Owning Your Show
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Producing a newscast is a job like no other in journalism. Among the roles a newscast producer must juggle are:
journalist
writer
coordinator (of people and resources)
ethics watchdog
gatekeeper
coach
timekeeper
lawyer
shoulder to cry on
technician
And there’s more! As all producers eventually learn, the newscast producer must be meticulous to a fault; a micro-manager to a degree; patient; cool under pressure AND a quick, confident decision maker. It’s a pretty tall order, and no producer gets everything right all the time.
One of the hardest things to embrace for many producers -- especially beginners -- is the degree to which you must take responsibility for the entire newscast, even those parts that are not directly your job.
For example: reporters. They are supposed to cover their stories, write their scripts (in the proper format), and sometimes edit their own video as well. But it’s a mistake to think you can take your reporters off your checklist of things to do. Keep in touch (even if they don’t call you, you call them); provide encouragement; ask if a story angle has changed; remind them of deadlines; ask if they need graphics. The more your reporters know you are part of their team, the more they’ll be on yours.
Live shots. They can make or break your show! Chat with your truck operators/camera crew and reporters about where they’re going to set up and how the reporter and crew can work together to creatively deliver the news and information viewers need.
Another area that producers mistakenly leave to chance is weather. Yes, your meteorologist is back in the weather center doing his or her thing. Still, you should take it on yourself to go visit them early in your shift. Talk about what’s going on in the weather. Let him or her know about any coverage you and your reporters are worker on that may have a weather tie-in. It only takes a minute or two, but it will pay off big when your newscast shines as a cohesive and compelling show with seamless connections between weather and the news of the day.
Sports is another area that intersects with news and needs your attention. At KOMU, the sports producers come to our rundown meetings, but that’s not the case at every station. Often, the sports anchor IS the sports producer AND is also running around getting highlights and locker room sound bites. Take a moment to visit with your sports crew. Share ideas for interesting teases and interaction with news. If there’s a sports figure or issue that’s making an appearance in the news block, let sports know and talk about how you can use that opportunity to tease ahead to more information in sports.
Anchors. Keep them in the loop when there’s breaking news or anything unusual that may happen in the newscast. Take advantage of their knowledge. They’re usually more seasoned and have more experience than you and can provide important insights about your community, the players, and the big news events. These days at KOMU we are all getting used to a new studio with a number of new ways to present information. You may want to move your main anchors around the studio, but don’t expect them to work like actors or robots. Take a few minutes to explain your decision-making and keep an open mind about their ideas and reactions as well.
At KOMU, news producers collaborate pretty closely with the production crew. Directors attend our rundown meetings to get an early preview of what the producers are planning. This is their time to tell us what’s feasible and what may not work, and provide ideas and suggestions the producers may not have thought of. Not all stations do things this way. Regardless, it’s in the producer’s best interest to share their production ideas with their show directors and other production crew members early and often.
And remember your managers can help you. In most newsrooms, the managers (news director, executive producer, managing editor) want to hear from you if there’s major breaking news, a technology meltdown, a major ethical dilemma, or a recalcitrant staff member who won’t do their job. Reach out for help if you feel a situation or issue is beyond your expertise. And then, once a manager has shown you want to do in a given situation, show you got the message by handling the problem on your own the next time. For weekends and holidays most newsrooms have a system for contacting managers on an “on call” basis or “as needed basis,” so you can call them at home if there’s a crisis.
It all comes down to one thing: Having a compelling and technically clean newscast. Do what you have to do to get it right. When things don’t go well, accept responsibility and avoid blaming others; instead, explain to your team members what happened and how they can get it right next time. Find out what you can do to avoid the mistakes you made.
Be a leader and inspire loyalty and hard work among the other members of your team.
You can do it!
COMING SOON: KOMU 8 student producers back as guest bloggers!
