One story Doth Not a Block Make

I was watching a noon newscast today. I flipped to the channel-- the show came out of commercial-- and, what ? One vo, a tease and then back to break. For a minute (which was less than that whole block lasted) I thought I had missed something. And it wasn't even the last block! Bad producer. One story doesn't make a block. I'm sure you've got a lot stuffed into the first half of that show, but a one story block is cheap and cheats your viewers. At the very end of the show-- ok-- I get it-- but the second to last block? Remember: If you think the second half of the show is a throwaway, so will your viewers.

Because We Can

I have been noticing a lot of "Because We Can" lately. That is, shows doing stuff-- graphics, effects or whatever-- that don't necessarily enhance the story. For example, the other day, I was watching a show where there was a box graphic floating around in the middle of the story. It didn't add to the story and actually was distracting. Why do it? Because we can.

That's not to put cold water on taking risks. By all means, knock yourself out. But review- at the end of the day, (try to) watch your show like a viewer and ask-- did this bring something to the party? Is it worth doing again? Is there a different way to accomplish the same task? Are some stories/video good enough just to run full and leave well enough alone? Judgement call. Sometimes you'll want to try it one way, sometimes another. Use your best judgement and don't get locked into any hard rules.

I know some of you are stuck with stuff that has been mandated for your show. I feel for you. But where you have flexibility, use it-- and common sense-- to make your show stand out. In a good way.

Orlando TV Crew Attacked

Be careful out there. A crew in Orlando was covering a memorial when they were attacked by friends and family of the victim. No news story is worth getting hurt. Whether it's a funeral or trying to contact family of someone who's just been killed or arrested, understand there's a potential for things to go downhill. Try to be as respectful as possible, and put yourself in their situation to get a sense of how they might be feeling-- but as it seems in this case, something things come out of nowhere. If you're a line producer, understand that asking your reporters and photographers to do these things involves them taking a risk, so it's up to them to decide what their level of comfort is. Don't encourage anyone to go beyond that.

It's all a Matter of Timing

As a show producer, you have to be a stickler on time. You're out at 10:59:30, not 10:59:29 or 10:59:31. Timing things to the second can be a real challenge, especially if you are on a new show or are with new talent. My advice is give yourself some breathing room. Until you get a really good feel for your show and your anchors, build flexibility into your show, especially toward the back end of it. I liked to "hide" time in my show. So the end of the show might be :45 in the rundown, instead of the :15 or :30 I really need. I'd also have "killables." That's a story here or there that's not teased that you know you can kill. So maybe before or after weather you have a killable story. Maybe there's one right after sports. Or maybe you have a few kickers and a weather update at the end of the show.

Timing sports can be a sore spot. It's not fair to kill sports stories (in a normal situation) because your part of the show is running heavy. It is fair to ask the sports producer (or anchor if he or she produces his own segment) -- "What can you kill if your segement starts to run heavy?" Having this conversation, every day, prior to the sports segment gets everyone on the same page. Make sure the sports anchor is included in it. Maybe the sports producer tells you-- I can kill this sot or this story at the end. It's best that they make that call-- not you. Of course, with BIG breaking news (I'm talking where you're killing significant portions of your show) - all bets are off and you need to do what you need to do to get off on time.

Speaking of breaking news-- for me, there was no greater joy I had as a show producer than the thrill of tossing out stuff, juggling, and producing a show on the fly. Every day, take a minute to look at your rundown and think-- if I had some big breaking news... what could I toss? This goes beyond normal "killables" that you jettison when you're running a little over. Think drastic cuts. Maybe write yourself a little post-it with the stories that you've teased. To that end, try not to tease everything in your show. Pick a handful of interesting/compelling stories that you tease several times in different ways. By thinking about this stuff ahead of time, every day, when you do get breaking news, you won't have to think too hard-- it comes almost automatically.

Finally, when you kill stories, any stories, remember to do it at a time when everyone is available to you. Killing the next story the anchor is about read as they are finishing one prevvious is a big no-no. Time your show well enough so that you can kill in breaks-- and tell everyone-- director/anchor/crew-- at the same time if you can. If killing in a break is impossible, tell people about kills during pkgs. If that's not possible-- kill during sots. And again-- if you have a sense ahead of time about what you're planning to do, let people know even if they might not need to act on that information. For example, you're running heavy. In the break you tell everyone "If I'm still heavy after weather, I'll kill C8." That way if you do kill the page, it's not a big surprise to everyone. Ditto at the top of the show-- and you think you're lead might not make it. Tell everyone "I think the lead's going to make it, but it will be tight. If not, we'll go to page A4. I'll make the call at the end of headlines." That way, everyone knows what your backup plan is-- and when they'll hear what you'll do.

TV station spoofs social media

If you've Tweeted one too many times or checked your Facebook page obsessively, you may get a kick out of this video done by Dallas Fox Affiliate KDFW. Apparently it was for an Emmy Awards ceremony.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/10/just_for_laffs_down_to_city_ha.php

Additional Journalism Training Resource

In addition to Poynter there's another good online resource for training. It's the Reynold's Center for Business Journalism. Granted, a lot of the seminars may be too specific for the news you're covering, but I just took a seminar on Search Engine Optimization-- basically, how search engines like Google find your articles or blogs online. Many of the articles/seminars may be bsuiness specific but could be potentially applied to any beat. Worth a look!

Opens

I got an email asking for ideas on opens so here goes...

Sometime's it's fun to treat them like mini-pkgs. Say you have a minute-- pick the top story, if warranted, and devote the whole minute to it. Pick nats and short sots to combine to give people a sense of waht's coming next-- but not give it all away. Build interest.

Or you could pick two or three different stories and grab a bit of nats and one sot for each and track them.

Or if it's something big where there's a great visual element (let's say a tornado or a big storm) you could use nats full... maybe a graph of vo after the nats. Then go out to anchors for a graph on cam and pop to triple boxes to show team coverage. Boom, get to it.

I am a big fan of content driving form and not the other way around. Take risks. Have fun with your show. I do like quick pacing though.. so watch your opens from previous shows... if you sense youself getting bored.. it's time to start putting in some nats or sots to change it up. This is also where you can show your stuff-- what a great writer you are. Find the best editor in your shop and let them handle your opens on a regular basis.

Hostage Situation and Twitter

Hey in case you didn't see it, there's a nice article in the Washington Post on how Twitter broke most of the news in the hostage situation in Maryland yesterday. There was a lot of stuff there, pics and links that was out way ahead of the rest of the media. Monitor Twitter, but proceed with caution. Don't use anything until you get it confirmed yourself. You can use the information to shoot you in the right direction but be careful about letting it replace your own reporting.

Tossing to Pressers

If you have a breaking news situation and a presser is starting, the toss into it is better the shorter it is. As in "The presser's starting. Let's listen in to what the Chief/Mayor/Prosecutor has to say." I realize that this is mostly out of your control-- anchors are generally ad libbing these tosses, but nothing is more frustrating than seeing the press conference, watching the man or woman's lips move knowing that they're giving the latest information, but instead you hear the anchor telling you you're about to hear the latest information, even as you are missing it.

Triple Check Fonts

Here's a real life example why you absolutely need to double and triple check any chryon or full screen graphic that makes the air.

Ouch. It pains me to even see it.

Deadly Guest Segments

We have all seen them. You are watching TV and they bring on a guest. Be prepared to take a nap for the next three minutes because that guy is deadly boring. The subject matter is something that catches no one's interest. And there's nothing but a talking head the entire segment. Snooze-fest.

Guest segments are easy filler. But take a couple of extra steps to make sure you're not losing viewers. Here's one of the biggest problems-- is this topic even guest worthy? Be honest-- ask yourself, "If this subject matter weren't in my show, would I actually pick up a magazine and read about it for three minutes? Would I listen to a three minute radio report on it?" If the answer is no, move on.

One of the ways you should decide whether something is guest worthy is whether or not it will lend itself to a good guest segment. Is there a demo? Are there props? Is there video? These things should be considered BEFORE you book the guest.

Also, consider the guest. How is this person over the phone? If they are dullsville over the phone, there will be no sudden transformation when they step into the studio. Cultivate good guests and maybe work them into a weekly or monthly segment. Lots of stations have chefs that come in regularly, but who else can you get? Look for guests who have that certain something and ask them back. I worked at a station that had a power house morning show. They had a guy who did garden segments-- out in the garden behind the station. There was a woman who could clean everything-- and took viewers calls on how to get tough stains out. And then of course there were movie reviewers, etc. How about a career counselor to take calls on tough employee/boss situations?

Guests can also add something to daily news coverage with a couple of big caveats. The subject matter has to be big enough so that people really want to know that much more (think big, breaking or ongoing stories). Keep the segments short-- just a minute or two. Make sure the guest is a good talker and actually has something to add to the party.

Finally, as a producer, you get a million PR pitches for guest segments. I would shy away from these. They can get really sneaky. They may pitch something that sounds good (party tips) but what they're really pitching is a particular product (this party item or items). Also-- remember-- you run the segment, not the guest.... you know TV, not the guest, so you have the final say on all aspects of the segment.

Don't Let this Happen to You

A reader in Arkansas sent this my way. A group of TV folks there made a video that made it to YouTube. Part of the video was shot in the newsroom. F-bombs are plentiful. You can read more about it here


We live in an age where it's really, really easy to make a video and post it. So be really, really careful before you post any pic or video.

Ask yourself:

1. Will this project reflect poorly on me or the station?
2. Would I be comfortable showing this to my boss? (Because they WILL see it. It's inevitable)
3. Would I be comfortable having a future boss judge me based solely on the content of this? (You may put a resume out and you never know why you didn't get a phone call back)
4. Would I want my mom to see this?

These rules extends to anything you put on Facebook, MySpace, etc. You may think this stuff is private, but it's not. When you take a job with a company, they own you. Anything you do can potentially impact their brand. It even extends beyond that---I had a friend fired because she was working a part-time waitressing job outside of work. Apparently, any outside employment had to be cleared in advance.

So be careful! Take a second to think before you do anything. What do you lose by not taking part in whatever it is? It's probably not as bad as losing your job.

Oil Spill Coverage to Wane?

I saw this article and thought it was interesting. Now that well is capped, will coverage start to drop off?

http://tinyurl.com/3yycdqq

Key to Next Job? Say "Thanks"

I ran across an interesting article on what might tip the scales after your next job interview-- a simple thank-you note. Even an emailed one.

Here's the article.

I'd add to that. In addition to saying "thanks," you might want to include some follow-ups to the interview. Maybe add an interesting link about something you talked about. Perhaps some story ideas or ideas for the show for which you're interviewing. Can't hurt! And at the very least, you look classy.

New Media Certificate

Maybe some of you just got out of school or maybe you already have these skills, but as someone who graduated, uh, a while ago-- and who has limited new media skills, there's a new program out of Ball State that looks interesting. It's a certificate program AND it's online. A lot of companies offer tuition reimbursement for classes that are job related but a lot of those dollars never get used because we all have schedules that can't accomodate classes. Well here you go:

http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/Distance/Academics/Programs/Undergrad/Certificates/nytimes.aspx

Interesting Story Structure

I was listening to a radio story on the oil spill a while ago. It had an interesting story structure that you could steal. The reporter in the piece basically structured the story to follow a Presidential visit. So President stops here first, we go back and talk with someone there and then present that part in the story first. It was an unusual way to tell a story and I think really effective in this case.

Here's a transcript if you want to check it out yourself:

http://m.npr.org/news/front/127910091?singlePage=true

Congrats to me

I've been doing this blog, what, three years, and only now I've finally figured out how to provide a direct link to websites? Obviously, I'm no web genius. Thanks for bearing with me.

Faux News Reports

I ran across this and thought it was interesting-- a political campaign is churning out its own "news" stories. Thought I'd pass along the link...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104630.html

Putting out You Tube videos on your candidate is nothing new, but these have the look and feel of real news pieces. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EukYWEj8Uus&feature=channel

Maybe that's because the Press Secretary fronting them used to be in TV, says the Baltimore Sun.

All's fair in campaigning or crossing some kind of line?

Of course, it's not just campaigns creating their own "news." BP also has its own "reporters" covering the latest developments from the Gulf.

http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9033611&contentId=7061850

Empathy

I just took this "empathy" quiz given to college students (apparently, they're not so empathetic). It's supposed to measure how well you empathize with others. Of course we all THINK we are pretty empathetic people, including me. But then a few of the questions really got me thinking:

-I try to look at everybody's side of a disagreement before I make a decision.

-I believe that there are two sides to every question and try to look at them both.

-When I'm upset at someone, I usually try to "put myself in his shoes" for a while.

Do I make a concerted effort to see everybody's side of a disagreement or do I just bulldoze through and make a decision? Was there some voice in the room that could have saved me from making a bad decision had I just listened? How do people with whom I work feel when they haven't been heard?

Do I believe that there are two sides to every question? How many times to we go into a story with a subsurface preconceived notion about what that story ought to be? Do we really have an open mind coming into a story-- or newsroom debate?

Finally, that last question. It is really easy to get hot under the collar sometimes in TV news. There are big deadlines, big personalities and sometimes those clash in the worst way. How many times do we really, truly, try to imagine what the person we might like to scream at is actually going through? Can we take a break from our anger, take a breath, surrender our ego and try to get to where the other person is coming from? Or do we stick to our guns and possibly make the matter worse?

I am in no way advocating that you be wishy-washy in your decision-making. As one former boss told me, "It ain't a democracy." But'll you'll go a long way in making good decisions by at least listening to what everyone has to say and empathizing with their position. Well informed decisions are the best ones.

You can take that quiz yourself here:
http://umichisr.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bCvraMmZBCcov52&SVID

WatchYour Lead In

If you do an evening newscast and you follow a network newscast, be really careful about what you put in your show. This may sound extreme-- but I might avoid putting any national news in your show unless it's a developing story or has a local angle. Why? To avoid repetition. You have no idea what the national cast is putting in the show so you don't want to come on right after them and rehash. It's the same reason you and the show after yours check each other's rundowns to make sure you're not repeating each other.

Graphics Gone Wrong

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. PLEASE double check your graphics. The best story comes to a screaming halt when there's a misspelling or typo. Have some kind of system in place to do a final run through of both your chyrons and graphics. Even if it's an intern-- any warm body-- have a second set of eyes go through each and read them out loud. You'd be amazed the little mistakes you can catch that have the potential to sink your show with the viewer. Nothing screams sloppy like bad graphics. If you can't get something simple like graphics done right, why would viewers trust you with the big stuff-- getting your facts and information straight?

The Story's Not at the Press Conference

We all cover press conferences. But the story is generally not at the press conference. Go to them. Shoot them. But then figure out a way to get out of there. Get someone who's actually impacted by what's being said at the press conference. Find a real person who is not a politician.

Easy example-- a city announces budget cuts. Find someone impacted by budget cuts. The fire station that will lose overtime. The old lady who won't get her garbage collected. Lots of times the real people might actually be there at the press conference, listening, or they may even speak at it-- but definitely reinterview them in their own environment, at their home or work. Or ask the parties giving the press conference to direct you to someone impacted.

Press conferences are deadly boring video. Make the extra effort to find someone personally impacted and peg your story on that person or persons. You end product will be much better.

Field Producing

I try to make this blog for local line producers but I've been getting some emails about field producing so I thought i'd write a bit about it...

Field producing is fun. At a network level, the job title varies depending on the network (even within the network). Some field producers write-- some don't. Some come from an assignment editing background, some from a producing background. At my network, I do a lot of story setup and what's called "editorial" -- basically information gathering. So, for example, on breaking news, I'm calling people trying to get info, figuring out where our "roving" crew should go (one crew may do lives shots, another may shoot videotape nearby). I also liason with NY and others about our live hits. I'll work with a writer in NY and tell them-- we'll need this video, may I order a graphic... etc. I also try to help steer the ship in the right direction by providing logistical info (maybe we should move live locations because this one over here is better, for example).

Our "liveshot" days are long. we're usually 8am EST -8pm EST plus travel time from where ever we are staying. We're on the road about 50-75% of the time. I am on call 24/7 unless I have specifically asked for days off.

When we're not doing breaking news, we do "assigned stories." I or another co-worker may pitch a story, and if it's approved, I'll research it, make calls, do story set up. You may also log tape and write. I try to do as much as I can for the web as well.

I also field produced at a local level, which I liked a lot. There, I basically took stories from start to finish like a reporter would but then just handed them off to an anchor to voice. In big breaking stories, I'd go in the field and coordinate coverage, much like I do now. If you're interested in field producing, whether at a network or at a local affiliate, I'd try coming in on your day off and going out with a photog. Do some interviews, write some stories, see what it feels like to be responsible for 2:00 of the show, rather than the whole show. But also understand, it comes with some trade-offs-- if you like being one of the decision makers, field producing is not the way for you.

The good news is, I think show producers are well equipped to be field producers. You know how to work with talent and you’re good at big picture stuff. Many of you already work the phones to get info for your show. And you’ve already made tons of coverage decisions.

If you’re interested, like I say, try to get experience at your station even if it’s on your days off, and network like a big fiend. Get in touch or stay in touch with former co-workers through Linked In, Facebook, Twitter. Meet new folks by attending conferences like IRE, RTNDA/F, NAHJ, NABJ, NPPA.

Be Cool

I got a compliment the other day that really made me feel good. We were in a "crash" situation and after it was over (we made slot), the editor said "Thanks for being so calm. That's just what I needed. You were like an ice cube. "

It really took me off guard to know that I could help someone just by not freaking out. But think about it, when you are in a high stress situation, you can either add to that stress or take it down a notch. Think about what you say or do and ask yourself if this will really help things. Sometimes just being quiet-- and running interference-- can help more than constantly asking "Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet?"

Guest Segments

Maybe you do guest segments/ satellite interviews with movie or TV actors. It is really important to run a clip early--- sound full-- of whatever project they are talking about. So it could go like this...

((Sot full/Movie X-- quick 5 sec clip))

Anchor: Movie X is out is theaters now. It is about blah blah blah. John Smith, who stars in Movie X, is with us now. John, before we talk to you about your role-- let's check out a little clip from the movie.

((Sot full//Movie X-- longer clip 30 sec))

Anchor/Actor continue with intv.

-----------------------

Why do it this way? Why do a lenghthy clip full before you even interview the guy? It is because you want buy in from the viewer. If I haven't seen the movie or show, why do I want to see a whole two minutes about it. Giving viewers a clip of the movie gives people a taste of what it is about and sparks interest. Also, it provides a nice jumping off point for your interview-- they can talk about what happened in the clip. The interview feels more organic and fluid.

Finally, be careful to watch the audio when rolling clips during the interview. If it is too loud, it can be really distracting.

Reporter Does Interviews in Car

I don't know but I like it. A reporter turned a common headache into a fun way to do feature interviews.

http://tinyurl.com/yyaodp5

To give credit where credit is due, I saw this on Www.poynter.org

PBS & NPR Getting $ For Local News

PBS/NPR creating regional journalism centers and hiring 50 multi-media journalists...

http://tinyurl.com/ylelvye

Also found more specific info at CPB site...

http://tinyurl.com/yb4cmva

Reporter Standups

I just saw a taped reporter standup that was a real missed opportunity. She was walking and talking but not really saying a whole lot. I can guess why this ended up in her pkg. She shot one standup and then when she got to writing, she was stuck with it. She did something bland so she could put it anywhere.

Ideally, a standup could be interchangable with a paragraph in the story. It should be that integrated. Obviously you can't write your story till you actually cover the story, but some are better than others in being able to sketch it out in their head. If you have a reporter who has standups that seem sort of extraneous and tacked on, encourage them to shoot several-- saying several different things. Enourage them to work with their photographer to brainstorm creative standups. Encourage them to call you from the field if they need help (sometimes it's a lot easier for someone not directly involved with the story to come up with something). No shame in asking for help. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and maybe in this case, the reporter just needs a little assistance getting up to speed in standups.

Think Outside the Meeting

I just saw a story about a community trying to clean up their neighborhood. The neighborhood was "transitional" and had been plagued with trash, graffiti and vagrants. The pkg started with meeting video. Never have a pkg start with meeting video. Unless the parties involved are screaming at each other. Meeting video is death. And why, why, would the reporter start this way when the story is about cleaning up a neighborhood? You could start with shots of trash, spray-painted buildings and then pan up to a woman walking... "This is what Suzie Q sees every morning when she walks to her office on X St." Sot- I Hate it/It's digusting/I've had enough... "That why Suzie and her neighbors are getting together to fight back." Now go to meeting video. Briefly. But get back to the trashy neighborghood as soon as you can. That's where your better story is.

Point is-- every meeting is talking about or debating something. What is that something? Go where the something is and shoot your story. As a producer, have early conversations with your reporter about where they intend to take the story. If aren't planning to shoot anything but the meeting, brainstorm ideas of where else they can go.

How People Watch TV

60% of Americans engaging in couch potato multitasking

I'm not sure that any of the facts in this study are earth shattering. Anyone who's on Facebook or Twitter can tell you people will watch a big TV event and be on their laptop commenting on it at the same time. But-- it's worth remembering that you have competing interests vying for your audience's attention.

How do you embrace this reality? Is there some subject matter or some live stream that you're not putting on the air that you can put online? Maybe a contentious school board or council meeting in its entirety? People can comment real time on what's happening. Maybe it's something as simple as a car chase. How can you utilize how people are using TV and the web without cannibalizing your newscast? Alas, that's the 50-million dollar question. We're all figuring it out as we go along.

Two Way Communication with Viewers

We've talked before about utilizing viewer photos and videos in your coverage of breaking and weather news. I ran across an interesting example of how one station encouraged people to do this. I took a class on Poynter's "News U" (www.newsu.org) --they talked about this example during the class. WTTG not only encouraged people to send pics and video during Snowpocalypse '10, they posted a quick video to show them how. As the instructor in the News U class pointed out, what better time to ask viewers to shoot video than when folks are stuck inside?

If you get people comfortable with this when there's isn't breaking news, how much easier will it be for them to send you video when there is? You could even ask viewers to send weather video every day-- then maybe use a viewer video as a weather background on Fridays. Or everyday if you have enough good submissions.

In the Business of Communication

I watched a morning newscast the other day where a reporter doing a liveshot (a feature) had obviously not talked it through with his photographer prior to the liveshot. Do you know how I know this? Because the reporter was talking about one thing while the photographer was showing another-- and then had to make a hasty pan to the reporter's subject matter. Don't let this happen in your newscast. It makes both reporter and photographer (and your newscast) look like amateur hour. If you see this happen, have a follow-up conversation with the reporter.

It can sound something like this:

"Hey Bob, would you do me a favor? On your next liveshot, would you run through what you're going to do with Cindy beforehand so she can follow you better? It doesn't have to take a lot of time-- just tell her 'I'm going to talk about this first and then move over here and then do this.'"

If the reporter gives you pushback, pull the showtape and watch it together. Sometimes people don't realize how bad it looks until they see it for themselves.

If the reporter did discuss in advance and the photographer was just off his or her game, then that's another conversation-- you can follow up with the photographer or check in with the chief photographer.

Another way that you can head things off at the pass is talk with liveshots ahead of time. When you're checking reporters in, just ask, "Hey can you run through what you're going to do in your liveshot?" You don't have to do this with everyone-- just reporters you've noticed who seem to have an issue.

This sort of discussion makes all the difference in liveshots, especially feature stories. In breaking news of course, all bets are off, but even then, good reporters let their photogs know where they're going prior to going there.

Crime Leading Your Newscast?

A new study looked at TV newscasts in Los Angeles and found that out of a half-hour, about 8:17 was devoted to local news. And, most often, newscasts led with crime. The study pointed out that while LA is facing a budget crisis, government stories lead the news less than three percent of the time. We all know why that is. Government stories are boring. Crime is easy to cover and easy to report. It usually has compelling video, story lines and victims. That it may not actually impact a whole lot of people usually gets lost in the mad dash to produce newscasts.

I'm not asking you to lead your newscast with local government stories. I'm asking you to look for opptunities to cover stories that will have a real impact on your viewership. There's somebody in your newsroom I'm sure-- there's one in every newswroom-- who's a great story-teller-- the guy or gal who can break down something complicated and make it make sense for the viewer. ALWAYS with government stories (or any story), return to the bottom line for the viewer. What will this decision mean for whoever is watching your newscast? Will it mean higher taxes? Will it mean 4-day work weeks for the city so offices will now be closed on Fridays? When you focus on the impact to your viewer, the story inherently becomes interesting because-- hey, this is going to affect me.

I have nothing against crime stories. They can be interesting even if they impact no one but the people involved. If possible, try to widen the story to include some perspective. Is this particular neighborhood getting hammered by crime lately? Why is that? Did something change? You get the idea. Look for something broader.

Here's the link to study I mentioned:
http://www.learcenter.org/pdf/LANews2010.pdf

Google Fast Flip & Voice Command Search

I continue my love affair with Google. They have a new application called "Fast flip." I was able to flip through a bunch of interesting web articles without having to click into the actual page. I skimmed the "12 Suprising Facts about Women" from Esquire, the "Ten Greatest Downloads" from PC World, and why Louis Farrakhan thinks the Chilean earthquake is a prelude to what will happen next in America (courtesy of the Chicago Trib). It took me less time to flip through those articles than it did to write that last line describing them. Pretty cool. Also, any one of those stories is pretty teasable.

http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/

Also, for those of who have an iPhone... Google now allows you to search by voice command. It. Is. Awesome. Apparently this came out a while ago. What rock have I been living under? I wish I would have found it sooner.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10100719-2.html

Using QR Codes

You may say, what's a QR code? Basically it's a bar code that acts as a hyperlink. You point your iPhone at it and boom, it pulls up a corresponding web page.

This article has info on how to use them to your advantage. I'm playing with it...

Put QR codes on your business cards

Sign of the Times?

ABC News is cutting hundreds of people. Asking producers to do more. NPR had a decent piece on it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124021805

iPhones

Do any of you guys use iPhones for work? I have one and find it really useful for looking up info/phone numbers, etc-- much easier than the blackberry. Any aps you like? A photographer friend just showed me Film Slate ($4.99) where you can set time code on the iPhone to time of day. Makes it easier to real time log press conferences. I love Wind Meter, which somehow figures out the wind speed off your iPhone. I also have Twitterific and Wordpress... just got Shozu.

Be Careful Out There

Local affiliate in Dallas had a couple close calls with cars sliding near a liveshot.

Video in Video

I saw a couple uses of video boxes that I thought were interesting.

One was during a pkg. A small box with video came up with a snipe teasing a story at 6pm. So you're watching a story (for example) about politics and a small box down near where the fonts go pops up with video of overweight people with a title next to it "How to lose weight, at 6."

On that particular usage, I'm lukewarm. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. If I were EP there I'd probably want to see it done for a week to see if it grows on me. Of course you'd have to be very careful that what you're teasing is appropriate to run inside the other story.

The next use of a video box I liked a bunch. The weather guy was standing next to a chroma key map and they had about three boxes pop out one at a time showing the bad weather around town. Each box popped out, he talked about ten or fifteen and then it popped back. Looked super smooth. Nice way to highlight talent and still have video to boot. How else could you use this? Anytime you have multiples... so for a crime reporter... maybe there's a bunch of burglaries... "The first one was here... the second here.." Or whatever.

The point is-- try stuff. Be adventurous. Take risks with your show. Sit down with your director. Maybe he/she has some ideas to try. Start simple and go from there. If you hate it, you can always never do it again.

Parody Package on How to Do a Package

I thought it was pretty funny...

Haiti Coverage

What does everyone think of the Haiti coverage? I have seen a lot of editorials saying line between "covering the story" and "I am the story" has been crossed a bunch.

Have you guys been using much of Haiti in your shows? Maybe in the first week and now it's tapering off?

I meant to mention this early on, but maybe you do this already. On any big national or international story, it's always handy to do websearches to check for local ties. It might be as broad as "your state/city + Haiti..." just to see what pops up. Also, remember your local Universities. You'd be amazed. There always seems to be a language program or perhaps local students studying in the region that's impacted. In the case of Haiti, there were lots of U.S. aid (including local church) groups. Check with your local Red Cross, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities. Don't forget local businesses that might import/export/have-some-kind-of-tie there. Or maybe someone from your area who's set up a business in the city that's been hit (like a hotel or restaurant). If your region contains a military facility, definitely check in with them.

All of this can make your coverage more local and relevant. Maybe you can arrange a trip with a group that's going? Or at least--maybe you give them a cheap disposable camera or a Flip camera and have them take pics. They can send them back during the trip if there's internet or you could just do a story once they get back. Even if it's only for the web, it adds a layer to your coverage and could be a really compelling first person account.

Finally, don't forget about using Skype. It's become more popular and you can search users by place. You might be able to set up interesting interviews with local people who are in the impacted area.

Promos

I saw something I liked with promos. Instead of having it taped, saw one local affiliate use that time for what was essentially a :30 live tease from a reporter in the field. It looked good and caught my interest. Maybe it's not something you do every night, but something to keep in mind to try.

Golden Rule

There's a lot of gruesome video coming out of Haiti. Understand, just because you have the video, doesn't mean you have to use it. You will never lose a night of sleep because you did not air something. When faced with the "should I run it or not" question, ask yourself this-- "If this involved someone I knew, how would I react?" Balance this with, "What do we lose and what do our viewers lose by not seeing this? Will they still understand the story and get the same impact?" The right decision is the one you go home feeling good about. The wrong one is the one you still question yourself about years later.

If you decide to use something graphic, please warn viewers. Consider putting it on show when kids might not be up. And NEVER and I mean NEVER use graphic video as wallpaper or in teases.

Liveshots

A couple things to remember on liveshots...

First, it's important to communicate with your crews. Give them cues-- 5 minutes out.. 1 minute.. 30... and then during the liveshot, tell them if they're in pkg or video or sound. This is especially important for the photographer who made be doing a move for you live... or may need to use the break of a pkg or sot to adjust his/her shot.

Also for lives, encourage your reporters to move around and show stuff if warranted. Standing in one place is boring especially when there's something to show. Encourage people to take risks in their storytelling. Encourage creative thinking and ideas by giving good feedback when you see them done in your show. And if something you try doesn't work out? So what? It's live TV not brain surgery.

Finally, if there is more than one hit, consider trying to change up each hit. So maybe you focus on one person and one area in this hit... another person and another area in the next. You can encourage this by checking in with the reporter at the end of a hit... "What are you doing for the next one?"

ABOVE ALL, if something is interesting and it is happening live, SHOW IT!! I was watching some live winter weather coverage and there was a live crew near a road that had iced over. At the end of the reporter's liveshot, he points out the car that is just now going around all the other cars toward the big ice patch on the road. The car starts sliding... and .... they go back to studio. ARG! What happened? In that case, the reporter could have said, "I know we need to wrap up, but let's just watch this guy... this is why these storms are so dangerous..." Or the anchor could have jumped in "Hey Bob, can we keep that camera up? Let's see what happened with that car."

Quick Snapshot on Haiti Prior to Quake

PBS aired this on Monday. Thought since we're all doing a lot of Haiti coverage, worth checking it out: