producer – Page 12 – Survive Your Job In Television News

Right hand meet your left hand. Now catch! The relationship between producers and directors.

Before you read this article, humor me and ball up a sheet of paper. Throw it into the air and try and catch it with only one hand. Then switch hands. Then use both hands. Bottom line, you will catch the waded up paper ball more easily, and often, with both hands. You can catch a ball with one hand, but with both hands your odds increase dramatically. This is how I like to describe the relationship between a producer and a director.

I was lucky enough to land my first job as a full producer in a top 30 market. I was a rookie “kid” paired with veteran anchors and directors. These directors taught me a tremendous amount about “producing” in that first job. They caught my rookie mistakes and without chastising me, worked around them live on TV. After the newscast they took the time to sit with me and teach me how to prevent the same problem from happening again. Soon after, I worked in a top 20 market. Same scenario: The directors talked me through any mistakes. I quickly learned the person I needed to align myself with was my director.

After that, when I interviewed for producing jobs, I always asked to meet the director before deciding on a gig. If that person and I didn’t click, the job wouldn’t work. I felt that strongly about the connection of right and left hand. By requesting to meet the director right away, I also usually gained a loyal ally. I showed respect even before getting the job. This went a long way toward establishing a solid relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes had knock down drag outs with directors over mistakes on the air. But because they knew I had a basic respect for the job they did, we could work through the differences.

Producers and directors have something important in common; they are both responsible for a lot of things they have very limited control over. If a reporter steps out of a shot just as you take it live, you both get in trouble for taking the pic even if you cued the reporter. If master control gives you the wrong time for a commercial break and you miss a meter, you are both in trouble. This is often where producers and directors play the blame game. Don’t fall victim to this. Both producers and directors tend to be control freak type personalities. Sit down and decide who is responsible for what. For example, once I established IFB, my director would check the live shot, if the reporter did not respond, the director had final say on taking the live shot or going straight to the package. It was faster that way, since the director had a finger on the button, or control of the TD sitting right beside him/her. Bottom line, let the director manage the technical elements while you focus on content and timing. Again, consider the right hand/left hand analogy. You would not cross one hand over the other to catch your paper ball. Set up who’s making the call on what, then, support each other.

If you are still not convinced that this is a crucial relationship to establish, let’s talk breaking news. There are times when breakers happen so fast on live television that you simply cannot tell everyone who needs to know what you are doing in time. An example: police standoffs. I was once boothing continuing coverage of a standoff when the SWAT team showed up. The GM and ND came in to have a philosophical debate over what to show. They kept interrupting me as I tried to give directions to the production crew and more importantly the anchors. My director knew how I thought because we talked so much about breaking news and had set up clear roles. Several times he was able to “take over” while I listened to the bosses. He literally knew what I was going to say, before I could say it. If we had not developed a strong relationship, with mutual respect, things would have fallen apart on live TV. We were consistent with each other, and knew each other’s job needs. The right hand was able to catch the ball, while the left hand was tied up. It is a crucial relationship whether playing catch or putting on a live broadcast!

Step out of the box, will you?

It’s a phrase that makes many journalists cringe and roll their eyes: “People, we need to think out of the box.” What does that mean?

Well, it means don’t pitch the same story ideas over and over. It means the station wants more than police blotter stories. It also often means news management is getting creative to attract specific audiences. This is an opportunity to have fun at work again if you know a key secret. The best TV stories focus on three things: Real people with compelling video and audio.

When management starts talking about thinking “out of the box,” you need to start presenting ideas in a visual way. Describe your story idea by explaining your first shot in it. Another way to pitch is with the “character” you will showcase. Thinking “out of the box” is a catch phrase for asking journalists to put a human element into a story.

Here’s how to execute “out of the box” for different news philosophies: If you work in an “action news” shop, managers want to see reporters and anchors interacting with the news in a more visual way. Add more sequences and nat sound. Look for a person or interesting business to focus on for a different twist to a news of the day story. Producers should include more interesting anchor tags with information from the anchor to make them appear more of an expert rather than just a reader. Add cool opens to blocks with video and nat sound. Replay cool video in slow motion.

If you work in a “big J” type shop, do what you can to showcase how news headlines impact real people. Write in a more conversational way. Look for interesting characters.

If you work in a headline news type shop where you normally just chase breaking news, play up any interesting video. Let some emotional sound bites “breathe” more than you usually would.

“Out of the box” also means thinking beyond putting stories only on television screens. More and more shops want to see you pitching ideas that also have life in social media or at the very least the station web page. It really is just another way to establish human connections. The only difference is making the story more accessible for people to react. That doesn’t just mean creating a blog for people to sound off. This can be an opportunity to empower with links to associated groups and content. It just depends on the station’s philosophy how far you will go online.

The best part about being told to step “out of the box” is that your news management team is thinking beyond old fashioned TV journalism. It is looking for ways to integrate technology with storytelling and to redefine news coverage. This is an opportunity for you to get really creative and carve a niche for yourself not only within the station, but in the industry. So go ahead, think “out of the box.”

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.

The ultimate tease challenge: the daily update on a recurring story.

If you ever wondered why you see producers sitting at their desks mumbling to themselves, then pacing in a hallway, this is it. Teasing the story that seems like it just won’t end. The rising flood waters waiting to crest, the trial that drags on forever, the storm damage cleanup that is so important to cover, but looks the same each day.

These are stories that, after a while, management and producers must debate on whether to tease at all, or does the viewer just expect the coverage to be there and watch for something else. While that debate rages, producers are often faced with a looming deadline and overnights that say they get a spike when coverage of that topic airs.

So what do you do when there’s no obvious unique element? Look beyond the obvious. Sometimes you need to come up with an interesting sidebar tag that would have viewer benefit. This is the time to search Twitter and tweet your sources for interesting tidbits that you can fact check and possibly add to your coverage in some way. You can also call a buddy who’s not in the business and ask where the coverage seems to be lacking for the story. They might have an idea you never thought off that would make a great vo/sot or even an outboard package. Also, have reporters keep an extra eye out for interesting character development that you can turn into an interesting tease.

Anchors are a great resource in this difficult time. They often are approached by people with interesting questions you could answer as an added element to your coverage. It’s a great tease option because it enhances your anchor’s credibility, with a viewer benefit. You asked and we got the answer for you! It engages viewers who often feel we talk at them instead of to them.

If there really is nothing interesting to tease about the ongoing story, talk with management about whether you can move the tease out of its traditional place, like the end of a block. This is a great time to do stealth teases (see article “You’re Hooked“) in the middle of the a-block for example. You can put the anchors on a two shot and have them say something like, “Hey, in 5 minutes we’re going to get an update on the trial. I hear (reporter) has (a quick line with the gist of the pkg).” Then go on with the newscast.

The one thing you want to avoid at all costs is the tease that goes something like these “Up next the latest on the Casey Anthony case.” or “We have the latest on cleanup of the tornado damage in Joplin.” These are the ultimate throw away lines and will cost you credibility with the viewer. Keep in a mind that viewers expect you to have the latest on a big story. That’s the reason they are tuning in. They believe in your ability to cover the ongoing stories. Don’t let them down by trivializing it with only a “coming up, the latest.” It makes your station seem callous and sloppy. Viewers are taking this story seriously. You need to as well. You don’t have to have a wow factor each day. A simple headline in a tease is okay. It helps viewers know when they will get the daily update. Taking a quick hit with a live reporter also can work, but coordinate with the reporter ahead of time to make sure he/she doesn’t give away too much. Viewers think it is cool if you check in live on something, it shows immediacy. Have the anchor say something like, “We’re hearing court is about to wrap up right now, (Reporter) interesting day?” Reporter says: “Yes, in fact we had something just happen that we will tell you about in two minutes.” You aren’t exaggerating, you are not giving the story away, you are showcasing a live ongoing event with immediacy. Again, viewers love feeling like they are in the moment. Another way to consider this along similar lines: Teasing these kinds of stories is like teasing weather. Some days the information is huge and you need to blow it out. Some days there’s not much to it, but you want the viewer to know you always have their best interest in mind, even on a sunny cloudless day. You want to shoot straight and build credibility for the times the teases are easy to write, because what you have to share is fascinating. Do these things and the amount of time you spend mumbling to yourself in the hallway, will begin to shrink!