newscast – Page 7 – Survive Your Job In Television News

Making the most of the holiday shift.

It’s inevitable that you will work most holidays. That doesn’t change with years in, for most journalists either. So here are some secrets to making the most of the holiday shift.

Last year, Matthew Nordin wrote a great survival guide to getting through having to work the holidays. This article will look at ways to make the day easier once you are “at the office.”

Set up a potluck
Look for fun trivia
Be flexible

First things first, everyone should get to celebrate in some way. Set up a potluck. Have everyone bring something in and enjoy a meal together. Do this even if the station provides a meal. Just switch it to appetizers or desserts. Be sure and have the food ready, first thing at the start of the shift so field crews can eat and go. Often the food from the station arrives after field crews have left, so they miss out. The potluck at least gets them some food. This is a great time to enjoy your coworkers a little, when things are not so crazy. It also gives you a little something to look forward to. After all, we newsies love good food.

Look for fun trivia to sprinkle in all those vo’s about the local parades and celebrations. There are often cool stories about a strange happening one year, or how much food is being dished out. It is neat to throw those tidbits in as talking points throughout the newscast. It also fills time, when you have a big news hole and little to say.

Be flexible. Breaking news can happen, so if you are asked to stay an hour late turning a pkg on the accident in the middle of the reindeer parade, don’t grumble. Also, if possible, talk to management as a group about staggering shifts, so everyone can get some family time. As long as the newsroom has some hands on deck all day, there should not be an issue. Producers, don’t demand a ton of live shots. Try and let as many people as possible head home when their pkgs are in. If you’re concerned about reporter presence in the newscast, have them shoot look-live standups. If you are the one stuck staying for breaking news, remember, next year you will have a better shot of being the first in and first out, IF YOU DON’T COMPLAIN. The producer and assignment desk don’t get the luxury of leaving early. They don’t feel sorry for you, and shouldn’t have to. If you gripe, you can bet your odds of drawing the short straw again next year, will go way up.

Those of us that have worked MANY holidays, (so many you lose track) realize there is a camaraderie that’s built around “sucking it up” together. I have fond memories of working holidays as well. And then when your comp day comes around, you get to relax and do whatever you want. A sweet freedom, many who only get set holidays off can never understand. So, smile, stay positive and make the most of it!

The emotional toll: How to cope with horrifying stories.

Since this website started, we have had several awful events that really challenge your faith in humanity and your journalistic integrity. When the shootings happened in Aurora, several journalists DM’d about the emotional toll covering that story took on them. Many local, Colorado, journalists stated that station management did not seem to understand just how hard it was to cover the story day in and out.

Now journalists are trying to help viewers make sense of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. The ages of the children involved, is staggering. As some of you pointed out in our discussions, these kids were young enough to still believe in Santa Claus. They symbolized innocence and all that is good about humanity.

Unfortunately, it is part of the job to cover horrible things like this story. It is part of the job to watch horrific crime scene video to see if it should be released to the public. It is part of the job to comb through records in a case that describe, in horrible detail, how long a child was buried alive before finally suffocating and dying. But we are also human. These facts and images do take an emotional toll.

So this article is an attempt to let you know it is okay to hurt. It is okay to be angry and to question. This article is a reminder to managers across the country that your journalists know it is part of the job to report on these types of stories, but that it can take an emotional toll. Offer some sort of support, even if it’s a reminder that the company offers free counseling services through an toll free number.

If you are finding that these events leave you raw or numb, talk about it. Call that 800 line. Call your spiritual guide if you attend some sort of church. If you don’t have a spiritual guide, go to the inspirational section of a book store and look up a title. We all need to be reminded that some things are bigger than us. Go to a yoga class. Beef up your workout to relieve stress. Eat a little comfort food! Bottom line: Do not ignore the emotions. It is simply not healthy. It is not good for you or the audience you try and serve. Our Facebook page has a place to comment and discuss your thoughts if you’d like. We know from covering news that some people find it therapeutic to say or write their thoughts down and share them. If you need, do it also. No judging. We need to support each other, when these kinds of stories happen. We need a place to separate from the job and be human as well. Otherwise, these kinds of stories will take a long term emotional toll on all of us.

Why generic video is a killer for TV news.

Yes, the title of this article is a strong statement. TV news is up against some large hurdles, the largest being making sure your newscasts and stories actually have impact for the viewer. If they don’t, viewers leave. Generic video creates an instant disconnect. That’s why I defined it and talked about ways around in Show it, explain it, and that’s why I am dedicating a second article. It is important to understand that this common crutch really kills credibility.

If viewers watch a story, and the video doesn’t make sense with the words two things happen: The viewer gets confused and misses half of the story, and the viewer starts wondering if the person reading the story knows what he/she is even talking about. Think about it, would you do a presentation for a group of people and not use the correct power point diagrams? Would you notice if the graphics don’t make sense and become angry that the speaker keeps flashing them up anyway, just so there is something on a screen? This is how generic video comes off to TV news viewers. It is confusing, and frustrating.

Viewers want to grasp what you are saying and showing to them. Video and sound help imprint it in their busy minds, so they actually remember what was said, who said it and what it meant. That is too powerful a tool, to just write a story, and hope the video makes sense. You must know what your images are, and relate the facts to the video. Otherwise you are telling viewers to go elsewhere, because your station is clueless.

So if you want to stand out on the job, and as a journalist period, show video, use sound, and explain it. Vow to never put a piece of video into your package or your newscast that you don’t reference in some way. It’s time to say goodbye to generic video.

Why you need your own continuous coverage plan, before something happens.

When the police chase happened in Phoenix that resulted in a suicide airing live on FOX News Channel, journalists hopped on Twitter right away discussing their shock at what they had seen. As we began to talk about it, one wise reporter said, “It could happen to any of us.” So true, in so many ways.

Throughout my career as a producer, I was shocked at how few local television stations have continuous coverage plans and training to pull it off. Yes, I said training. You can discuss scenarios ahead of time. You can “practice” how you would handle different scenarios. There are some telltale signs of trouble. Early in my career, I was blessed to have an AND out of Miami, who had a lot of experience with continuous coverage. He sat all of us green producers down and laid out rules we needed to follow. These rules, helped me excel at continuous coverage everywhere else I went, regardless of the station’s policies (or lack thereof in most cases). So here are a few of them in case you are in a newsroom where continuous coverage is always a cluster because no one knows their roles.

Continuous coverage must dos:

Two sets of eyes in the booth AT ALL TIMES
Assign roles in the booth
Always have a wide shot available
Clear point person to make ethical calls
Know your personal ethical limits

The single most important thing you need when boothing continuous coverage, is a second set of eyes watching content at all times. (This is the rule, that the majority of stations fought me on later in my career.) With all due respect though, this should not be the role of the director. That person is also extremely busy in the booth. Producers and directors need some sort of backup. If my EP or AND could not do it, I would pull a producer from a later or earlier show. I even used associate producers and editors. I needed someone to tell me if any of the live images changed, while I was talking to management or the anchors. I kept a notebook by my side, so the person could write down notes while I was in the middle of giving instructions. I needed instant access to that information no matter what.

Any managers reading this, your producer must have this. Make it happen!

Which leads to my next point, if there are two people in the booth, clearly define the roles. One person is the only producer that talks to the anchors and director, the other is in charge of figuring out what’s next. Both watch the live images coming in at all times and do not assume the other has seen any of it. Every time an image changes, write down which monitor it changed on in the notebook. The anchors and production crew need one clear, calm voice. This is easy to accomplish with two people in the booth.

Always have a wide shot available to take. Do not be afraid to go to the shot if your gut is telling you that what you are watching is about to go horribly wrong. Remember, there are other cameras getting the “money shot.” You can always show the video even a few seconds later. However, you cannot take it back if you show a man shooting himself in the head on live TV. Most local channels do not have 5 second delays. So, you really do have to be on top of it.

You also need to know what manager is the point person to make ethical calls. There is nothing worse than covering a standoff or police chase, getting hinky about the information you hear a reporter saying and then not being able to get a manager to pick up the #%@! phone. Before you walk into the booth, demand to know the point person. Make it clear, if things go south, you will know where to point the finger. I have even done this with NDs by the way.

Which leads to my last point: Know your personal ethical limits. There is always a fall guy/gal for a big screw up like the airing of a suicide during the police chase that happened live on FOX Friday. Know what you can live with while making decisions in the booth. One time I was told to take a live tight shot of a SWAT team during a standoff. The shot would’ve clearly made it easy to figure out where they were setting up. The ethical call was made by the ND: “Do it because it’s great TV.” There was no worry about the risk to those SWAT officers. I handed my headset to the ND, and said “It’s on you.” I was not going to put lives in jeopardy. That was not something I wanted to live with throughout my life and career. These were real people, with real families. You can’t take it back, if you make a horrid ethical call. Every journalist must remember that, from reporters and photojournalists on the scene, to producers in the booth, to the ND or GM making the ultimate calls. Know what your limits are and be true to yourself. Make sure your managers know what those limits are ahead of time. Have your personal continuous coverage plan, even if your station does not.