producing – Page 20 – Survive Your Job In Television News

The sky is falling, everyone stay calm! How to take control when everyone else is losing it.

Recently, we published an article called Your Producer Voice written by an anchor to explain how crucial it is for producers to stay calm in the booth, especially when talking in IFBs. Anchors simply need producers to calmly explain what needs to happen during newscasts, so the anchor can calmly execute the plan on live television. Problem is, many producers really struggle with how to stay calm when things are falling apart and/or the boss is breathing down your neck.

So here’s how to control your voice, even when you are not in control.

Have a plan
Boil the plan down
Restrict who is in your booth
Trust your director

You cannot walk into the booth for a newscast without a plan, period. Yes, things will blow up even if you have plan. No, your plan cannot be to just watch the rundown play out and hope you time the show correctly. When I say you must have a plan, I mean you have scenarios in your head to fix many common issues. These include, reporters not making slot, a reporter not turning in scripts and their live shot dying, the computer freezing up and your video doesn’t roll, the meteorologist running long, expert interview and/or reporter doesn’t get into position for newsroom shot in time. As a producer you are paid to know what potential pitfalls you will face each day. The ones listed above are super common. When you are calm, think of go to plans for these scenarios, so if one happens you have an automatic fix.

Now let’s talk breakers during the show. Breaking news is even a bit formulaic when you really think about it. You will execute one of these scenarios:

1) Breaker information comes in, anchor reads copy (or adlibs-if that’s person’s strength) and you will move on.

2) Breaker information comes in with a graphic, anchor will voice over.

3) Breaker is live picture anchor voices over.

4) Breaker is live shot, anchor pitches to live crew.

5) Breaker is reporter live with vo or vosot, anchor pitches, reporter voices over the video and possibly pitches to sound.

Have dummy scripts for these scenarios that your studio crew is familiar with. I am not saying you have to format everything. If your anchors are great ad libbers, you would put a few facts in the script for prompter if you want (see See It Rather Than Say It, remember anchors are often primarily visual and need to see what’s going on). The point is, make it crystal clear how you will format these scenarios so you aren’t getting questions like, “Now should I start the pitch, then let so and so take it from there?” “Will there be double boxes and an animation?” This is crucial if you are a new producer learning the ropes at a station. Do not mess with 2 anchor pitches and creative ways to wrap up the coverage. Keep it simple and make sure your director and anchors know your plan before there is breaking news to deal with. The dummy scripts help. These “go to” formatting scripts eliminate most of the questions the anchors, director and production crew would have. This is part of learning what your crews needs are so you can execute quickly. The more you all understand each other, the more you, as the producer, will eventually be able to change things up. Whenever I started a new producing job, I did these type of backup scripts initially so my studio crew knew my expectations. (see Right Hand Meet Your Left.)

Having clear cut breaking news templates your studio crew can count on is the first part of boiling down your plan. Now let’s talk about how you will deliver the message. You need to know exactly what you are going to say to your anchors and director before you say it. You need a clear cut order of who you will tell first. As a rule of thumb, the director is told first so she/he can do what is needed to get the information on the air. This is especially true if you are taking a graphic or a live shot. The director will need to talk with several people to pull this off cleanly on air. Now you will run into issues with the production crew “tipping off” your anchors unless you make it crystal clear to your director that only you tell anchors about breakers. The studio crew is not trying to screw you. They often just get anxious. Let the director take ownership of them, and make sure they know you are the only one talking to the anchors about a new breaker.

When you tell your anchor, make sure he/she isn’t reading copy at the time unless it is so huge, that it absolutely cannot wait. Anchors need to concentrate while on the air. During commercial breaks they are trying to read ahead, get their bearings, and pump up their energy for the next block. Every word you say to them counts. Do not use throwaways. Your goal is to give them 1 sentence commands when making changes. Examples for common issues are: “Wx long, wrap quick,” “Wrong vid, apologize,” “Shot died, stretch.” “Video not coming.” “Go to teases (page number) now.” You can get into the why in the discrep meeting after the show. After these breakers and last minute changes happen, have conversations in debrief meetings (see Anchor’s Away: How to Handle A Combative Anchor. ) so these key players know how you think. This also helps you see if you are giving them information effectively and succinctly.

The next piece of advice can sometimes be tricky, but will make a world of difference for you to stay calm and in control in the booth. I had a rule from my second producing job on, that no one came into “my booth” (yes I did phrase it that way) except one immediate supervisor. If my supervisor was a screamer, I went to the ND and said someone else would have to come in or that supervisor had to call me in the booth only. No more in the booth privileges. Yes, I occasionally ticked off a manager for a short time. Then a big breaker came and the show executed smoothly, and I got what I wanted. I also threw people out of “my booth” if they were interrupting. I had a production manager that hated me for it at one station. Too bad! The newscast comes first. That was my mantra and you can tell from my writing I did not compromise on this. Most well run newsrooms have this rule in place already. If you are in a newsroom where multiple managers wander into the booth during shows all the time, ask the ND if you can have one designated manager coming in or at least a rule where only one manager at a time comes in so you can focus. When managers come into the booth, the production crew defers to the manager, and it makes it much harder for you and the director to execute quick commands. Most managers will understand this and that this request isn’t just you being a control freak. Your director needs the number of people in the booth limited as well. People tend to bug the director even more than you when, frankly, the director is busier than you are during most of the newscast. Your director will appreciate you making this request as well.

Trusting your director is also a key element to staying calm in the booth. Many times I had managers coming in during huge breakers and fighting about what live picture to take or various philosophical issues. I would try and ignore, but often wound up caught in the middle, before I could send them into the hallway to have their debates. In these cases time and time again my director took over and saved the newscast. I trusted my director to know how I would phrase things like “go to break,” or “live pic next” and I let the director run with it. I had to. My bosses got in the way. Trusting your director also is a benefit when you are dealing with smaller level changes like floating a story or popping in a quick breaker. My rule of thumb again was tell the director first, then let him/her tell the production crew while I told the anchors. This means I used my headset to talk to director only a lot. Calm voice, to help the other calm leader in the room take control as well. Too often I saw producers feel the need to use the “all call” button for every change in the newscast. This button should only be for huge breakers where you have to get on the air immediately. And you should have conversations ahead of time so everyone knows if you use “all call,” it’s a big deal, no questions asked.

If you still think that anchors or directors are whiney about you, the producer, staying calm and in control, consider this: How many news people have you seen lose their cool during crisis situations in the newsroom or in the field? Do you respect those people? Chances are you don’t. Losing your temper is a sign you are in over your head and you will lose respect. You will get people on the news and production staff questioning everything you try and do during a live newscast. You must lead authoritatively during a live show. When you make mistakes, and we all do, take ownership and keep calm. You will win over a staff of people who will count on your calm direction, when the sky is falling.

“Hey, she got more time!” Reporter’s secret? Humor the producer.

We are telling you about some smart alliances in newsrooms to help you get your job done better. One of the biggest problems in newsrooms is a real lack of understanding of what other people’s jobs entail. A big disconnect can come between reporters and producers. Since reporters are out in the field all day, it is hard to relate to each other. So, reporters, here’s a quick summary of what producers face. Producers face deadlines all day long, not just before news time. Graphics are due by a certain time, video is due by a certain time, even in this high tech age. Teases must be written by a certain time. Animations must be turned in by a certain time. The list goes on and on. Producers crunch in one way or another all day long. That’s why you get curt phone calls and that’s why the producer will interrupt you and demand the bottom line then hang up. It takes years to get used to the constant demands. This isn’t meant to make you feel compassion for the producer. We all have tough jobs in a newsroom. But this knowledge should help you form a smart alliance. Remember, producers are the ones that allow you to take more time for a story you really believe in. If you can get a producer to back you on a story pitch, you have a better chance of getting your story aired.

So here’s what to keep in mind to build a smart alliance with producers. Producers love reporters that think like producers. What does that mean? It means thinking of elements outside of your package to enhance your story. It means writing anchor intros that allow the anchors to seem knowledgeable without giving your story away. It means making sure your package and live scripts get into the rundown before the newscast airs, unless you are on breaking news. (Read Live shot died, there’s nowhere to go.) It means sending in natural sound or sound bites early for teases. It also means calling and requesting interesting graphics several hours before the newscast.

If you are saying wow that’s a lot of work, take a breath and read on. You probably already do some of this anyway, especially if you are a story teller. You just need to present it in a way that allows the producer to see you are helping.

First, when you write your package start with the anchor intro. (We will delve into the many benefits of this in depth in another article.) For the purposes of forming a smart alliance, this means you will have a script in early for the producer to fine tune if necessary for flow in the newscast. Turning in all of your live scripts and your package script early also gives the producer backup options if your live truck dies or a thunderstorm pops up. It shows respect for the overall product. Remember the producer is in charge of the overall product. If the show goes to hell, the producer gets it big time. You show the producer that you care about the newscast by writing your anchor intro early and turning in all your scripts. If you can provide an interesting element to segment out the story (Read Produce it up to see why) producers will appreciate you even more. It helps the producer showcase you and the anchors, as a team, gathering information and relieves a lot of pressure. Otherwise the producer, on top of everything else, is trying to find these elements to make the newscast standout from the others in town.

Producers also use teases to try and differentiate newscasts. The use of natural sound can make a huge difference when writing (tease writing articles for clarification: You’re Hooked, Ultimate tease challenge , Reel ‘em in without exaggerating). That’s why you are getting calls asking if you have interesting sound and/or video. Many reporters consider these requests annoying and send the video or sound in last minute. This let’s your producer know you don’t get the whole picture and don’t care if your story is promoted well. Realistically, you can often have your photographer feed in the tease video and sound while you write your package. It doesn’t hurt your chances of turning a great story and it helps showcase your hard work more.

Same is true if you need graphics inside your package. Turn them in early, ask the producer what the deadline he/she adheres to and try to make the same deadline if you can. Producers understand you will get information late in the day sometimes and will try and get a graphic for you last minute. It helps if, more often than not, you turn in your work early. Then the producer is more willing to pull favor for you. If you consistently turn in these elements early, it also will give you a better chance of becoming a go-to reporter for the producer. The benefit? Many shops are so called “producer driven.” That means what the producers ask for in their shows carries a lot of weight. They determine content more than reporters. So if the producer believes in you, he/she will start requesting you for the highly showcased stories. Producers will tell management you are a loyal and solid employee. This will help you get noticed by management. If you don’t help the producer out, the reverse is true. The producer will ask not to have your package in the newscast. They will tell management you are unreliable and difficult. You will be labeled. When it’s time for the cream assignment, you won’t get it or if you get lucky and can go, the producer may not cut you slack if you run into trouble. This relationship is a huge case of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” Show respect. Think like a producer. Win a huge ally that will fight tooth and nail for you. It’s a smart alliance to make, for sure!

Producing Alliances: Assign and direct.

Line producers are often in a very uncomfortable spot in newsrooms. You are in charge of a newscast, yet you are not a manager with any teeth. Competition between producers generally is pretty intense so you cannot really confide in another producer at your station. Your job is confusing for other people in the newsroom to really grasp. You don’t want to spill your guts to your EP, so it can appear in your review a few months later.

So who do you align yourself with? I always had the best luck with directors and assignment editors.

In the article “Right Hand Meet Your Left” I describe why having a good relationship with your director is important. Now I want to talk more about the benefits of this smart alliance.

Directors tend to be extremely detail oriented. That means they can pick up on things you might do that you aren’t even aware of. When starting out as a producer, I had problems with my weekend newscasts timing out correctly. During the morning and weekday noon shows, I had no timing problems. I tried different techniques for several weeks with no luck. I was ready to pull my hair out! Then I decided to ask the director for advice. But, he was much more experienced and I was concerned he would think less of me. When I finally asked if he noticed anything about my timing he said: “Yes. I’ve been waiting for you to ask. I didn’t want to seem pushy.” Turns out, the final commercial break varied wildly from the rundown format. I had never known to check the traffic log for my breaks. That was never taught to me. He showed me where to get the log and what to look for. I never mistimed a show again.

Directors also tend to be dismissed by managers and other newsroom employees during a shift. Because of this, they hear everything and if you have developed a strong relationship based on trust, your director may give you a heads up when something big is about to happen that involves you. Several times I found out management was considering moving me to another newscast, from my director. I had several days to prepare before news management got around to telling me. I never betrayed the director’s trust and was able to arm myself if I didn’t like the shift change to try and fight for “my show.”

In some shops directors are considered managers. They are consulted before changes take place especially when it comes to formatting newscasts. You want a heads up when possible and you want to be able to weigh in. Several times directors came to me with proposed format or policy changes and asked my opinion before weighing in themselves. We wanted to be on the same page to protect our shift.

The other smart alliance is with assignment editors. (We will dedicate an entire article to assignment editors soon. They are unsung heroes in many newsrooms.) I went out of my way to develop a relationship with my assignment editors because often they are the next closest thing to producers in terms of constant grind. Again, assignment editors are a type of manager, yet don’t really have teeth, just like producers. And, just like producers, they sit down to work and don’t get downtime until they are in the car on the way home. Assignment editors are also consulted on things that impact your shift, but involve the crews more. They are a great resource for understanding what the crews in the field are going through during an actual shift. Usually the crews are too swamped to fill you in themselves. Crews know management will check in with the assignment desk and therefore usually tell the desk any elements first. If you are not respectful to your assignment editor, you will not get as many updates about the crews and will not get to weigh in on how you want those updates. This can have a dramatic impact on your day-to-day job duties. Also, if you are curt toward your assignment editor, you will end up having to constantly check the assignment file and scroll through hoping to figure out what the newest information is on local vo’s etc. If you are respectful, you might get a top line or quick phone call so you know when to write local elements and when to wait for crucial information.

So how do you set up a solid relationship with the assignment desk? If you have even a moment help make some calls when the desk is overwhelmed. I used to ask my associate producer to check with the assignment editor to see if he/she needed a quick break once or twice a shift. My AP could listen to the scanners and answer the phone and my assignment editor could at least walk the building or grab a snack and relax a little. If breaking news hit, I had the AP get on the desk with the assignment editor and help make calls or, if the assignment editor preferred, be in charge of sending me top lines about the information like a crews’ ETA to the breaking news scene.

Bottom line, producers cannot do their job properly without information, and without a way to cleanly place that information on a television screen. Treat the people who allow you to perform these key tasks with respect and you will get the help you need to put on the best newscast possible each day.

Your Producing Voice: How you get into anchor’s heads.

I have a secret for producers. It’s something your anchors aren’t going to tell you. However, they may say it behind your back. Your voice in our IFB tells us everything we need to know about how good you are at what you do — or whether you have a long way to go.

A friend of mine reminded me of this the other day. In 2004, she produced the wall-to-wall coverage of Hurricane Charley that I anchored at WSPA-TV. As a new hurricane, Irene, was barreling toward the Carolina coast, she was reminiscing on my Facebook wall about the chaos going on behind-the-scenes at the station when Charley hit the Myrtle Beach area.

But her experience was far different from mine. All I remember from that day in 2004 was her soft, reassuring voice in my head calmly telling me which satellite shot to go to next. She’d line-up one. Sometimes it would work out and I could talk with the reporters out on the beach as the wind and rain beat them harder and harder. In those conditions, the satellite shot would go down a lot, though. It probably stressed her out to the max. But you couldn’t tell by her voice. With smooth, even tones, she’d let me know we’d lost that one and suggest where to go next. If she didn’t have a suggestion, I’d just ad-lib until we got back on-track.

Sometimes when she’d open her mic, I could hear someone near her in the booth screaming. It was clear that day who was really in control in the “control room,” the producer really knew what she was doing.

I’ve worked with some brilliant producers. The best are “power producers” in the newsroom who build innovative, incisive blocks of news that showcase their anchors’ full range of personality. Throughout the day, they prod their reporters. And they can be gruff when they’re not getting what they want.

But then, right before their show, they ascend the steps above the director to the producer’s perch in the control room and it’s like they take on the personality of a guardian angel: wise, patient, and soft-spoken. Like Bela Karolyi, the best use breaks in the action to coach their anchors into an Olympic performance.

“Nice ad-lib there on story X,” you might hear them say during a commercial break. “You had the whole control room laughing.”

Or it can be as simple as: “Great pacing on that A-block. We’re right on time.”

That doesn’t mean stroking your anchors’ egos. I don’t want you to tell me I’m doing a good job if the show’s a train wreck or my energy is off. You should still communicate with me though.

“Live shots down all over the place,” you might say. “Gotta love live TV! Just keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll get through it — and we needed material for the holiday party blooper tape anyway.”

It really is like that scene from Broadcast News when the producer, played by Holly Hunter, got the very inexperienced anchor, played by William Hurt, through a special report about Libya. Hopefully you won’t need to be the ventriloquist Hunter’s character nearly becomes in that scene. But this quote from the movie’s anchor is so true:

“You’re an amazing woman,” he tells his producer. “What a feeling having you inside my head!”

So the next time you feel like hitting that button in the booth and really letting your anchor have it in his IFB, remember that. You’re in his head. And what you say will dramatically impact his performance for the rest of that show — and maybe for the rest of the time you work together.

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Matthew Nordin is a morning anchor and investigative reporter at Raycom Media’s WMBF News, the NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach, SC. He was an anchor/reporter at WSPA-TV in Greenville/Spartanburg, SC from 2001-2005. Soon, he’ll write about communicating with your anchor during live interviews. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewNordin