Working the Web into Your Show

We are all under pressure to drive traffic to the web. Please use common sense. For example, doing story updates that just use pictures of the web. That makes as much sense as holding up a newspaper and letting your anchors talk for thirty seconds. I have seen shows with THREE of these in a row! Boring! Why not use video and then use the web page pics for the last five seconds?

Ditto reading viewer email during newscasts. Boring! At least get a graphic made so viewers will have something to read while anchors are reading. Better yet, don't read at all but do a full graphic with music full into the break. Anchors say... "Here's what some of you had to say about blah, blah, blah... We'll be right back after the break."

The web is great for its space. Have a list of top ten cities for health? Use three and pop rest on web. Top 100 companies? Try using the top five and put the rest on web. Great chase? Post the whole video from start to finish on the web. How about a tie-in? We just finished a story on new citizens. We were thinking about putting questions from the citizenship test on the web so viewers could quiz themselves.

Think of the web stuff you forward your friends. It is probably not the latest peace negotiations in the Mideast. It is fun stuff, weird stuff, news you can use. Don't be afraid to share this with your viewers. Maybe it's a thirty second feature in your last block called "Web Finds." Anchor says, "Here's the cool website we found on the web..." Or, "Here's the latest bogus email going around."

Breaking news? Try a Double Box

Some call it a double box. Some call it a big/little. A rose is a rose. The next time you have spot news, try it! For example, breaking weather. Weather guy blabbing on? Double box him with a live weather shot. Or great weather video, if you've got it, but preferably a live pic.

If you have a GREAT live pic, DO NOT GET OFF OF IT! Leave it up and double box it with whatever second element you have, interview, reporter, anchor, whatever. If your station can't do double boxes easily, leave the live pic up and let anchors and everyone talk under it.

News Updates

News updates are a pain. They are a misnomer because they are actually the teases that run between newscasts in programming. I think I had two 30s and a couple tens back in the day?

My humble suggestion- don't assume viewers are different from hour to hour- as in- write different copy for each tease.

I know they're a pain to do. The promotions department should be doing them for you! Alas, they do not. Write new stuff for each tease so the same viewers don't have to sit through the exact same teases hour afer hour.

Random Graphics Notes

As long as there is local tv news, I will never run out of blog material.

Ok. Full screen graphics should enhance the story, not detract. Don't let cutesy graphics get in the way. If they don't help you understand the story, ditch them, even if they are cool. For example, (toy-like) cars to illustrate what happened in an accident. Try writing the copy in the most simple terms without graphics. As in- "Police say the red sportscar cut off a blue pickup, causing the pickup to hit a third car." Do you have video? A lot of times, the crash scene is going to illustrate the accident better than the graphics you can cook up. Most of us do not have access to high end "Dateline" animations, so K.I.S.S.

Second, let's talk about graphics over video. This is super cool when done effectively. This can include "ots" type graphics over one side of the video and big fat banners over the bottom. Tell your editor that you will be applying these graphics. That way, you won't miss something under the graphics. For example, imagine video of firefighter with hose putting out fire. Sadly, firefighter can't be seen under graphics covering left third of screen. All you can see if graphics, hose and fire. Nice. Ditto live shots. Let photog know if you will be popping anything up that will impact his or her framing.

Idea for Weather Coverage

Heard an idea from a local station worth stealing. Their weather staff has a volunteer ham radio operator who comes in during severe storm coverage. The National Weather Service uses ham radio operators to get on the the ground weather spotting and conditions. If your market is in an area prone to tornados, it might make sense to develop a relationship with a few of these operators. It could really help strengthen your coverage when you are going wall to wall.

GPS's Cheap Cousin- Google Maps

I swear I don't get paid by Google. But I found a cool new way to use Google for those of you who have Blackberries. They have a version of Google Maps you can load, for free, onto your handheld. It uses the phone to plot your location on a map. You can also add an address of where you want to go and it will pop up directions for you.I used this for the first time this morning to get to a seminar. It was like having a little GPS in my hand. Might be great for spot news or interviews where you have no clue where you're going. Also helps when you're in the middle of nowhere and can't figure out a font location. And get this, sometimes you can check traffic on the main highways. The road will change color to indicate the speed of traffic. So cool!

Say What?

Don't assume your anchor knows how to pronounce something. Go ahead and throw in pronouncers for places and names you think might be potential pitfalls. Definitely look it up or ask someone if you don't know how to pronounce something. This advice goes doubly for place names in your town that might be easily messed up- stuff that looks like you might say it one way, but locals say it another. Nothing makes an anchor look more stupid to viewers than butchering a common local place name. Of course, it's a new anchor or reporter's job to familiarize themselves with the market, but anything you can do to help in the end makes your overall newscast look and sound better.