Get to the Chase

Chases. I love them. I know they generally have little to no news value but they're interesting to watch. It is what it is. When you're flipping through the channels and come across a chase, it's a hard thing to turn away from, even if it goes on for a half-hour with little happening. Something COULD happen and that's what keeps you watching. I'm not sure how chases do in ratings (I'll do a little research to try to find out).

When you have a chase, here are some ideas:

*Don't go back full to your anchors. If you want to show them, pop them in a double box and keep the big box as the chase. No one wants to see anchors talking about a chase unless they're also actually seeing the chase.

*Try to get an intelligent guest. Obviously, the police involved in the chase might not be able to do a phoner with you. Are there other departments in your area that are media friendly? They might be able to walk you through the decisions that officers make when they start chases, also what methods they use during a chase, and how they end. An officer from a local police academy might be a good phoner-- they teach the officers how to chase and use stop sticks. They might also know the rules and regs for giving chase. It might make some sense to call these people ahead of time to give them a heads up that you might want to use them when a chase occurs.

*Have a prop. An anchor I used to work with used to have a stop-stick on his desk. I'm not sure how he got it, but it was a great prop whenever we had a chase. It was something he could have in his hands to show what was actually happening on the ground.

*Get a map. Depending on your resources, it might be good to have a big city map with all the main highways on it. That way when someone says he's southbound on US 544, you can get a general sense of where that is. You can have the same map, just update it the location (ok, now he's east of US 544 in Old Lake Hollow). Again, I'd probably throw that map in some kind of double box so that the chase can be up at all times.

*If you have to cut out of the chase before it ends, make sure you let viewers know you'll be able to see how it ended in a later newscast. Or drive to the web if you have that capablity-- lots of stations are streaming their chopper feed on their websites.

The Scripts, They are a Changing

How many anchors does it take to change a script?
One, but they keep changing and changing it.

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It's hard to see someone eviscerate your carefully crafted script, but try to take your ego out of it. In the end, anchors are the ones who have to read it. I always encourage anchors to make their changes an hour prior to showtime. That's fair for you to ask. And if you make a change to his change, go to him and tell him why. "I changed the lead so that we can get to the video more quickly... Or, "The desk tells me it's four people killed in the car crash."

If your scripts keep getting changed, go to the anchor when he/she is not busy. Maybe it's after the show or maybe it's when they first get in. Say, "I'd like to talk about scripts. I notice you change a lot of my scripts. What can I do to make them better for you?" Don't take it personally.

There are a million ways to write a script and just as many styles. When I am writing, I try to hear the voice of the talent who is going to read my script. For example, the script you write for Shepherd Smith of Fox Report is not going to sound like the one you would write for Brett Baier of Special Report (not that I write for either of them, just an example). Even within shows, there's a difference. Bob may be bombastic, whereas Suzy his co-anchor plays it straight. Consider the end user and write for their voice and their style. Your anchors are the biggest assets to your show. People watch or don't watch because of anchors. Help them look better by writing for their particular style.

Hopefully, any anchor you approach is open to working with you. If they come at you with something like:
"I'm tired of training producers. It's not my job to teach you how to write..."

You can come back with:
"I respect you as an anchor and think you do a great job. It's a privilege for me to work with you. I am trying to make the show better. I want to do anything that accomplishes that. Mr. News Director hired me because he thinks I'm talented and can do the job. I've got a lot to learn, but I plan to do great things with this show and I'm happy to talk with you about them."

Understand, that for some anchors, there is a revolving door with producers. They've worked with so many producers who end up putting in a year or two and then they move on. They feel like they have to groom each producer and it gets tiring. Keep their side of things in mind. You'll probably put in a year or two and move on to the next market too. Good or bad, you'll learn real lessons from this person that will help you down the road.

Autographing Head Shots

Got this email from Brooks, a friend of mine at Fox. Thought it was funny:

I laughed out loud at this. If you have ever read The Watercooler on Shoptalk, you know that fellow TV journalists toss around ideas, thoughts, criticisms and praise. Others will also ask for feedback or advice on a question or issue they have. Here is a response I found today to a budding anchor who asked “how to autograph headshots?” There were many responses. Some gave truthful advice on what to do if someone asks you for an autograph or signed headshot. Others chided him for even asking the question…take a look at this response to that young anchors serious question about signing headshots!

HOW DO YOU SIGN HEAD SHOTS!!?!?!? Only an anchor would ask that type of question. OMG! You've got to be kidding me! What's next? "Do I casually toss my suit jacket over my left or right shoulder for the promo shoot?"

Amazing! Shows where talent priorities are…and the fact that other anchors jumped in with "helpful advice" shows how screwed up anchors really are! The fact that people actually gave this question thought makes me want to throw up.

Here are my suggestions for "how to sign head shots"

1) I'm totally irrelevant.. thanks for watching
2) They are going to cut my salary in half because I'm irrelevant.. thanks for watching
3) I've never heard of you either.. thanks for watching
4) I work a four hour day.. how about you?
5) I can complain all the time and my boss can't fire me.. thanks for watching
6) I kick ass at solitarie.. thanks for watching
7) I'm on TV.. that makes me cool.
8) I spend more in a month on teeth whitening and hair spray than you spend feeding your family.. thanks for watching
9) I'm a celebrtiy.. quit bugging me for head shots
10) All I really do is read the prompter.. can you believe it!!