Special Event Coverage

With elections upon us, here's a tip to make your life much easier. Include the people who will actually be doing the coverage in on your planning sessions. For example, doing something big out live election night? Include a good photographer, live or sat truck guy, and a reporter who's done it before. Maybe director or font operator. The tech people, especially the photogs, I guarantee you will come up with issues that you've never dreamed up. They'll alert you to possible problems that you can manage on the front end instead of the night of. The reporter can also give you perspective on what to expect.

Time and again when I've worked special events coverage, whether it's been a New Year's Eve show or breaking news special, it seems no one who plans the events checks with the foot soldiers. That's a shame. They can make your coverage one hundred percent better.