Political Hotbed – Page 16 – 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!

“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.

Stop the screaming! What to do when your boss is deafening and demeaning.

If you haven’t already, you will eventually work for a “screamer” in television news. It’s just a simple fact of life in the biz. But that simplicity of fact does not mean reacting to it is simple. Screamers are alarming, and not just for the ear. It means the person loses control in key situations; very troublesome when this is the person who decides your fate. The good news is that the screamer’s boss probably is aware of the temper tantrums and hopefully takes them and any tirades about staffers with a grain. The bad news: The screamer is usually not forced to calm it. So the verbal abuse keeps on coming.

There is an effective way to protect your ears and your ego. The more the screamer lets loose, the calmer you need to be. You need to consistently do this, during public and private tirades. Screamers expect to unnerve you. It is a control technique for bullies. If you want the person off your back, don’t indulge it. Sit down, look slightly above the screamers head and watch him or her pitch a fit. Whatever you do, do not speak. The screamer is not interested in anything you have to say. The screamer needs to get rid of pent up stress. Once the screamer is done, say “okay I will keep that in mind.” Then go back to work.

Sometimes the screamer will follow you and start up again with insults or questions like “did you hear anything I said.” Say “yes” to the question and ignore the insults. Later, once the screamer is calmer, you might be called into that person’s office. Hopefully this is when you can get some constructive criticism and explain any extenuating circumstances. But if the screamer has a particularly insecure ego, you will not hear about the incident again.

This does make it harder to learn what “old yeller” wants. You can still listen to the rants and try and decipher the point. Just do not lower yourself to the standard of the screamer. You need to keep your cool. That can help you if things get really out of hand and you end up in human resources. You also would prefer the tantrums happen in public even if it is humiliating at the time. Witnesses can say it was the manager who lost control, not you.

Finally, no matter how tired you are at the end of the day, document the inappropriate conversation with the screamer as well as any follow ups. Include the time of day and a witness list in your notes. Remember human resources must have patterns and documentation. If you end up in trouble, you can use these tantrums to buy time and demand a formal critique of your work in writing. Your case: How could you be expected to know what to do with the manager screaming at you incessantly? There is a case to be made and, again, you have to be able to show a pattern of verbal abuse.

Now the caveat for your efforts: The screamer will become disarmed at your calm response. The screamer will end up noticing how out of line he or she is getting. This will throw the person off and you will take control of the relationship. After a few attempts at rattling you, the screamer will usually learn that you are tough skinned and probably not someone to mess with. You will probably be left alone. In some cases you will even become the screamer’s confidant. We have seen news managers develop a strange need to then constantly impress and please the employee that cannot be unnerved. You might even end up with better assignments. There is always another sucker on staff that will scream back or cry. The screamer will usually become focused on that person.

Go to Human Resources or keep your mouth shut?

We have seen some incredible talent get burned by making the wrong choice. First let’s spell out why human resources really exists. Headline: It is not for employees. Human resources is designed to keep management from being sued. It oversees hiring, annual reviews and station policies to make sure the company is protected. This knowledge is key.

If you are being harassed by a co-worker, you need to be able to make a clear case. If management is after you, human resources is helping the effort. However, human resources does still give you options. You just need to play your cards right because the deck is stacked against the individual worker. If you complain as a group, there can be safety in numbers and strength in message. This is hard to understand for many workers, however, it is the simple truth. Also you should never go to human resources before speaking with your direct managers. This will burn you because you are not going through the chain of command and giving management a chance to fix the problem. The only exception would be if your reason for seeking help is a problem with the news director.

So when do you go to human resources? The answer is usually in your employee handbook. When station policies are clearly being violated you have the right to complain. This often involves a manager that is out and out ignoring written policies, like approval of vacation time or denying sick time despite having sick notes or other required documentation. This means you must have a paper trail. Written proof of one incident is usually not enough. You must be able to show a pattern. Again, the best bet is if several people have similar documentation and it’s all turned it in over a short period.

Now let’s say your job is being threatened. Complaints to human resources might buy you time. Again though, you must have documentation. Let’s say management is complaining you don’t always come to work. If it’s because a manager keeps changing your schedule and doesn’t inform you, that could buy you time. So, in this example, copies of the schedules and the changes that caused the issue could go a long way toward protecting you. Also, check your employee handbook. Usually you must be given written notice of schedule changes. If you are told there are issues with your job performance, take a look at your annual reviews. If you have several past reviews that are strong and one that is weak, you may be able to buy some time. Request that management give you an action plan to improve your performance. Then follow up with human resources if management fails to give you such a plan.

Human resources can also be a direct link to the general manager. Weigh this knowledge carefully. If you just hate a manager and want to bring the person down, a complaint to human resources is a serious gamble. You need clear cut proof the manager is not following corporate or station policy. You also need several others who can corroborate your complaint. If there are clear cut problems though and a group of people are willing to stand up, your chances of getting help are much better. Notice we said help. Do not expect a manager to get fired. What you might see is policy change or disciplinary action. In one case we saw a news director forced to seek anger management training. No firing however. Still it did help calm the waters in the newsroom. But you must also realize that this process does not always happen in a vacuum. Here’s one final note to think about: That particular news director may have actually been told who complained. So, think hard if you want your boss to know you complained about them later on down the line, when layoffs or other changes are needed.