Want to be a TV news producer or reporter? Be prepared to wear multiple hats. Mary Ellen Hardies, who produces the 6 p.m. newscast at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio, does a lot more than assemble a rundown and write lead-ins.…
More than one hat
Month: April 2008
Ask more questions
Sam Donaldson, who has spent most of his long career at ABC News covering politics, said he’s “apprehensive” about some of the campaign coverage on radio and television this year, suggesting that journalists haven’t been tough enough in questioning the…
Get a job
You’ve heard it before. A news director will give you just 30 seconds to make an impression with your resume tape. Turns out that may be a generous estimate. “My rule is ten seconds or less,” news director Neal Bennett…
The new career track
For years, aspiring TV journalists have been told to expect to start in a small market where they’ll do it all–report, write, shoot and edit. Then they could move up to bigger and bigger markets, where eventually they would only…
Getting online video right
The second annual Emerging Video Services study, conducted by Leichtman Research Group, Inc., includes some fascinating findings: Online video usage is still very weighted to young males, ages 18-34 and the growth in online video overall was primarily among both…
Ten tips for writing TV news
People who think writing TV news is easy have probably never done it well. What’s easy (unfortunately) is finding examples of BAD news writing–“simplistic, cliché and shallow,” says Jessica Grillanda, who teaches at Cambrian College in Ontario, Canada. Getting it…
Job tips for students
“You’ve got to be determined, you’ve got to work hard and not for a lot of money.” Heard that before? This time the advice comes from WCBS-TV news director David Friend, according to the Hofstra Chronicle. It also helps to…
Is blogging journalism?
You might think that question has been resolved, but it keeps coming up. I ran across it again this week in a study of the BBC’s use of blogs by network veteran Alfred Hermida, who now teaches at the University…
Team building for producers
TV newscast producers may not think of themselves as leaders or managers, but the good ones are both. Even in the smallest stations, producers are team leaders. They have to work with anchors, directors, graphics and assignment editors to put…
Solo journalism advice
Bob Cronkleton is a reporter for the Kansas City Star. He recently answered a question about multimedia reporting which was posted on the Criminal Justice Journalists listserv. It offers some valuable advice, right from the frontlines. “When it comes to…