Do the Math

As journalists, most of us hate math. I know I do. But it behooves you to grab a calculator or some scratch paper once in a while. Case in point-- percentages.

So for example, if I asked, "How many of you like to do math?"
And the answers looked like this...

68% Hate math
4% Love math
25% Undecided

...you, immediately, would realize something is amiss. These don't add up to 100%
Sadly, when we're busy, we may be tempted to take percentages right of a press release or wire copy and guess what-- other people can't add either! So it always makes sense to double check the math. If the percentages don't add up, find out why.

Skype

Anybody using Skype for liveshots?

We've already played with Livecast.com (lets you go live from a cell phone or computer), and you may have heard of Qik.com (live from your cell phone).

Now we're checking out Skype.com, which allows you to go live from a computer. It started as a phone service between computers. Then they added a video element to it. Basically all you need is a camera, firewire, computer and internet connection (or you can just use the camera on the computer). We fiddled with it today and it's super easy. The picture quality isn't bad. But the best part- Skype's free between users.

A local station in Ft. Lauderdale has already used it for a liveshot:
http://tinyurl.com/c5slrn
There's also a Poynter article about that station's use of Skype, but for some reason the link I have won't work. If you go to Poynter.org and search "skype" it will pop up.

I've also heard Oprah is using Skype for interviews. Well, that settles it!

It's something to think about. Even without the video, Skype can get you interesting phoners. For example, when I worked in Philly, some college students producing a radio show were using Skype to call people in Iraq. Again, for free.

If nothing else-- if you're like half the population in local TV news, living in a town a million miles from the rest of your family, you can use Skype to stay in touch on the cheap.

Checking out Job Leads

Unless you have a REALLY good relationship with your employer, I would advise against informing them that you're checking into/talking with someone else about a new job. Employers can be highly sensitive about the prospect of losing you, especially to a competitor. And unless you have an offer on the table-- what's the purpose of telling them? What do you expect them to do with that information? In this unstable economy, with layoffs both at the network and local level, it doesn't make sense to arm your employer with information that might help them usher you out the door.

This is doubly true if you're under contract. The terms of your contact may preclude you from contacting a prospective employer or them from contacting you. Many contracts have a "right of first refusal," meaning, your current employer has the right to negotiate with you first before you open it up to other offers. Talking with a competitor may be a violation of your contract. TV companies are very serious about this stuff. They can and will take you to court over infringements, although, this seems to be a lot more common with talent as opposed to producers.

One possible exception to the rule is if the new job possiblity is within your own company. Some companies are very gung ho about promoting from within. Still, tread lightly, because your immediate supervisor may not be so gung ho at the prospect of losing you, having to hire your spot and then training someone new.

Car Dealers and Local TV

A while ago I worried about the demise of local car dealerships and how that might impact local TV.

Recently, I read a transcript (http://tinyurl.com/chgfrt) of Rupert Murdoch, owner of my employeer Newscorp, saying something to the effect that car dealer ads are something like 30% of local advertising. Yikes. I knew it was big. I didn't know it was that big.

Local News and Websites

I stumbled across an article about how TV stations can better their brand online. It's interesting:

http://tinyurl.com/cezjlw

Also, notice I'm using "Tinyurl.com" It's a handy website to shorten long website addresses.

Another Great Audio Example

The FAA released great audio tapes of the pilot of US Air Flight 1549 communicating with air traffic control. Conveniently, FAA put out both the tape and transcript. You could put together something really nice today with a full screen still over the audio. The right half the screen could have the transcript of the traffic and the left half still photos of the incident. I think still photos might work better than video because it allows you to focus on the incredible audio.

I wish I could be that calm when a show is crashing...

http://www.faa.gov/data_statistics/accident_incident/1549/

Say What?

We talked about fonting audio that's hard to hear. Let's talk about audio you can hear just fine. For example, did you hear that tape of Christian Bale losing his mind on a movie set? You could hear what he was saying, but it would be even better if you have the visual reinforcement of words on the screen. We're TV. What else are you going to put up with that audio? Video of him? Distracting. It's hard to watch and process video while you're also trying to listen to what he is saying. Better to put a still pic in a graphic and font the audio.

The incident brings up an important point. If you're talent, be nice. Badgering your crew will guarantee a big bite in the derriere. Even if you're not talent, if you are ever around a mic, consider it hot and act accordingly. Have headsets in the booth? A lot of stations record the director's audio for discreps. It's not unheard of for people to check those tapes. So before you go mouthing off about what an oaf your news director is, or how your anchor is such a prima donna, just keep it in mind.