assignment editor – Page 2 – Survive Your Job In Television News

New Boss: Sucking up without being obvious.

Many TV stations, like many football programs are constantly changing the “coach.” If the ratings don’t go up quickly the news director is gone. That means a new chance to be fired, since the new boss will want to make an impact right away. First impressions truly can make or break your future at that station. So let’s talk star power.

All managers have one thing in common. They want staffers that do not whine. They want people that can change and adapt quickly. To prove you can do this, research the new ND and see what type of news philosophy was implemented at their last station. Did the place do a lot of consumer news? Did the station cover a lot of breaking news? What was the turnover like? Calling and asking for an long time reporter or photojournalist to dig a bit will be helpful. You want to ask what the ND liked to see from the staff. What kind of story ideas got the ND excited. Try and find out if your new ND is a big football fan or has kids or a dog. Now you have a leg up.

Listen to the ND during the first few story meetings. See if the ND is getting excited over the type of stories you heard he/she will like. The ND will give you clues about where the place is going next pretty quickly with offhanded comments. Most people don’t listen. They should and you will. Next, adapt story ideas or input about newscasts to the trends you notice from the ND. After a few weeks try and catch the ND for a minute and request a critique. Don’t say “hey did you watch my show/package. etc. that day.” Just say: “I am checking in to see if you have any critique for me on what you’ve seen so far. I am looking forward to taking my work to the next level with you.” The ND will probably say he/she needs a few weeks. That’s fine. You just want the early impression to be that you are hardworking and eager to adapt to this person’s style.

Now let’s talk personal connection. Remember you have intel on the ND’s personal interests. Use it to make a human connection. Let’s say the ND is a big football fan. When you see ND in the hall or at the end of a meeting ask what person thinks of some headline, “How about that new recruit? What about that last play in the last game?” You get the idea. Don’t linger. Listen to the response and walk away. You don’t want to force it.

You also need to make deadline and not complain about anything for the first several months; even if you are getting screwed on vacation time. Stay out of the office and let other people seem difficult. The ND is overwhelmed the first few months and doesn’t need to deal with any “little” issues. Fair or not, your vacation time qualifies as little.

If you are in a meeting with the ND do not be the first person to run out of the room at the end. Organize your papers, take one more sip of coffee, do what you need to linger a minute in case the ND starts small talking. This is a subtle way to start building a connection without seeming obvious.

Remember ND’s are looking for employees who are loyal and willing to work hard. So when you are asked to cover an extra shift or work late, do it without complaining. You will get a chance to occasionally say no after the ND has been there awhile. This is a way ND’s test to see if you are a diva or a battle tested, nose to the ground journalist. We watched it time and again. Staffers turned down shifts or complained about working late and the ND made a quick judgment call that the person was lazy and didn’t appreciate the job. It was usually downhill from there.

The key in all of this is being subtle. This is like dating. Give the ND a taste of who you are, express some interest, but do not overdo it. The people constantly in the office putting out will end up being the ones the ND takes advantage of and overworks long term. The hard workers that stay out trouble survive and end up with some time to breathe. You will keep the ND interested in seeing more. That’s what you want.

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.

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.