Producing – Page 11 – Survive Your Job In Television News

The anchors don’t have any chemistry, can a producer fix it?

This can be a complex problem, that everyone involved needs to help fix. Truthfully, the bulk of the repair is often placed on the shoulders of the producer. When you watch a newscast and the anchors just don’t seem to relate to each other, there are ways around to ease the tension.

Creating chemistry

One anchor begins, where the other leaves off
Talk through chat opportunities
Play on anchor’s interests

Again, this article is from a producing perspective. Anchors, we will talk about how you can build camaraderie later. Let’s begin by helping anchors play off of each other, through scripting. These are tried and true techniques to showcase the anchors together in a way that you can control. The techniques incorporate two shots. Traditionally producers are taught to use two shots at the beginning of blocks, to start off teases, and to pitch to weather and sports. The use of a two shot is so much more important though. It provides a conversational bridge when subjects are related. To really boil it down, you can use a two shot to build your team when switching from the tag of one story, to the intro of the next. It shows the anchors working together. This requires conversational writing. (read “So Cliché” and “Rule the Word” to make sure you are doing all you can to write like people talk) Here’s a scenario with anchors “JOHN” and “BETTY” to make it clear:

(JOHN/1 SHOT-TAG)

YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 2013 TO APPLY FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT REFINANCE PROGRAM.

(JOHN/TURN TO TWO SHOT)

WE ASKED AROUND TODAY AND A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS ARE REALLY CONF– USED ABOUT HOW TO APPLY.

(BETTY/STILL ON TWO SHOT)

AND WHO TO APPLY WITH.

AFTER ALL… THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T HAVE A SET OFFICE FOR REFINANCING YOUR HO– USE.

(BETTY/TURN TO DOUBLE BOX)

SO TODAY JOE SCHMO CHECKED… TO MAKE SURE YOU WOULD KNOW WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO BRING.

JOE IS IT A CONFUSING PROCESS?

This copy provides a mini, controlled conversation between the anchors. The anchors quickly transition to the next part of the story, there is an opportunity for limited ad lib (when the anchor says government doesn’t have a set office for refinancing your house, the other anchor’s mic can be up so he/she could say, on the fly, something like ”it sure doesn’t”) and the anchors are working together to get the answers viewers want. I often used two shot transitions like this to build team. Then, I single anchor pitched to weather or sports more often. Those two anchor pitches to weather and sports almost always appear forced. You have to do one token 3 shot pitch to build team somewhere. But that doesn’t mean do it every time you take weather, especially in an hour long newscast.

When you do have opportunities to chat to build team (like the pitch to weather) ask the anchors to plan it out for you. Have whomever actually pitches to weather go to the meteorologist to ask about what’s first in the forecast. Yes, it is easier for you to just throw a line in, since you talk with the weather person anyway. But the point is to help the anchors build relationships. The hope is that going in to ask that question before the newscast will lead to a conversation so the anchors continue to find ways to relate to each other.

Here’s another technique to help with chat: I used to write only the words “ad lib” in at least one tag per newscast (usually on a lighter story) to force the anchors to talk to each other and come up with a plan for chat somewhere in the show, other than weather and sports. I made sure the anchors looked at that script well before the show. The rest was up to the anchors to hash out. If I had awesome video, I would take a two shot coming out, with at most a factoid in there, so the two anchors would have to talk to each other. This often helped break the ice a bit.

It can be also very effective to have one anchor read a story about a subject the other anchor really likes. Then you go to a two shot at the very end of the tag. It can make for a great ad lib opportunity. I had an anchor that loved Halle Berry. (Anytime he said her name he would actually blush!) So sometimes I had the other anchor read the story about Halle Berry, then say the last line of the tag on a two shot. I did that just so we could catch the other anchor blushing a bit. Even if they didn’t ad lib, the look between them was priceless! His co-anchor would smile and roll her eyes as he blushed. It was a very human, relatable moment. This is another reason why it is important to learn about your anchors and their personal interests (see “How to get inside your anchors heads and write in their voices”).

The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to create chemistry, is keeping the moments of interaction brief. Again, that doesn’t mean avoiding two shots. It means using two shots more as a transition in the middle of news blocks, and less as a way to chat and possibly fill time in places like weather and sports. As the anchors get used to playing off each other, the chemistry often starts to jell. You just have to give it time and some gentle nudges.

What’s with the question? Make sure there’s an answer.

We recently got a Tweet from a frustrated journalist who had just watched a live shot from another station in another market. In that live shot the anchor asked a question to the reporter, and the question was not answered until the tag. The story came across as oversold and uncomfortable.

Sound familiar? The flow from anchor intro, to reporter live shot, to pkg, to live tag, to anchor tag is delicate to begin with. Then a whole bunch of writers step in, each with their own voice and tweak. The finished product often becomes forced and everyone looks uncomfortable or worse yet, detached from the information described. Then comes the big kicker: The consultant comes to town and tells the ND that the field crews and anchor desk must interact and seem engaged with each other. So what is management’s solution? Require anchors to ask reporters a question going into live shots. Then comes situations like the one at the start of this article. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are solutions.

First, the one question you never want to ask: “Joe are you live at the scene now?” Before you chuckle and roll your eyes, I lost count of how many times I had to copy edit that type of pitch question out of intros. It was constant, in every market size. Also, make sure the reporter knows the question is coming and what it is. That way the reporter doesn’t seem clueless. Remember, IFB can and does go in and out, you want the live shot to start out smoothly. The reason managers ask you to use a question in the pitch line is to make the interaction between the anchor and reporter seem like a conversation. When you think about it, most conversations do begin with a question and an answer. The person answering expands on the answer then, asks another question to move the conversation along.

With that in mind, here are some techniques to keep anchor questions required in the intro from seeming forced:

Reference live surroundings in the question
Provide perspective through the question
Write what a viewer ask

Now let’s delve deeper, so these are clear. Remember this exercise is supposed to help the anchor and reporter talk with each other, instead of at each other. It is one of the many ways you create flow within a newscast. So when writing the question in the pitch line, a natural way to transition is to ask about why the reporter is live at a particular place. Things like, “Joe can you walk us through the situation where you are?” makes the anchor seem authoritative and the reporter seem like an expert eyewitness. Another way to reference live surroundings is to give anchors the freedom to know they can ask about what they see in the live picture with the reporter. This is effective during fires, standoffs, fairs, holiday parties, political events… you get the idea. You can also have the reporter tell the producer if something interesting is going on, right before taking the shot. Then the anchor can ad lib with that information. Something like, “Joe, we’re hearing another fire truck just arrived, where is it and why was it called in?” If the live surroundings are stagnant (which is often the case) you can have the anchor ask something informative about the area like, “Joe, that’s usually a quiet neighborhood how are families there reacting to this situation?” All of these scenarios give the reporter a reason to reference why he/she is live. That is part of the natural flow of a conversation. Think of it like this, if you bump into a friend at the store, you often say “Hey, what are you shopping for today?” The person answers usually by pointing to the aisle he/she either just went down or will head down next. The key for this type of pitch question is to transition to what is immediately next in the live report.

Now, let’s talk about using questions for perspective. This is where pitch questions can often go wrong, like the scenario at the beginning of this article. You must ask a question that provides an immediate answer. No waiting until the package or tag. If your reporter is at a boring scene and is doing a story that’s been done over and over, use the pitch question to help show what’s new. Use something like, “Joe, before we were told the tax cut would be small, why is it possibly going up now?” Or “Last night we were told this was an accident, why are investigators calling it intentional now?” You are showing that the anchor remembers what he/she tells people and that there is something new. Again, before you snicker, sit down and watch a newscast. It is excruciating how often anchor intros are written in ways that make the anchor seems clueless about the subject, especially when it’s an ongoing story. The cheap copout way to write an intro is to fake that the subject is new by providing no perspective. If you are struggling with ways to justify why this information is being given to the viewer again, let the anchor be the antagonist of sorts and ask that very thing of the reporter. “Joe, we’ve been talking about this political issue for a week, why do families need to hear about it tonight?” That’s a natural question someone probably asked in the editorial meeting when you decided to cover the story. So let the anchor ask it of the reporter in the intro.

Which leads to the kinds of questions viewers would ask: Put the viewer benefit, front and center. (If you don’t know what viewer benefit means read “What’s in it for me.”) Now consider this: Anchors are considered the voice of the audience. They are the people who can ask what viewers want to know, but don’t have the means to ask. Use that connection between anchor and audience to craft questions to the reporter. Let your anchor be gutsy with questions like, “Joe, a lot of people think this tax cut is a joke, is it?” Or “Joe, does this really mean (star player) is walking away from the team?” Or “Joe, there have been a lot of break-ins in this area lately, what makes this one different?” Again, think about bumping into a friend and briefly catching up. Most of us have similar things to say each time, so our friend prods with questions to see if there are any changes. People expect to hear some of the same information, but appreciate anchors asking what is different.

Finally, understand that questions can be a crutch. It is such a common technique, that it can be over used. But if done correctly, it will not seem forced. Remember, asking questions is human nature. So don’t fear questions, just make sure the reporter gets to the answer right away.

Join With Your Anchor: The true make or break of your newscast.

Truth be told, one of the single most important relationships in a newsroom is that between anchor and producer. If you don’t click, chances are your newscast won’t click and someone or all of you will be shown the door. You don’t have to like each other. But you do have to work well together.

These two jobs are so intertwined, it can be very hard to form an alliance. This is because the people doing the two jobs don’t always understand the intricacies of the other side. In many cases, anchors are seen as self-important divas who lord it over everyone else. Anchors can seem detached and uninterested in all it takes to put a newscast together by taking long lunch or dinner breaks and seeming to have endless personal conversations on the phone. I knew a couple of news anchors that watched baseball and football games while people all around them were slamming to make air. Producers resent this type of behavior immensely. But let’s look at it more closely. What we producers don’t often see is the constant pressure anchors feel to perform, against the odds. Also some of the phone calls can be radio interviews, networking calls to connect with community leaders and calls to help management vet out a potential new employee. Nowadays anchors are being asked to blog and tweet and write articles for hyperlocal magazines and internet sites. The push is always on to increase their exposure. Then, after all that, they have to be refreshed and full of energy to “perform” on air. In fairness, many anchors are dealing with producers that are undertrained (see Throw me a lifeline) and defensive about it.

Now, a look at behind the scenes as a producer. We spell a lot of the pressures out in “Hey she got more time,” but in summary, there are constant unrelenting deadlines and if anything goes wrong in the newscast, including anchors stumbling or seemingly having a low energy day, producers get called to the carpet by management. Frustrations can then come with this relentless pressure and it can cause producers to lash out. The number one thing a producer has to learn, no matter what, is to not yell at the anchors. Remember, anchors are not only the face of the station, they are the only way anyone “sees” a producer’s hard work. When you ask viewers about newscasts they do not say: “I love channel “X” because they have really interesting tag elements and natural sound that makes me want to keep watching. Oh, and I also love their teases, they really hook me in.” They say: “Oh so and so is on that channel. I like (or don’t like) him/her.” The viewer’s opinion of that anchor is also the producer’s responsibility. You help the anchors connect with the viewers.

Producers must deliver strong content and the anchor must be able to sell it convincingly and authoritatively. This requires getting to know each other and trying to downplay each other’s weaknesses. Read that again, and notice the word “downplay.” There are a lot of producers who relish seeing their “lazy” anchor sweat on set if, say, the anchor is weak at adlibbing breaking news, or stinks at chat. The person who loses the most from putting an anchor in an extremely uncomfortable position is the producer. Yes, the anchor gets embarrassed on television and if this happens repeatedly can stiffen up on air and have trouble with job performance. I still contend putting anchors in bad positions is worse for the producer because you showcase to the whole staff that you are petty and untrustworthy. You are not professional. When you get assigned to another newscast, those anchors will be on the defensive and unwilling to give up some of those dinner breaks or make phone calls to help you. Remember this is a small business and news managers are not the only ones vetting potential new hires. Anchors are paid to be in the know too. Again, so we are crystal clear, some of those phone calls you see may not be to the family at home or a friend the anchor gossips with. In fact, many times the anchor is networking. That means if you want to get out of the business and stay in town, your anchor is potentially your greatest asset to help with references. Let’s say you want to move out of town to another station, your anchor may be your best asset to help you get to the market where you want to go.

We producers do not always give our anchors enough credit for what they do leading up to the newscast. Even if the anchor really is lazy and spends most of the shift leading up to air on the phone “fooling around,” we are paid to protect the anchor on the air and not put him/her in uncomfortable positions. You are paid to make your anchor look good, even if that person, in your opinion, doesn’t deserve it.

Producers, often you are the one who have to start the smart alliance. You need to sit your anchors down and establish expectations for both sides, in a respectful way. Believe it or not, because so many shops are producer driven, anchors wait for you to take the lead in the relationship. They recognize that many times your job is the one that’s harder to fill. They realize they are the face of the station, but in today’s economy no one is safe in the newsroom, and anchor pay is often cut to make up for budget shortfalls. The anchor may not want to start pushing because of fear of a backlash from the producer. Anchors get that you help them keep their jobs. As the show manager, the producer can break the ice and help you both be more comfortable with your mutual objectives. We have delved into some how to’s for this in “Anchor’s away. How to handle a difficult anchor,“and “Your Producing Voice.” We won’t stop there. This smart alliance needs a lot of nurturing so you can both excel. But for now, keep this in mind: You don’t walk in the other’s shoes. You can respect that at times those shoes are a tight squeeze, and the other person sometimes needs help with the pressure of that tight fit.

Anchor an Alliance: Stroke the hand that feeds you.

When anchors get together to talk and trade stories, silly positions they are put in while on the air is a hot topic. Usually complaining about awful things producers wrote, or uncomfortable transitions producers created, leads to many laughs and personal jokes. Then there are the war stories about the “screamers” in your ear. It is true: Producers can put you in really bad positions at times. Yet, your producer can make or break you at a particular station. So how do you form an alliance to make sure you’re on the good side of that equation?

Here’s what many producers would love to see from you, so you can stroke the hand that feeds you on air. Often the producer will not directly ask for these things because they feel it isn’t their place to do so. If you can provide them these simple things, you will get a loyal ally.

Let the producer know you have his/her back. Most producers naturally assume that the anchor is on the defensive, and will put blame on the producer for any mistake the anchor makes on air. Frankly, this is because most producers get called in when an anchor is “not performing” to management’s standards and are told they are to blame. This makes producers want to keep a safe distance from their anchors.

So how do you bring this defensive wall down? Take responsibility for some of the mistakes on air in front of the producer and in front of management. Whoa, you say: “This could make me vulnerable! “ Not necessarily. Do it during discrep meetings. Other staffers will see , so will an EP or the AND, but most importantly the producer will see it in a public setting. Things like, “I didn’t get a chance to rework a paragraph in story such and such and stumbled today, sorry guys.” or “I forgot to get an interesting fact from so and so meteorologist for the pitch so it would flow, so I apologize if I rambled.” or “I forgot we were switching to two shots at the top of the c-block, I’ll remember now.” Here’s what usually happens when you head home, the producer and associate producer or the producer and director stays late and looks for ways to help you (a) not have to rewrite a paragraph, (b) make it easier for you to find a factoid to pitch to weather next time (c) sit down with the TD or camera crew to remind them to remind you about the new two shot. If you come across as humble and trying to help, you will win a huge ally that will bend over backwards for you every day. No, the producer won’t always get it right. But chances are you will get more apologies and more mea culpas from the producer as well. You might even get to weigh in on news copy and formatting changes more often before air.

Producers also want you helping out leading up to the newscast. No, you do not need to write the entire show. If the producer is worth a bean, he/she thrives on taking ownership and writing most of the show. Still, having an anchor “check in” once or twice leading up to a newscast offering to help write is seen as a huge sign of respect. Some producers will assign you a story, some will use this as an opportunity for a gut check on something they are worried about. Some will tell you to hop in and write whatever you want. All will respect you for helping to build the newscast, not just wanting to read it on TV.

Many times when anchors compliment producers, they talk about producers designing segments with the anchor’s voice in mind. (See Producer Voice ) This can be hard for the producer to do, if they don’t know much about you. We will dedicate an article on techniques to help producers write in your voice more in depth later, but for now let’s talk basics so you can help producers. The producer needs an idea of who you are as a person, and what kind of stories you really like. I had an anchor once that was very interested in travel and airlines. So I would purposely put pacers in about the airlines because his energy level would boost every time he read one. Frankly, some of the stories were boring and I questioned viewer benefit. But his energy would pop so much, it was worth giving up 15 seconds. Another anchor loved political news so most of the time he would get the interview segments about campaign issues. He was well read and thought of much better questions than I could. Another anchor of mine had an incredible mind for health issues. She knew all the latest trends and could really tell if a news release was a PR stunt or true medical breakthrough for the area. I would call her when she came in and was settled for the day and ask what she thought of various stories to put in the newscast. I knew these things because the anchors would chat me up about them when we waited for the editorial meetings to start. These anchors didn’t sit me down for huge philosophical discussions, they just clued me into their interests at an opportune time in my day when I could actually listen.

If you see a mistake, bring it to the producer’s attention in a respectful way. We delve more into this in our article, “Throw me a lifeline” but this is a crucial reminder. If you want a loyal ally, do not make fun of news copy or uncomfortable transition lines on the set during the show with the other anchor. Chances are the producer heard the bad writing or bad transition and is beating him/herself up about it already. To hear you poke fun just puts salt in the wound especially because you are doing so in front of people the producer has to help manage during the newscasts. Basically, it feels like you cut the producer off at the knees. The production crew may laugh with you, but they don’t respect you for it either. Remember, you also aren’t perfect. They see you stumble, and occasionally make dumb comments. If you want those moments to pass, don’t bring up other people’s mistakes publicly.

Finally, remember that compliments are powerful. Producers do not get to go out in public and be told how great the newscast is. In many shops it’s a rare thing for management to throw a compliment the producer’s way. To hear from you occasionally, about a segment you liked or something nice a viewer told you, really means a lot. The producer feels like you respect him/her as a part of your success as well. It helps you “anchor” an alliance that really can boost your career.