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He Got More Air Time: Decoding The Read Counter

When a producer sent me an email about this issue, I had to shake my head a little. Been there a couple of times. I could just see the anchor that used to count the number of stories lecturing me again. I also could see the anchor that used to count how much time reading she got versus her co-anchor handing me a list that tracked a one week period. She was shocked when I stared at her in disbelief. In a week’s time, the cumulative amount differed by less than a minute. Seriously? This is what she worried about?

Here’s the deal. Anchor reads will never be completely even. It just isn’t possible. There are tricks to get them pretty darn close though. I will explain those in a minute. First I want to talk about this “read counting” mentality. Read counters, who base their worth on how often they are on the air, versus their co-anchor create all kinds of problems. The biggest negative impacts: Themselves and other anchors. Here’s why. When a producer sees that you spend your time counting the seconds to make sure you get your face time, you are telling that producer that all you care about is being on TV. That is simply the truth. In fact, my read counter actually said to me, “My audience needs to see me more than my co-anchor. They count on seeing me. I just know I am a bigger draw than her. You must want her to be the draw and not me.” How does a producer, who cares about getting crucial information out to the viewer place confidence in that mentality? It made it very hard to trust that if I gave him breaking news, he would use due diligence to make sure the information was correct. He also was the only anchor in the shop to pitch a fit if he actually had to go “in the field” to turn a story unless he deemed it glamorous. This example is not unique. Producers talk. We love to tell each other who the read counter is. That’s the person you never hand the big breaker. That’s the person you avoid at all costs. That’s the anchor whose critiques often fall on deaf ears. Fair or not, that’s what happens. The stigma is there. You only care about face time, not being a thorough and complete journalist.

Now, let’s address the time counter. The producer who emailed me gave the example of an anchor saying “ My co-anchor had 1:15 in reads, I had :50 seconds.” This simply screams, “I love my face time. I need all the face time. Look at me I’m on TV!” Look, obviously all anchors like a little face time. If you hated it, you would not be on TV. But again, this sends the message that you care more about being recognized out and about town than being a solid journalist. Not the reputation you want in a newsroom, period. Time counters are considered petty, arrogant and superficial. It just makes you look bad.

Now the kicker, for all the other anchors who are solid journalists. Because of read and time counters, producers often get defensive about reads. So when there is a legitimate issue, like one anchor being written out of 7 minutes in the a-block, that anchor may not raise a red flag for fear of being labeled “high maintenance.” There are times, when there are legitimate issues with reads. Newbie producers often make this mistake until they get enough of a handle on designing the rundown, timing it correctly and making deadlines. That’s a long wait for the anchors who just don’t want to disappear for big chunks of news blocks.

So here’s the solution. First, producers should trade off who leads the newscast, and each block. For example, let’s take Joe and Amy. On Monday, Joe leads the a-block, Amy the b-block and on down the line. If you have an hour long show, have Joe lead the a-block Monday, then Amy leads the 30 block. Switch on Tuesday. Repeat. This only takes a second to do, and really helps make the reads appear even. The second part to creating even reads is to try and make sure the anchor reads change every two minutes or so. If you have a package that is 2:30, the anchor who introduced it should read the tag. If it is a long tag, do it on a two shot to re-establish team as long as the next story is not a rough transition. If you have a rough transition before the two minute time is up, switch then and get back to the other anchor within two minutes. Of course, you can’t make it every two minutes on the nose, but it is a good approximate time to keep in mind.

So there you have it. That’s why read counters do what they do. That’s what it means and how to stave it off. If you are a read counter, and your producer switches block leads and tries to change reads every two minutes or so, stop complaining. Your reputation depends on it.

Why don’t you show us how it’s done then! The result of on set rants in the booth.

So now we know that anchors often resort to onset rants, when they are super frustrated and feel there is no other outlet. Anchors, we get it. Other journalists understand some of these issues are hard to take, but it’s time for you to see what impact that moment of weakness has on the rest of the team.

First, the producer. Let me clue you in on a little secret, producers tend to be control freaks, who place a lot of their self worth on their work. Their biggest points of pride, the writing and flow of the newscast. The writing is their stamp, on the newscast. So when you the anchor make fun of the writing, right or wrong, for many producers it is a deeply personal insult. In some ways it is the same as viewers sending scathing critiques of your clothes, hair or delivery. It takes awhile for many producers to understand that the writing has to be a team effort. (see “How to get inside your anchors heads”). Anchors can say the critiques are not personal until you are blue in the face, most producers never buy it.

The producer is also the team leader, especially in shops with newscasts that are more content driven rather than personality driven. So when you make fun of the writing or complain about how it made you look, you are essentially calling out the newscast leader as a fool. That is how it feels to the producer, and the production staff. Again, think about this. I personally know of only one anchor, foolish enough to call out an AND or ND in the middle of the newsroom. Producers are a type of manager as well. Show enough respect to talk to the producer one on one.

That said, producers read “I can’t believe that aired again!” and understand, anchors usually do not go off on the set unless they feel they have no voice and that any suggestions in the past were ignored. So, if the anchors are constantly calling you out on the set, it can be a message. You don’t respect us, and therefore we don’t respect you. As the leader of the newscast, you have to try and make amends. It is important that you not only allow critiques to happen, but actually acknowledge them and make changes at times. You are fallible. Everyone is fallible. Recognize it, grow from it, and allow yourself to self reflect. Leaders help those around them rise up. Are you doing that or serving your own self interests? Spell out to the anchors, that you will really listen to what they have to say. If you go against their advice, say why. One more thing, solid leaders also admit when they make mistakes. If you can set that tone, chances are the people around you will too, and all of you will grow together. Set up basic trust, that is crucial especially during breaking news. All of you need each other.

Anchors need to consider another thing before ranting on the set. It undermines your authority with the production staff as well. No one wants to sit and hear someone being criticized openly. If you can say that about the producer, what do you say about the production crew behind their backs? It causes a sense of superiority that is not appropriate. Production crews and producers are fully aware of how much they impact your success. Never, ever, forget that. Every time you sit on the set, you are placing your fate in many hands, no matter how talented you are. Do you really want them collectively saying “Why don’t you show us how it’s done then?” They will monitor how long you take to do your hair and makeup, they will help managers figure out if you take three hour dinner breaks, even on big news days. In other words, if you regularly rant on the set, you better be the hardest working journalist in the newsroom EVERY SINGLE DAY, or you will have a host of enemies waiting to watch you get yours. It is just the truth. A producer I used to work with purposely used words her anchor struggled to pronounce in copy, and especially during breaking news, just to trip the anchor up. She was tired of the on set rants. I watched a production crew, purposely call up a mic line early to catch an anchor in a rant, on live TV, just to make her shut up. I have also seen producers lobby together to request that anchors be fired, because the on set rants became too much to take.

News is stressful. We all have moments of weakness. But when those moments happen on set, they are not easily forgiven. They create the “us vs. them” mentality that damages so many newsrooms and so many newscasts. Anchors, stop those rants. Producers, give anchors a forum to talk with you about concerns, and really listen and learn from the information. Make it your pledge for the new year. You will be shocked how much better all of you perform when you set aside the ego, and focus on team.

I can’t believe that aired again! Why anchors complain on the set.

This makes many producers blood boil. You toil over a newscast for hours, then during the show, the anchors start complaining about and/or making fun of the copy you worked so hard on. Complaining on set during the newscasts about the show, is the number one way to create a huge divide between anchors and producers. It creates the “us vs them” mentality that causes so much friction. But there are two sides to this, and we are going to really delve into both.

That said, many of those anchors are really not trying to just be jerks. I PROMISE YOU. There are reasons behind the decision, (and it often is a decision) to complain about copy on the set during the newscast. The biggest reason, FRUSTRATION. When anchors reach the point of complaining on set, most are usually at their wits end. From their point of view, they have tried to “talk things through” and the producer/management has ignored the issue. Many veteran anchors are just tired and frustrated that they constantly have to “train newbies.” If you step back and really think about it, you can see how this can happen. One anchor I consulted with on this article says, “Even if you are not normally a complainer, when you get an anchor sitting next to you who is a little immature and starts going off, it can be very difficult not to give into the temptation and complain also. It is human nature.” Another anchor mentioned, “I worked so hard to get to this point, I don’t want to come across as clueless or even just plain stupid. Why aren’t we (anchors) protected?”

A key thing to remember, is when the anchors “mess up” and read copy that is factually incorrect or just doesn’t make sense, it isn’t just the anchor that looks stupid. The entire news operation loses credibility. Anchors are very aware that they are the poster children for the entire organization. They understand that if they come across as not credible, their job is on the line, because that lack of credibility undermines the entire station’s standing in the community. When you separate yourself from the insults, and really think about that, you can see why anchors sometimes “go off.” It is a lot of responsibility, and yet they give up control of the newscasts to producers. It is how the system works, except in rare cases. Anchors are depending on you to get the facts right, so they look credible. Yes anchors can, and most will, get into the newscast and fact check and rewrite if they notice a potential issue. But in the morning, and during breaking news that is not always possible. The anchors need the information to be correct, or at least quickly fixed if there is a problem.

Which leads to the second reason, anchors find themselves complaining on the set over a mistake. It is absolutely maddening, when they see an issue, raise the issue to the producer and then it is not corrected and airs incorrectly two and three times. Many anchors say they try to help and bring up an issue with a super, or a misspelled item on the ticker, and then it isn’t changed. The anchor doesn’t have access, and can only watch the mistake happen again and again. Remember, credibility for the entire news organization is on the line, anchors are the final gate keepers.

There also are issues in many shops where veteran anchors are told, to just read whatever is there, and let the producers do all the gate keeping. Anchors are told to stay out of the decision making and that producers rule (see Producer Driven) the roost. Problem is, often the producers are much less experienced than the anchors. No matter how smart you are, experience brings a lot of knowledge. So veteran anchors sit, wishing they could just bang their heads against the wall and watch something they could have prevented play out on the air. Excruciating!

That said, giving in to human nature and complaining on the set, diminishes respect toward you if you are one of those anchors. It sends a message that you think you are superior and fed up with the underlings. And that’s even if what you say is absolutely true. So this is where things get hard for the frustrated anchor. You need to find a different forum to vent. Maybe that’s after the show, on the phone with your co-anchor. Maybe it is at the gym working out your frustrations. Maybe it is in a meeting with the EP or AND. Just make sure you keep the conversation pro-active. Producers and managers, put ointment on the sting, and look to see if the anchor really does have a good point. If the anchor feels they have a forum to address concerns, the on set rants will eventually stop. Chances the quality of the newscast will improve as well.

Getting around allegedly

This one word, is the biggest no-no you can write in TV news other than an actual fact error. Why? It does nothing to protect you legally. Saying something “allegedly” happened or a person “allegedly” did something is only calling attention, to the fact, that your facts are probably unclear and you may not be able to defend your statement.

So how do you get around the word “allegedy” or the phrase “the alleged?” Here are some simple ways.

Avoiding “allegedly”

Attribute information to source
Do not name names
Name person with the specific charges

So let’s spell these out for you. When police tell you a place was broken into, or a man confronted a clerk, or the clerk fired a shot at the man and missed then the man ran away, write it that way. These facts often end up with the term “allegedly” or “alleged” in the sentence descriptions. Same thing if you have security video of the actual robbery. Don’t say: “You can see the alleged robbers in this security video.” The guys with the guns in the video are the robbers. So you should say it: “You can see the robbers holding up the place in this security video.”

How about this one? “An alleged break in at a store in Mayberry today.” Sound familiar? Did police call it a break in? Was something actually taken? Do you have video? If you can say yes to these questions then the break did not allegedly happen. It happened for real. So you should say: “A break in today at a store in Mayberry. This video, released by investigators, shows you (describe what viewer sees).. ” If you know the answer to police calling it a break in, but do not know if anything was taken and there is no video, then write: “Police say someone broke into a store today in Mayberry.” See the difference? Police are calling it a break in. You are taking their word for it a bit, right? So state where you got the information. Another way to attribute both scenarios is “Police need help finding out who broke into a store in Mayberry today.” Again, you attribute.

When police tell you a man confronted the clerk, the clerk shot at the man, and then the man ran away, you do not need the word “allegedly” either. Often you will hear copy that reads, “The man allegedly confronted the clerk.” Or “The clerk allegedly shot at the man but missed.” And lastly “The man allegedly ran away.” No, no and no. “Police say a man confronted the clerk.” Or better yet if you have surveillance video: “Watch the man confront the clerk. Investigators tell us (and provide a detail about the exchange).” As for the clerk firing a shot and missing, “Police say the clerk fired a shot and missed.” If you have video of it: “Investigators shared this video where it looks like the clerk shot at the man and missed. “ (If you are still nervous about declarative statements.) And remember, the man who broke in, is a man. He is not a “suspect” if we don’t know his name, and police haven’t declared him a “suspect.” But during a break in a person doesn’t “allegedly” get away or run away. A person does get away or run away, unless you know there’s been an arrest. Then the person arrested becomes a “suspect.”

The next most common reason why “allegedly” is used, is because you have a name and want to use it. When you really stop and think about it, the majority of stories do not need to name names to be highly relevant. It is most often the action that is interesting, not the person. You can call the person, “the man” or “the woman.” You do not have to use a name even if you have it, especially if charges are pending. Usually the story is what interests viewers, not the name of the person, unless it is a public figure. The person who shot other people in a parking lot, is not an “alleged” shooter. Again you should say: “A man shot some people.” or “A woman, shot some people.” The term “alleged” shooter doesn’t work.

If the person is charged and you want to name names, use attribution again and list the charge. “JOE SCHMO is charged with burglary tonight” or “Police charged Joe Schmo with…” If you use a name, have a charge by it. It just protects you.

So there you have it, ways to get around “allegedly” and “the alleged.” Here’s to never seeing those words in news copy again!