Writing – Page 22 – Survive Your Job In Television News

Time to question, all those questions!

You would think asking questions would be the easiest part of a TV journalists job. We are paid to ask them all day long, so we should be experts, right? Yet it is nearly impossible to watch a newscast and not see very strange and uncomfortable Q and A’s. We recently discussed those pesky consultant/management mandates that say you must have the anchor ask the reporter a question going into a live shot (see “What’s with the question”). Now let’s talk about required questions in live tags.

First a comment to managers and producers that think this must happen after every live shot no matter what: Is this a cheap copout? Yes, there is a tone in my question. There is good reason. The nature of many news philosophies is to exploit, and I would argue create, tension in Q and A. We want spirited debate. We want to expose the swindler. We want to play out the anger in the situation. We want to separate fact from fiction. These are great elements to make great TV, no arguments there. But what is the point of Q and A between anchors and reporters? It’s team building. Here is a wild and crazy idea: Could these mandated questions actually make it seem like the team is working against each other?

To clarify, I am talking about Q and A out of basic news of the day stories. I’m not talking about breaking news. Q and A is very natural and frankly expected by the audience in breaking news. In this article we are talking about Q and A found at the end of live reports about school budget cuts, ongoing court cases, follow ups to yesterday’s big fire. These are the stories that can really be bundled up in nice little packages. The facts are not changing minute-by-minute and therefore do not need clarifying. In other words, the reporter doesn’t really need the anchor to back them up and make sure the information was clear because new facts are constantly coming in.

We’re talking about Q and A scripted after the event that the reporter is covering is finished. Stories that give viewers insight into what happened. In these run of the mill situations, the questions often come across as forced and, if you really think about it, often make either the anchor or the reporter seem clueless about a given fact.

In order to script effective Q and A in the tag to a live shot, you must first really understand the role of both the anchor and the reporter TO THE VIEWER. The anchor must be more than the “pretty” person sitting on the desk, telling the reporter what to do. This is how many Q and A’s come across: The boss (anchor) is quizzing to see if the worker (reporter) did his/her assignment and understands the material. Is this team building? What is the anchor to the viewer?

At stations where the anchors are very highly regarded, you find that viewers consider the anchor to be their voice, their advocate. Viewers say, “The anchor looks out for my community. He/she asks what I am thinking.” Reporters are the eyewitnesses that show viewers what’s happening in their town or neighborhood, and demand the truth. So when you have an anchor ask a reporter a pointed question that can seem adversarial toward the reporter, you lessen the credibility of the reporter a bit. Then there’s the other common type of scripted question: the softball. Since many producers and reporters are under intense time constraints, the mandated questions are often after thoughts. They become trivial questions that make the anchor look like he/she isn’t paying attention to the issue being discussed. No, you don’t want the anchor picking a fight with the reporter. You also don’t want the anchor coming off as having sat in “la la land” for the last 2 minutes and being clueless about the issue. The viewer assumes the anchor has a clue about the story being discussed. Remember the anchor is the viewer’s advocate. So asking, “Hey Joe Schmo when’s the next council meeting if people want to attend?” is a throwaway. It’s information that’s too basic. If you are required to script a question, have the anchor ask something like, “Joe, if people really want to speak before council at the next meeting on the 7^th, what do they need to do?” This shows the anchor knows there’s another meeting, and is thinking about concrete facts the viewers need to know to have a voice. Then the reporter, who demands truth, has the answer. The question is in no way adversarial between anchor and reporter. Each role is clearly defined in the exchange.

That, my friends, is the key to scripting Q and A in live tags. First and foremost remember the role of the anchor to the viewer and the role of the reporter to the viewer. It will help make sure mandated questions do not come off seeming forced as often. Have the anchor ask questions so that the viewer can gain more control of the situation or move forward with the facts presented. Have the fact finder, eyewitness reporter, show the viewer the situation or explain the fact.

*Anchors if you are told to “just put questions in” you need to actually call the reporters. Don’t assume you know the story. Often you are wrong and the reporter is trying to keep you from looking like a moron. (Check out the Art of ad-lib and On the spot, when anchors put you in uncomfortable positions articles.)

As for producers or managers who mandate these Q and A’s every time, without fail, there are other ways to build team. And, keep in mind, viewers like variety. Too much scripting becomes too formulaic and makes your newscast look tedious. In conversations, there are times to ask questions and times to shut up and just listen to take it all in. The anchor’s conversations with reporters should reflect how we actually communicate with others in “the real world.” Sometimes we ask a question. Sometimes we don’t.

Developing your interviewing skills on the beat.

It can make or break a story if it isn’t done correctly. It can also capture the essence of what you’re trying to convey and draw your audience in like the earth’s gravitational pull. Interviews are the foundation of good reporting. They are the best way of understanding a situation and seeing the story from someone else’s perspective. Most importantly, a successful interview requires strong people skills and technical ability.

As reporters, you’re constantly working under deadline pressure and the first thing you think about is, “Who should I interview for this story.” As you know, finding someone to talk on camera is half the battle. So when you do find them, and get ready to push record, make sure you don’t waste time by asking meaningless questions. Those questions are anything you know you’re not going to use to get your story on air. This is usually the small talk or chit chat that helps warm up your subject. Take it from me; this can really slow down the logging process when you’re under deadline.

Even though you’re getting to the point, don’t forget to be conversational. What I mean by this is, don’t ask one question, and then immediately think about the next question we’re going to ask. At this point you’ve lost. Your subject may say something that could lead to a much better story. Listening closely and intently will help you uncover any possible hidden details of the story you’re trying to cover. My advice is to have just a couple of questions you really need to ask, but “play” off the conversation. I find this will help you write into, out of, and around your sound bites.

Depending on the rapport you’ve established with the person you’re interviewing, many times you can ask your most poignant questions first and get to the heart of the matter. Time is money, (well for you it’s precious seconds so you don’t miss slot.) Remember, it’s most important to ask questions which are relevant and revealing about the participant’s character and opinion.

You never know what you’re going to get when you interview someone. Hopefully, you’re getting raw emotion like anger, sadness, enthusiasm, excitement…etc. Whatever you’re getting, don’t be afraid to let that raw emotion breathe. The toughest thing to do for reporters and anchors is to be silent and let the interviewee say what they have to say. Don’t cut someone off in mid-thought or sentence. Let them stay in the zone until it’s appropriate to ask the next question. This is the hardest to judge and will take time to develop. All I can say here is…it’s about feel.

When you’re done getting that great interview, don’t forget to tell your producers. They can really help setup your story and help you hit the story out of the park.

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Kennan Oliphant is a morning Executive Producer at WMBF News in Myrtle Beach, SC. He started his career as a anchor/reporter. He’s won numerous awards and loves to connect with people over social media. Follow him on Twitter: @TVNewsGuru or facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kennan-Oliphant/313726945344980

Reality check, who keeps you from losing grip on the “regular” world?

The ND in my first job interview threw an interesting question at me. Luckily someone from my alma mater warned me it was coming, so I knew how to answer. The question: What hobbies do you have besides following the news? (Reading was not good enough by the way.) He wanted you to be passionately interested in something very different. The reason? This ND felt living and breathing news, and only news, actually made you lose touch with the viewer. He would not hire you if you said: “I just love my job! All I think about is news.” Several of us wondered why it was such a big deal to him?

Several jobs later I finally realized just how much sense it makes. I was helping to design a new newscast. We wanted to target a key audience with very specialized sections of content. The GM looked at me and said: “So what do your friends talk about? Can you put together a focus group for us?” I couldn’t. I realized that all of my friends were newsies. I worked 65+ hours a week and I was completely out of touch with the “real” world. I had let my hobbies go by the wayside. I literally thought about news from my waking moment until I fell asleep. I would even sometimes wake up in the middle of dreams about my newscasts.

That’s when I realized to be truly good at my job I had to develop other interests. I started by reading several non-news magazines and taking exercise classes. When you get married and have kids, there are natural ways to broaden your interests as well. But no matter what stage of life you are in, do something regularly that does not involve news. Do things that help you develop relationships with people who could care less what you do for a living. You will be a better journalist because of it and it might also save you one day with an unconventional question in a job interview!

The mistake you never want to make: Missing slot.

An assistant ND recently suggested this article topic. Specifically he wanted me to explain why it’s just not acceptable to miss your slot in a newscast. Then he told a story about a reporter that didn’t make slot, and was happy about it because the newscast her package ended up being moved to, had more viewers.

When you don’t make slot, you lose respect from your co-workers. You showcase you care more about yourself than the team, which makes you a liability to management. In some shops you can get fired for missing slot. One photojournalist tweeted that a station where she worked made the photog and reporter take an unpaid day off for missing slot. The stigma of chronically missing slot will follow you because this is a painfully small business. Honestly, I know you know these arguments. So this article is going to take a different approach.

First let’s define “missing slot.” This means you are a few moments from when your package airs and you haven’t fed yet or it’s not in the system and cued up. You call and say: “The piece isn’t going to make it.” and hang the producer out to dry. Missing slot means not giving an EARLY heads up that you are having a technical issue. This is an important clarification: If you call ahead and warn that you are in trouble and the producer adjusts when your piece airs, BEFORE the newscast starts, you technically make slot. Now, read that again. You just need to give the producer or EP time to prepare if you can’t feed in time because of technical or logistical issues. Make sure you understand this. Missing slot implies waiting until just before or right when the newscast starts, then informing the producer or EP that you are in trouble. To be crystal clear: You must inform the producer at the instant there’s a potential problem. Ideally, you should give a heads up at least 30-minutes before the newscast if you even think there could be a problem. (Yes, I am beating this to death. It’s because, as a former manager, I had to repeatedly explain this to chronic floaters, who frankly seemed unable to grasp the idea of taking responsibility and warning ahead of time.) Missing slot also means you wait until the last minute to feed, hoping to make it just in time. Too often crews wait until the feed deadline to call in and feed. They wait until there’s no turning back to warn the producer or EP. You need to understand your limits, and the technological limits of the station well enough that you can inform the producer early, so he/she can protect the newscast.

Now let’s talk about who often misses slot: The chronic procrastinator, the perfectionist and the manipulator. The point of this article is to admit which of these you are if you are among the ones who miss slot often. You need to see why you screw everyone over. Yes, that is harsh. But it’s also the cold hard truth. You screw everyone over when you miss slot, especially if you could’ve given warning. Figure out why and fix it. You need to do it for your own good. (We’ll explain why later.)

So let’s talk chronic procrastination. Some reporters and photojournalists get off on the adrenaline rush of turning their work in at the last minute. Problem is equipment breaks down. Some photojournalists like or need more time to edit. If everyone feeds at the feed deadline, there is a backlog and you can float. Putting the adrenaline rush ahead of these potential pitfalls is a bad career move. I once worked with an incredible reporter who had deep sources. If I needed a lead story I simply called and told him. I would always tell him that I needed to know what he had in 1 hour. He always came through. But I paid a price. I had to ride him the rest of the shift to make sure he fed in time to actually lead the show. If I ran behind and could not make the reminder calls, he would sometimes miss slot. Because of this, I tried my hardest to never lead with him. As talented as he was, he was a liability. As much as I loved leading with an exclusive, the hell to get the piece turned in on time wasn’t always worth it. This reporter remained stuck in a mid-market for a long time. When he got his big break after years of aiming for a large market, he could only talk stations into freelance. His reputation preceded him. He ended up finally making the big move, but at less pay and less prestige than his raw reporting skills deserved. The procrastination cost him.

*Footnote to producers: The best way to handle the chronic procrastinator is to give a firm deadline, then hold his/her feet to the fire. If a reporter doesn’t feed by 10 minutes until the allotted slot in the newscast, the reporter’s package doesn’t make air. Period. Management should back up a hard mandate on chronic floaters because it helps provide a tangible case to fire the irresponsible party. Clear cut rule broken: Missed deadline, fired with cause.

*Note to managers or assignment desk editors that pick which reporter works with which photojournalist: Do not stick the same reporter or photog with the chronic procrastinator over and over again hoping they will develop a system. You are just asking the responsible half of that team to walk out on you because of the added daily stress. Switch the crews around, so you don’t burn out the responsible reporter or photojournalist.

Now on to the perfectionist: This is the reporter or photojournalist that just needs another minute to write the perfect line or add the perfect sequence, you get the idea. The problem is this person totally screws everyone else over. No one is perfect, least of all journalists on tight deadlines. Focus on being accurate. Focus on being dependable. Know that perfection is not realistic on a daily basis.

I used to tell my perfectionists that they aired before they actually did to make sure they made slot. Unfortunately, with laptops now the norm and rundowns available to everyone, you can’t always fudge when the piece airs. All that’s left is driving home that missing slot is not acceptable. It might mean sacrificing airing a story to make a point (that is, if you can get management’s backing to do that). I had a perfectionist reporter tell me one time I would get her packages when she was ready to feed them in, not a second before. After being told that, I did everything in my power to not have her packages air in my newscast. That included lobbying for her to not be assigned the lead stories. To this day, even though I know she was a quality reporter, I don’t respect her. She didn’t put the team first. She didn’t understand the most basic rule: The viewer comes first. If her piece was slated at a particular time in a particular newscast, there was a good reason. The story appealed to that audience. Make slot!

All this naturally leads to the manipulators. These are the the crews that say: “Yeah, if we float, our piece will be moved to the big show.” Newsflash for you, this trick is a small victory. The producer for the newscast you deem less important will hate you for dissing his/her newscast. The producer of “the big show” will not appreciate having your work shoved down his/her throat. Furthermore, the producers are more informed and skilled at deciding whether the story you are covering hits the right audience in the newscast. So now you’ve ticked off both producers on your shift. Now they will fight over who gets stuck with you and your holier than thou attitude. Then they will work as a team to keep you off of big breakers and important stories. Since you are a manipulator, you probably have high ambitions. You need access to the big stories to show what you can do. You did not truly win the battle and you definitely lost the war because you probably just slowed down your career growth.

That is the largest reason to not miss slot. Missing slot slows down your career growth. You might get fired and then hired in a larger market, but at less pay. You might get that big break and head to a top ten market, but only as a freelance reporter who must then prove your worth. You might get stuck with a label of “not able to handle the big time.” You might be labeled “do not hire” during this tough economic time when plenty of journalists are out of work who can make slot. Even more importantly, it just feels dirty to miss slot. Everyone looks down on you. They whisper about what a loser you are for screwing over the team. Remember, if you miss slot another reporter has to step in and take your place earlier than they were told to be ready. Your co-workers will bad mouth you and make fun of you behind your back. It’s the simple truth. No one likes co-workers who cannot pull their own weight. No journalist respects a fellow TV reporter or photojournalist that cannot make slot.