

During the Jerry Sandusky trial, I started my days at 3:30 AM and did live shots and packages through 3PM. My producer and I would grab an early dinner and then I’d sleep until about 8PM when I’d wake up to write and voice my morning package.

On that story, we had the benefit of a morning correspondent (me) and an evening correspondent (Brian Mooar).

On some stories, like the NCAA sanctions against Penn State, I was a one-man show. We started at 3:30 AM and did live shots through 9PM. One-day stories usually get this type of treatment.

At this point, I have no illusions that I have “made it”.

As a freelancer, the work comes and goes. Sometimes I’m working several days a month, or even weeks at a time. And then other times, I’ll go several weeks without an assignment.

I supplement my news income with various endeavors for PR firms in New York and Boston. Ideally, I’d like to move to full-time or
“perma-lance” with Newschannel, or even do some work for WNBC between Newschannel gigs.

I can’t overstate the importance of networking.

It’s the top lesson I teach when mentoring young journalists or speaking in broadcast journalism classes.

Throughout my career, I’ve tried to be nice and work hard in every situation no matter how difficult the circumstances.

You’d be stunned at how much doing everything that’s asked of you quickly, correctly and with a smile will win you future assignments.

I’ve been blessed to have some great coworkers and friends who believe in me.

Newschannel’s main correspondent, Jay Gray, has been a great friend and advisor, as well as Chicago-based producer, JoEllen Ruvoli, and Charlotte desk supervisor, Bill Riss, but there’s no chance I’d spend one day at Newschannel without the backing and support from my friend Jodie Jennings. She’s an absolute rock star producer and is “so” NBC, she’s part peacock.

When you’re trying to make “the leap” to a major market or network, it’s crucial to have great contacts like these who like you and believe in you.

Coming to New York, I had won AP, Emmy, and Murrow awards. I covered Hurricane Katrina, major tornado outbreaks, federal, state and local scandals and corruption, and 3 BCS National Championships. I had confidence in my experience and abilities. I had performed every newsroom job over the span of 16 years.

When I first moved here, I met with a local News Director. She was very nice, but exhibited that hackneyed cynicism that basically says, “New York is the only place that does news, and everyone else in the other 209 markets are just a bunch of circus clowns.”

I HATE that.

If anything, I firmly believe the smaller the market, the harder you work. You have fewer resources, fewer toys, less money and just as important stories as the big markets.

This news director said she didn’t generally hire reporters from “that small a market” (Birmingham is market 42) and that her reporters exhibited a certain type of “sophistication”. As she said that, I could see one of her “sophisticated” reporters on the monitor behind her doing a story on an armed robbery.

Yawn. We’ve all done that 150 times.

I wished she had just come out and said she didn’t like my nose, or my (lack of) hair, or whatever, instead of belittling my experience, my former coworkers, and my home of 11 years.

Whatever.

I’m here to tell you, whether you’re in North Platte, Nebraska, or in the North Bronx, the process of doing good journalism is the same.

To get a shot in the “majors”, you have to be a great writer, digger, and a rock star on live shots.

Don’t believe the people who tell you how great you are, and don’t, for a second, believe the people who say you aren’t good enough.

If you have the experience, the drive, the talent, and have made some good friends and contacts over the years, it’s likely you, too, can make the “leap” to the big leagues.

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Chris Pollone lives in Manhattan. He’s on Twitter: @ChrisPollone and Facebook: facebook.com/cpollone. Questions? Email him at [email protected].

Coming out of the black hole, how to make the most out of late news live shots

I’ve been traveling and one market I was in, is really putting heavy emphasis on its late newscasts. Competition is tight, a new broadcasting powerhouse just bought a station and it’s ready to make a big play. Veteran journalists know what this means. More live, more often, even if it’s in the pitch dark. So I sat and watched the new competition come in and make it’s presence known. The takeaway, live shots in black holes. Live for the sake of being live. Showcasing that the reporters are everywhere with a simple word, in an upper corner of the TV screen, repeated over and over: LIVE.

As a former nightside EP, I get it. I remember the countless strategy sessions about the importance of live crew placement. The incredible marketing involved with people driving by your station’s microwave or satellite truck for hours on end. Then there’s the promise that you will deliver breaking news. That means night crews are working out of live trucks no matter what. You must be ready to jump!

But here’s the thing, shooting a lovely reporter whose face glows in the dark like a street lamp against a pitch black background is not acceptable. So let’s break down why these live shots happen and alternatives to the glowing head in the black hole.

So, why do those “work you to the bone” nightside managers require you to go live, even when the story is “over” and there’s nothing to see in your background? For two reasons: Breaking news and marketing. Here’s what I mean by that: If you have two crews, and four counties in your DMA you need to spread everyone out. If everyone heads back to the station with look lives, you could end up screwed. That’s when the huge breaker will happen on the outer fringes of your DMA. You must cover the bases. So if the crew is out in a live truck anyway, you might as well get that live super up. That’s the thinking.

As for marketing, if your crew is parked in a busy section of town or better yet in a part of the DMA you know brings in a lot of viewers, or is full of opportunities to grow viewers, you want the exposure. That huge mast or beautifully painted satellite truck is a mobile billboard. That advertising is priceless. Billy drives by the truck and calls Bob to say, “Hey channel 8 is here.” Bob calls Sam and so it goes. The nightside managers task is always to grow audience. You can bet this is on that managers mind every night. We ask ourselves “Where can I send the truck that will get the most eyeballs and then new viewers?” It’s the simple truth.

So now that you know why the nightside crews get “stuck” live all the time in the dark, let’s talk execution strategies. The crews need to avoid black hole live shots, and the managers need to help. Yes, that’s right: The mangers need to help you avoid black holes.

First let’s talk about what nightside crews can do. I used to get into it with photojournalists all the time for refusing to set up a frigging light on the background behind the reporter. I get that it’s a little extra work. I get that it’s just an empty building. Personally, I hate that kind of live shot background image also. But, if you are in the part of the DMA I’ve been told to increase viewer numbers in and it’s ratings and I have a HUGE lead in, I may feel I have to showcase that we have a crew there RIGHT NOW. The station is deeming a particular community important. We are there watching out for you. And whether you the crew or I hate the dark shot, there are payoffs sometimes. So get out the light kit and make the effort.

That said, if you don’t have spare gear, or if you have an imaginative look live option, call it in. Nightside managers, remember you can still have your cake and eat it too. Let the crew feed in the great look live elements. But keep them parked in the truck during news time. You get the marketing exposure and the ability to jump on breaking news if needed. Sometimes it is worth losing the live super to avoid the black hole. When you really think about it, you could get to a breaker even faster if the crew does not have to break down a live shot.

But, news crews, if the nightside manager gives you this option, that doesn’t mean you “cheat” and head back to the station a little early. When you get busted, you will ensure yourself a set lot in life: Live shots in a black hole each shift for as long as you are nightside. The strategic planning cannot be sacrificed just to make your life easier.