producing – Page 10 – Survive Your Job In Television News

How to tighten your own writing.

When producers call and tell me how their work stands out, the number one statement I hear is“ my writing is tight.” Truth be told, when I review a newscast, that is rarely the case. Same is true of reporter scripts. I would get calls from the crews to copy edit and be told “You will love it, my writing is so clean and tight.” That is a tall order. Many were shocked to hear they fell short.

So how do you tighten your own writing? Copy edit yourself. Write your script or cold open or whatever it is, and then go back to it and try and shave time off. Often you will find entire sentences or sections that you can cut.

Another effective technique is to compartmentalize elements. When constructing a live pkg for example, assign facts for each element. Maybe the “what” and “when” are in the anchor intro, the “where” is explained in the live lead, the “who” is the start of your pkg which ends with the “how.” The live tag is the “what’s next.” This helps tighten things up. Often pkg’s repeat information from the anchor intro or live intro. Then the tag repeats information yet again. By compartmentalizing, you help story tell better (see Storytelling on a Dime) and you write more succinctly.

Print out multiple stories, take them home, then write them over again. Sometimes practice makes perfect. A little secret: Many of the best in the business take time out each day or at least each week for self evaluation (see Humble Pie). Your writing will improve. Your speed will improve as well.

Finally, make adverbs and adjectives really count. They must be crucial to the telling of the story, not just something you throw in for extra flare. If you do that, your writing will not only become more clear and concise, but you will also avoid exaggerating facts.

So there you have it, some ways to tighten up your own writing.

When to wipe between stories.

With the constant push for more and more content, I am seeing producers use wipes between stories to keep up the pace. This can be a highly effective technique to showcase stories. It also can be very uncomfortable to watch if misused.

So when should you wipe between stories? There are three common rules:

If stories have the same type of subject with a common link (i.e. – three crime stories that happened overnight, three parades on a holiday etc.)
To showcase different elements of the same story (i.e. – “Here is what the fire looked like when it first started.”, then a wipe to more fire crews arriving on scene, wipe to helicopter dumping water, then a sot from a worried neighbor.)
To showcase a section of news (like national headlines, local headlines, craziest vids of the day etc.)

When you veer from these rules, you can put anchors in some interesting situations. For example, it does not work if you have a taped interview on a serious political issue, then wipe to vo of a charity event. A wipe needs the stories to be related somehow. Morning show or weekend producers, with one anchor, often use wipes to get around a pre-recorded interview. That is, they wipe out of the interview to avoid making it obvious that the interview is pre-recorded. But that is not the best technique. So what do you do? Well, you can have the editor end the taped subject on an image that does not show the anchor. That way you can show the anchor back on the set to do a transition line without sweating it. Or, you can wipe to a story that is related. For example, in the case of the pre-recorded political interview, wipe to a quick followup about a political story. Then show the charity event, with the first line on camera.

Bottom line: Wipes are effective when the stories have a common link of some sort. They do not help you pick up the pace if the stories have nothing to do with each other. In that case you confuse and slow the viewer’s reaction down.

Moving To A Big Market.

It’s one of the most commonly asked questions among young producers in TV news – ‘how do I know if I’m ready to work in a big market?’ If your co-workers like your stuff and you have been consistently promoted, the answer is pretty simple. You probably are.

Let’s say you’re a grinder. You started in a small market, doing ten different things in the newsroom, learning, absorbing, doing. Then you made a jump to a slightly bigger market. More responsibility, a few extra bucks. Maybe you even jumped again, to a solid station, in say, Albany, Oklahoma City, or Winston-Salem. Now you’re making a decent living and you’re doing a good job. Every ambitious journalist (especially if you went to a hyper-competitive J-school) has that nagging feeling. Could I cut it in a top ten market?

Confession: it happened to me. I spent the first five years of my career steadily moving up, first producing in Binghamton and then Syracuse. I had opportunities to go elsewhere after Syracuse, including the midwest and the east coast, but my future wife and my family encouraged me to come back to my hometown of Albany. At some point, I heard from the gang who had interned for me when I was doing the 11pm at WTVH in Syracuse. They had become both good friends and fantastic producers, and they had moved on to markets like San Francisco, New York City, and Boston. I won’t lie, it nagged at me. “They are doing better than I am. Hell, I helped them get started. If I don’t try, how will I ever know?” It was time to take the plunge. My wife, a a reporter herself, wanted to move back to her (Top 10 market) hometown, so we had a target city in mind. And not long after, I was offered a job in said city producing weekend nights.

I was nervous at the time, but quickly came to realize the experiences I had accumulated to that point had more than prepared me for what lie ahead. And that’s where my advice to you begins.

Step Back

You may be a big shot where you are now (I was the senior producer in Albany when I left) but you need to be prepared to take a BIG step back. As someone who hates mornings, I was lucky getting my start on weekend nights. You might not be so lucky. Expect to work weekends, mornings, even weekend mornings. In all cases, the hours will be long, you’ll be expected to pull writer shifts during the week, and it will take a while to build up credibility with your far more experienced co-workers.

Keep An Open Mind

Your writing will get picked apart a lot. Major market Executive Producers have been exposed to research and training. They know what works and they will definitely push you to be more active and aggressive with your words. Don’t take the criticism personally. Find ways to incorporate the techniques into your style. Do not be afraid to talk to your anchors about what they want to see! It will take some time, but trust me, you will find your ‘big market’ voice.

It’s Not That Different

I used to say the only difference between a big market and a medium/small market is a helicopter and more bosses. This is still true. Sure, you will find more executive producers or managing editors and even more reporters and photographers. And yes, most stations have helicopters (although more and more are sharing), but many of the changes made at the lower end of the DMA index are working their way to the top. Truck operators who shoot, producers who edit VOs and teases, automated control rooms and more are now becoming the norm at top ten stations. Your experience doing more things will serve you well. Don’t be afraid of the work. The pace and pressure may increase, but the basics will stay the same. Remember, it’s the same dynamic, just on a larger scale.

Breaking News Is Big

In top 10 markets, breakers can turn into epic events. That means blowing out programming, coordinating team coverage and putting in long hours on the air. It’s the same for weather. Three to six inches of snow may be something we laugh about in Syracuse, but it can be crippling in a big city where the commutes are brutal under the best of circumstances. I can’t tell you how many times I have been called in to work overnights for storm coverage, or even slept on the floor of my office because of a blizzard. I once spent fifteen hours straight in the control room for the funeral of a legendary politician. You will be expected to make the commitment. And remember, we have people meters in big markets, so pretty much every day is ratings. You will need to bring a sense of urgency to the table during every shift.

Mental Toughness

This is probably the most important thing. We have already talked about added pressure from your bosses. Your co-workers will be looking for you to lead. Anchors, reporters, and photographers will be carefully eyeing you to see how confident (and how fast) you can make a decision. Remember, they have been doing it a lot longer than you, and in most cases, and will be quick to second guess you. Be confident you are making the right call. Remember, if you’re not sure, no manager will fault you for seeking a second opinion.

No Jackpot

You may already know this, but you’re not going to get rich producing the news, even in a top ten. Salaries are not what they were 10 years ago. Producers are starting around $50,000, if you’re lucky, in many top 10 markets. If you’re single and you want to live in the city, expect to need a roommate.

That’s really the worst thing I have to say about it. If you crave the excitement and pressure that comes with major market local newscasts, you will not be disappointed in taking the plunge. Just stay true to what you have already learned. Try to soak up as much knowledge as you can from your co-workers, be confident, and you’ll find success at this level – and have fun, too.

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This article is written by an Executive Producer at a number 1 station in a top 10 market. While he wants to remain anonymous, you can email [email protected] any questions and we will make sure you get an answer.

How to “go big” on national breaking news

A producer recently emailed asking about ways to handle big, breaking national stories. Do you sacrifice local and fill the a-block? How without offending the viewer who might want a lot of local? What a great topic, since it is so easy to go online and on cable news and get that national story. So let’s delve in to ways to do this, without offending local viewers. Also, I would love to hear your feedback on whether you think going big on a national story, locally, is effective since social media and online news are so relevant now. Please go to our FB page and talk about it. This debate will continue to grow as TV redefines its role. When you discuss it, consider these key points. They can help you decide how much to do on large scale national stories during your local newscast.

Viewers are used to getting news at this time of day, from you
Viewers feel a connection to your anchors

Both of the points listed above come down to one important point, when deciding how to cover a big national story: Trust. Viewers trust their familiar, local, anchors and like checking in that time of the day with those anchors. They are prepared to see your anchors giving them the most important news at that time. That’s why so many newsrooms go big, even when the story is not local.

The producer that emailed me specifically mentioned the Newtown school shootings. This is a different scenario than the fiscal cliff, which is easy to localize. The day of the shootings, you are still figuring out what the basic facts are, so localizing can be a little more difficult. Blowing out an assumption, to turn local angles can backfire. So localize as much as you can but, do not feel you must have a lot of local tie-ins in order to go big. Large market producers will tell you this is an opportunity to let your anchors own the big story, just like a local breaker. That means avoiding a national package. If you are allowed to get a live shot from the affiliate feed, go for a custom and let your anchors debrief the anchors with questions you think your viewers would want answered. Make sure you have a set up spelling out the basic facts and setting the scene, so the viewer understands the scope. This can be done with vo/sots, a package you write for your anchors, or a combination of nat sound, vo’s, vo/sots and graphics. Do what you need to really spell the story out in an effective way for your viewers. The point is owning the story, instead of seeming to hand it off to a network reporter and moving on. Handing it off can encourage a viewer to switch channels. Remember, the viewer has a trust connection with your anchors. They can tell the story well, and should.

When you can add tidbits of local reaction, do it. Let your anchors help you find this information out. It really is an effective technique to have your anchor say something like, “I just called so and so, and that agency would handle a situation like this, the same way.” Again, your anchor is acting as an advocate for the viewer, let them ask the questions the viewers would love to ask themselves. Let the anchor “own the story.” The viewer trusts the anchor and wants to see him/her in that role.

Another solid technique is letting the viewer know about local stories coming up, and when they will see them during this national coverage. Some mention it as an umbrella lead and some do it with teases off the top of the newscast. Some just have the anchors mention there is a lot of local news coming up in 5 minutes. That way, viewers know you are also on top of the “big” local news of the day as well.

The key when determining how much coverage to give a big national story is the potential impact it will have on your viewers. For example, the Newtown school shootings were so shocking, viewers would crave information. By not covering it much, you would actually encourage viewers, used to watching news at that time, to switch channels. The viewer’s gut feeling would be “This is a huge story, I need to know about.” They want to learn the information from journalists they trust. You can encourage them to further believe that it is your anchors and reporters they need to trust. Do not just shove a national pkg off a feed into the a-block and let it go. Let your anchors ask the questions the viewers want answered. Continue to build the trust. That way when a big story happens, your viewers will turn to your newscast first, no matter where the story came from.