Know Your Newsroom – Page 27 – Survive Your Job In Television News

Throw me a life line, I’m being hung out to dry, AGAIN!

If you’re an anchor, it’s one of your nightmares: A producer in over his/her head and constantly providing no instructions during a crisis in a live show. But simply yelling at the producer and then complaining to management doesn’t fix the problem.

First you have to understand the stakes. Producers are hard to come by. The burnout rate is tremendous. Producers also tend to be able to move up in markets quickly with very little experience. Like it or not, anchors are becoming on the job trainers for producers in many stations. Problem is many anchors don’t know enough about the fine points of producing to be a true help.

We want to bridge the gap a little bit so anchors can shine brightly on air, and turn into valuable assets, even without a lot of support. As an anchor, it is crucial that you are considered easy to work with and supportive. Your producer is a key player, so you need to build a relationship even if the person is not that great at their job.

Here are the main things most green producers really need help with, but may struggle to admit to an anchor:

Knowing how to write the way an anchor speaks.
Timing the show.
Handling breakers.
Making split second decisions in the booth.

Now let’s help you help the producer. When you get a new producer you need to have at least a little patience and give that person a couple of weeks of producing shows. See what the producer does really well. Then compliment the producer on those things. This is crucial because many producers fear anchors are out to get them. You need to begin the relationship showing you will be supportive and fair.

After that conversation you can start to rewrite copy here and there. When you rewrite, let the producer know why you did. But do it after the newscast. The producer is too slammed to pay attention before the show airs and they definitely don’t have time during breaks in the newscast. Do not rewrite everything then hand all the rewrites to the producer to figure out why. One anchor I know would switch the copy into lower case and let the producer know. She then explained she did that so the producer could see some of the phrases she would naturally use in conversation. This is an easy, and non-combative, way to teach a producer your conversational style. If there are a lot of grammatical errors, just let the producer know you are doing some rewrites because the producer seems behind and you want to help. Again, a rewrite in lower case signals what you changed to the producer so he/she can look back later and catch the grammatical errors. If those grammatical errors keep happening, give the producer scripts with the grammatical errors you fixed after a newscast. Tell the producer you know he/she writes a lot, and you just wanted to show common mistakes you are finding so he/she can keep them in mind for the next show. Speaking of help, if you see a script that you know the green producer will mangle or perhaps get the station sued if they write it, either write it yourself and have an EP look it over for legal reasons. You can also ask the EP to just write it and offer to do something the EP usually does.

Now let’s talk timing. This is very hard for producers and in fairness an anchor should not have to worry about it. Unfortunately, many producers learn everything, including timing a newscast, by trial and error. Often the EP’s, who are in charge of monitoring the producers “issues” won’t be able to spot the producers specific timing problems. As the anchor who sees it every day, you can easily spot timing trouble trends. When you do notice your producer mistiming the same spots over and over, let the EP know. This will help them guide the producer and also makes you look like a real team player who is watching out for the good of the newscast.

Handling breakers and the resulting split second decisions is also a struggle for producers. The producer has several people asking (and also telling!) him/her what to do at once. For the anchor, it can be hard to get the producer on the phone because the assignment desk and EP call constantly. So, if you possibly can, use top of screen messages to ask the producer when to do the breaker and how you should do it. (i.e. how long should you talk, is there video or a live shot, or a pitch to a reporter?) Also you can usually print out top of screen conversations later if needed. This can help in several ways. It allows you to show the EP that you are not attacking the producer if that person is particularly thin skinned. It also helps you check with the EP to see if you are phrasing questions in ways that let the producer quickly assess and respond. Finally, if you are ever called on the carpet for performance when these crises arise, you have concrete evidence that shows you were trying to be proactive.

If the producer still doesn’t give you clear instructions, talk about it after the show. Spell out what you need so the producer knows next time. Going straight to the EP may not help. EP’s may not be able to explain what you need as clearly, because they usually are in the newsroom funneling everything instead of in the booth watching the producer. If the EP is in the booth and everything still ends up a mess, ask to talk with the EP and producer after the show and have them explain what was happening on their end. Often talking it out, allows the EP or producer to see where the disconnect happened without you having to spell it out.

Finally, make sure you are very involved in the newscast throughout your shift. That doesn’t mean sounding off on what you think about every single story the whole time. But you should check in with the EP and producer to see if they need any help. Ask to write some stories. Offer to research extra elements that can be added for flavor at the end of a story. Offer to call and check on a reporter or two and see how they are doing. Being an anchor is not just about sitting around tweeting and waiting to read what others write. Those things are important. Preparing to deliver the scripts with breathing exercises and some down time before the show is also important. But it’s not enough. You need to be involved with the newscast and its contents. Bottom line, the more familiar you are the better chance you have to cover up your producer’s inadequacies on while you are on the air. Taking this kind of ownership makes you a key ally for the EP and upper management. It does not mean you will be stuck with a weak producer, it means you will be known as a team player and a leader the newsroom does not want to lose. You also will deliver your copy in a more meaningful and authoritative way because you truly own the newscast. Your hand was in it all the way through. So shine bright!

Storytelling on a dime.

You hear it all the time. Reporters and photographers say something to the effect of: “Storytelling is great and all, but I’ve got too much to do and I don’t have time for that stuff.” And while I understand where those comments come from, I don’t buy it. TV news today is filled with more deadlines and “side work” than ever before. Often your day starts with: “Welcome to work, now get out the door we have a story we need you live on at noon.” You knock that out and then it’s on to your “real” one or two stories for the evening shows. Then there are the standup teases, vo/sot’s and versions of your story(ies) for your station’s website. Most of us also, blog, tweet, and possibly take some still shots for the website. No doubt it’s a LOT of work! But I promise you, storytelling does not have to add extra work to that pile. It really is easy to pump out good storytelling “on a dime!” It’s just a matter of shifting your way of thinking.

Typically, the toughest stories to get your storytelling mindset right, are the so-called “boring newspaper” stories. These are the stories where you have to interview some sort of “official” and, because of deadline demands, no one else. So, how do you “tell a story” when all you have is an official and their boring “officialese?” First off, while the photog is setting up for the interview, talk with the interviewee about anything but the story you are covering. Take a look around the office if that’s where you are talking. Often, you can find some great tips into who this person really is in “real life.” When you find something, chat him/her up about it. I remember one recent interview where I thought I was dead in this respect. The guy was nice enough but not the most personable and clearly not comfortable about being interviewed on camera. Then I noticed a photo of him with one of the most well-known politicians of the last quarter century. It turns out that he once did security work at a very high level. I asked him about it and it eventually led to some common ground between us. That little nugget helped immensely. First, it loosened him up for the interview and allowed me to pull some bites out of him that had a little personality. Secondly, it gave me a way to make this “official” more of a “real person.” I started the piece by talking about how this man had once protected some of the powerful people in the country, but now helps offer a different kind of protection for this small town. His past really did not have squat to do with the story of the day, but it gave me a way to turn this guy into a “character” in our story. When you can do that, you give viewers a reason to see that person as more than just some “official.” You have them interested in watching. Remember, good stories have characters. Turn your subjects into characters, not just officials who give you sound bites.

Nat sound is another area where you CAN add to your story without a ton of extra effort. It comes down to this: Shoot (and use) just about anything that makes sound to give your stories some life. Seriously use just about anything. Nat sound that is integral and directly related to your story (the power saws in a story about construction or crackling flames in a spot news fire story) are always the best. But that kind of sound is not always there. If it’s not, look around and try to find something else. The idea behind nat sound is getting people engaged in your story. Read any study or talk to any consultant about what people are doing when the news is on their TV. They are normally doing everything but “watching.” In the morning they are making breakfast, getting dressed for work or getting the kids ready for school. The TV is on, but it may as well be video wallpaper. So, your job is to give them a reason to stop what they’re doing, turn around and watch. Nat sound is a way to do that. Say you’re on that story about construction. But, in the time you’ve been given to shoot it, the crew is on a lunch break. You are stuck right? Nope, you can overcome. Look around, are there people getting in and out of cars (car door sound)? Maybe there’s a fire truck or ambulance going by with a siren on. Sometimes using seemingly unrelated nat sound is just the trick. Think about it. You’re at home with the news on but aren’t sitting and watching. You know the reporter is talking about construction and all of a sudden you hear a siren! What the…? You are probably going to turn around to see why. This is why you shoot and try to use any nat sound you can get. You want to make viewers turn around and pay close attention. Again, it’s really not any extra work. But it will add immeasurably to the quality of your stories.

When it comes to writing, try to use a piece of that nat sound off the top. Failing that, make sure you start by establishing the character you’ve easily uncovered using the tips above. Fill in the middle with the meat of the story you’ve been assigned. Then end it with another tidbit that makes your subject a “real person.”

All stories have a few basic things in common. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. They also have characters. Shoot and write with these things in mind and you cannot go wrong. Turn these things into habits and suddenly your “reports” turn into “stories” and your work begins to stand out from all the “Just the facts, Jack!”, boring, information presenters. Quickly you will establish yourself as a “storyteller.” Your producers, EP’s and News Director will appreciate you more and your resume reel will become stronger and more marketable. Suddenly the next chapter in your personal, career story becomes much more interesting with minimal investment from a little storytelling on a dime!

“Thank you sir, may I have another”: How to handle newsroom hazing.

Newsrooms are notorious for hazing. It happens often in larger markets, but we’ve seen it in small markets too. You have to prove to coworkers that you deserve the job. You don’t truly have friends in the workplace. Everyone is out for themselves. Why? Because so many people are quitting the biz, less experienced people are being hired. Some veterans in the newsroom, find this tiring and insulting. I started in a large market right away and quickly wound up in another big city. The hazing was awful. I was asked if I slept with the news director to get my job. I had reporters and anchors purposely rewrite copy to insert factual and grammatical errors to try and get rid of me. One anchor even told me and several other producers it was his “God given right” to torture and make me cry. He had the cry test and graded you on how long it took before you broke down. People hide your gear, steal your rolodex, sit on the set during commercials and laugh at your news copy. Coworkers don’t want to carry dead weight. Many times fellow journalists will decide you are a moron unless you prove your worth, and quickly. So do it. Here’s how.

The number 1 rule: Don’t involve management. Management doesn’t care. Period. There are too many other things they have to take care of.

However, you should take the reigns and show the hazers you are not the patsy they think you are. That starts with exposing dirty tricks. The best place to start is befriending the IT person in the newsroom. You know, the person who knows all the ins and outs of the computer system you use each day. This person can save you. News programs like AP Newscenter, ENPS and iNews have ways to call up past scripts and show who wrote each and every version. This will give you a chance to document and show proof if an anchor or associate producer is rewriting copy and putting in fact errors which they blame on you. In some systems you even can lock a script so no one else can rewrite and put in fact errors or change the context of the story once your executive producer copy edits it. Ask for this ability and you may receive. Chances are your executive producer will play ball because you will then have documentation the EP can use to get some staffers to shape up.

You can also often find instant messages from all the computers every day. Yep, all those annoying, petty and smarmy comments binging and dinging around you can be a click or two away. Print them and hand them over to management. This can get tricky because management won’t like you digging through the system. But if it is in a forum where everyone could potentially have access they can yell at you and send a fiery memo saying don’t go there, but you won’t be fired. Once the nasty top lines are exposed many newsroom bullies shut up or at least save it for the parking lot after work. How’s that for investigative journalism? Even more fun: dump copies of the nasty top lines under the news director’s door anonymously so even he/she has to wonder who’s watching.

Also remember, many staffers who bully love to dish in the studio. They think it’s a secret hideout. Newsflash: Mics are everywhere. It’s easy to “accidentally” turn one on, hear and record the petty comments. The studio is the one place where there truly should never be any expectation of privacy. That’s not what the room is for. The picked on should wander through the studio to “plot out a section of the rundown” right when a gossip session is underway. Then, smile as if you are going to dish it all. Another move is to “accidentally” have the mics kept live during a commercial break when there’s an anchor who loves to trash everyone in those breaks. Normally, when the nasty hazers get caught once or twice, they’ll back off.

What if the hazer likes to get in your face and yell at you in the middle of the newsroom? This one is easy. Just ignore the person. Sit back in your chair, with your hands behind your head, gaze up at the lunatic putting on the show and wait until they either explode into pieces before your eyes or finally shut up. Then as the hazer stares at you indignantly, simply ask: “Are you done?” Then just go back to work like nothing happened. This will drive the bully nuts. If that hazer really pushes it, follow up with, “You can say what you want about me because bottom line, I’m not the one who just had an unholy hissy fit in the middle of the newsroom. You can’t expect your actions to prove you have anything worthy to say to anyone.” Then get back to your work.

Lastly, sometimes you just have to fight fire with fire and stand up to the hazer. I once told an anchor who said I was “too young to write for her” that it’s not my fault she couldn’t handle that someone so much younger was just as capable of working in the same city and on the same shift as her. She told me she’d have me fired. I told her I had proof that she was purposely rewriting copy with errors and printing them to try and prove me incompetent. I asked her if she would like to come with me to turn those documents into the news director so she could try and explain it, or would she prefer the news director to mull the evidence over before calling her in for a chat. She backed off. Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you stand up to a hazer as well.

Help! I’m in over my head.

This can be hard to admit, but it happens to everyone. Cold sweats, waking up dreaming of your live shot or newscast crashing are all part of the gig. Getting chewed because you cannot complete all of your work happens, especially with more stations lumping on extra packages or making people one man band.

Now let’s talk survival skills. First, understand there is little to no training in newsrooms anymore. It simply does not happen in the majority of cases. Every shop is understaffed and half the workers are also in over their heads. Many managers are drowning and lost too. By the way, this is supposed to make you feel better. That’s because these journalists are surviving and so will you.

Here’s what to do. Find the go to person who gets the work done every day with little trouble and become a buddy. Find out how the person does it and figure out how to do it yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable simply asking, then hook up with others in the know. For example, if it’s a reporter who you’re trying to figure out, request to work with that person’s favorite photographer. Then pick the photog’s brain. Look online at the reporter’s past stories and look for patterns. If a producer is your target, ask the newscast director what this person does to make script printing deadline or create killer teases. Let’s say your writing stinks. Don’t worry, this is common. Figure out who the best writer is in the shop. It’s easy to do. Just listen to the anchors dish with each other, you will learn who it is quickly. Once you do, start printing out this person’s scripts and look for common threads. Then you can mimic the style.

There also is usually a manager that stays very calm in crisis. That person will often give you advice if you just sit down and ask. Managers are not all out to get you. Replacing staff all the time is a pain and most would prefer not to deal with it. It’s easier for them to do some training. But you need to ask the right manager. The news director is next to never the smart choice. Often it is an executive producer or managing editor. They are still in the trenches so they can still relate to what you are struggling with. Once you identify the right person, ask for a critique of your work. The manager will probably be thrilled you actually want to improve and talk your ear off. They also tend to dish about their favorites in the shop. Now you have a new set of names to watch and mimic. Best of all, you will gain an advocate in management because you are not whining about how hard the job is, you are asking to grow.