Posts Tagged ‘breaking news’
Monday, May 13th, 2013
In Victoria, British Columbia, safety expert Steven Adelman and I visit the Parliament Buildings. I later spoke about the media at the International Association of Venue Managers regional conference. One of the first issues I discussed with the audience was bracing for breaking news. I explained how I once covered an accidental shooting at a gun show. That story raises the following questions for business owners to consider before news breaks:
- If news breaks at your business and you’re not there, how quickly can someone contact you even on weekends? The accidental gun show shooting happened on a Saturday.
- Where will the media park their vehicles? We parked our vehicles wherever we could find a space. Would you corral the media into a specific location?
- How will the general feelings of your staff or clientele toward the media impact how you handle reporters? Most people I met at the gun show were suspicious of the media. However, some were more accommodating toward me because I worked at a Fox TV station.
- Will you or someone on your behalf answer questions from the media about the breaking news?
- How would you handle questions about information you don’t have or are not ready to give out?
- Will you be able to answer questions in plain English without sounding like a stiff spokesman obviously choosing every word carefully?
- Will you use the phrase “no comment”?
- Will you present yourself and deliver your words calmly or get caught up in the adrenaline of the moment?
- Will what clothes you wear matter? Should you dress like an executive or roll up your sleeves like someone hard at work gathering information? Will you wear jeans if news breaks on the weekends?
- How will you handle social media?
- How will you handle reporters who want to walk onto private property and interview witnesses and bystanders? The accidental shooting happened at a convention center. Do you clearly understand which areas are public and which are private? What authority do you have in this situation?
- How will you handle photographers who want to walk onto private property to shoot video related to the breaking news?
- How will you handle media who request to enter your business to shoot video inside related to the breaking news?
- Do you need media training or to put together a plan for your staff to prepare for any of these possibilities?
Tags: breaking news, business owner, business owners, fox, fox tv station, media, media training, parliament buildings, PR, reporters, safety expert, Social Media, steven adelman, TV station, venue managers, victoria british columbia, video
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Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
A TV producer contacts us before 6am, asking if one of our clients could appear in studio for a live interview to discuss a topic in the news. When? The following morning.
It’s early but we text our client to notify him of this opportunity. As a TV reporter, when I needed to interview an expert, I contacted one person after another. Time was of the essence and I didn’t have time to waste. I wouldn’t wait hours for experts to confirm their availability. In this situation, we want to tell the producer “yes” as soon as possible.
We receive an unexpected text. The client says he can not make the appearance. He is booked solid the next morning with patients.
We’ve never had a client turn down such as opportunity. Turning down a producer’s request is risky. She may simply find someone else to interview and the next time she needs someone on short notice, she might not call us.
We explain to our client he can not turn down this opportunity. We explain the risks. He understands but rescheduling about 25 patients the day before would negatively impact his business. That’s also a risk he can not take.
Can we find a compromise? We offer the producer two options knowing she may turn them both down: 1) Can our client appear in studio much earlier in the morning, allowing him time to return to his practice for his appointments? 2) Instead of our client appearing in studio, can the station send a live truck to his practice for a live interview? This would allow our client to momentarily step away from patients for a live interview instead of spending much more time driving to and from the TV station, which is not close to his practice.
The producer agrees to send a live truck, warning she might cancel the interview if breaking news pops up. But the next morning, the interview happens. We didn’t miss an important opportunity. Our client was flexible, having no issue with a TV crew visiting his practice on short notice during a busy morning. And the TV producer was flexible, willing to go to the story instead of it coming to her.
Tags: breaking news, live interview, media, Media Relations, patient, PR, producer, reporter, tv crew, tv producer, tv reporter, TV station
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Thursday, February 21st, 2013
A TV station asked one of our clients to provide live analysis on the phone as soon as possible about breaking news. We didn’t know about the breaking news before the station called. And part of his analysis depended on seeing the scene. But driving to the scene was not a practical option. TV stations often want to show live video of big breaking news as much as possible. Not having much information won’t stop the live coverage. So TV stations often need witnesses and experts to provide analysis to fill airtime.
For his live phone interview, our client used the TV station as his eyes from afar. He turned on the TV station, which sent its chopper above the scene to provide live pictures. He provided analysis on the phone while staying in front of a TV and watching what the station was showing viewers. This idea seems simple. But some people, in the rush to prepare themselves to unexpectedly talk on live TV, may not immediately consider to actually turn on the TV (and turn down the volume) while speaking.
It wasn’t uncommon for TV stations to send me to breaking news and ask us to provide a live report as soon as we arrived. This allowed me little time to gather information. The stations wanted me live. They wanted live pictures. Whether or not I had concrete details to discuss wasn’t going to stop a live shot. In these situations, some reporters dig themselves into a hole by attempting to relay facts they don’t have. I would point and describe the scene. Maybe I didn’t have sufficient information, but I could describe what I was witnessing. And that was good enough to go along with live video.
You’ve heard of walk and talk. Consider this watch and talk.
Tags: breaking news, interview, live coverage, live tv, media, media training, PR, reporter, reporters, TV station, tv stations, video
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Monday, February 4th, 2013
- 11:41am: A TV producer calls me and tells me about an office shooting. She wants our client, venue safety expert Steven Adelman, live on the phone as soon as possible.
- 11:45am: I leave voicemails for Steve and his wife. I also text both of them.
- 11:48am: Steve calls me. I explain to him the sitiuation. We both Google the shooting to update ourselves on the breaking news. I read him a news story. I turn the TV to the news station requesting him and describe to Steve the live video of the scene. Steve is busy, but we both know you don’t turn down a TV interview especially for breaking news. You build yourself a reputation as being available anytime, anywhere.
- 12:03pm: Steve goes live on the phone with the TV station, discussing the situation and potential security issues.
If you position yourself as an expert in your industry, the media over time will call you for interviews instead of vice versa. Those 22 minutes did not tick off as smoothly as they did by accident. Steve and I have discussed several times the importance of my ability to reach him in a hurry. And we’ve discussed no matter how much work is stacking up on his desk, he’s ready to go when asked.
A congresswoman once asked me if I knew why the media often ask her, instead of others in her political party, to appear on TV. She said the reason is because she responds “yes.” She is willing to wake up in the early morning hours and make herself available. Many other people do not. For the media, accessibility is half the battle. No excuses.
Tags: adelman, breaking news, congresswoman, interview, interviews, live tv, media, Media Relations, news station, news story, PR, producer, safety, safety expert, security issues, steven adelman, TV interview, tv producer, TV station, video
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
As a reporter, pitching an “issue” story often felt like gridlock to me. The personalities at the table often appreciated my ideas but ultimately assigned me to one of those reports we expect from TV news. However my last story before leaving my reporting job allowed me to stray outside the box one last time.
I had read a story in a major out-of-state newspaper about a growing trend of thieves stealing valuable hair extensions from stores. What surprised me most, other than the story itself, was that the paper interviewed a local man as an expert on the topic.
I was confident when I inserted this issue among my colleagues at the editorial meeting table. The idea contained a power ingredient: the bizarre. Consider the bizarre like catnip for some TV newsrooms. The station assigned me the story.
And the story kept getting stronger. Great hair flowed from the local expert I read about and then interviewed myself. A store with shelves filled with hair extensions allowed us inside. A couple of women in the newsroom, to my shock, even acknowledged to me with pride they wear hair extensions.
Then came news that bordered on the ludicrous. As if someone wanted to ensure I didn’t stray too far from the formula, breaking news shortly before I delivered the story brought us fresh surveillance video of thieves at a California store stealing more valuable hair. The story threatened to move past a report on a quirky trend into something more mainstream.
At the moment, I’m having difficulty remembering my very first story in TV news. But I can’t forget my last, which struck the perfect tone for what TV news often wants to see and hear.
Tags: breaking news, catnip, hair extensions, interview, media, Media Relations, newsroom, newsrooms, PR, reporter, tv news, tv newsroom, tv newsrooms, video
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Tuesday, August 28th, 2012
When people pitched me stories, I sometimes needed to hear simply a few words to know I had a winner. So when I learned three sisters are all rabbis, I needed no further details. However, not everyone immediately sees the light. How often did I sit in editorial meetings, pitch ideas I considered small treasures and listened as producers and managers responded in silence, later assigning me to something less worthy? Several reporters passed on this story idea I like to call “Sister Act.” Several producers did not respond to my emails. Light feature stories struggle to find their place among controversy and breaking news. I get it. But persistence pays off. In this business, you must have a lot of chutzpah. A CBS5 executive producer believed in the story and sent a reporter to cover two of the sisters who live in the Phoenix area. The station will interview via Skype the third rabbi, who lives out of town. Here are some pictures I took of the interview. Click on them.
Tags: breaking news, CBS, cbs5, chutzpah, interview, media, Phoenix, PR, producer, producers, rabbi, rabbis, reporter, reporters, skype, story idea
Posted in Media Relations | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
A media outlet celebrating that it had reached a certain number of followers asked people for a retweet. For the retweet, some of the “lucky” tweeters would win a mug from the media outlet.
A mug? Awesome dude! I recently went to a modest event and, for simply showing up, I got a bag with three travel water bottles inside. But I didn’t get a mug … especially not one with a media logo on it.
I’ve got an ABC mug I’ve not used in years. I also have CBS and FOX ball caps collecting dust in a closet. My Miami Herald newspaper carrier bag is somewhere in the garage. I obviously need to update my media collection!
Breaking news: People will retweet and share your content if they like it especially if they are loyal customers, or in this case, readers. You don’t need to ask. If that concept leaves too much to chance for you, ask for a retweet without an offer. If your followers are truly loyal, they are glad to share the greatness you offer the world. Finally, if you’re hard-core for contests, let’s raise the bar. Movie tickets? Grocery store gift cards? I helped you reach a high level of followers by being one of them. I helped promote you further by retweeting your contest. Is my prize a mug with a logo that further promotes your organization?
I don’t even drink from mugs. And most people with media mugs place them on an office shelf with 200 other outlets. No loyalty there!
If my loyalty is helping grow your business, I’m glad to help. I don’t need a prize. But if you insist, please offer me something I’ll be glad to tell my friends about.
Tags: breaking news, CBS, media, miami herald, miami herald newspaper, PR, Social Media, Tweet
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Monday, August 6th, 2012
Fox10′s weatherman took a tongue and cheek approach to our client’s off the wall story: a wall of different tubes of toothpaste from around the world collected by patients. Seeing this light feature story air pleasantly surprised us.
While I covered feature stories, my TV station often rushed me away to instead tackle breaking news. I eventually recognized even if I successfully pitched and set up in advance a feature story, the station likely moved me first rather than other reporters if, for example, the skies opened and weather struck. I never assumed a feature story would air until it actually did.
When pitching feature stories, consider that some reporters won’t be interested in ideas with no link to current events or trends. Your chances of success might be slim.
But don’t refrain from pitching feature stories. You simply need to connect with the right people. Your opportunities to tell a fun story depend on the reporter, the media outlet and a particular segment within that outlet. Interesting, light feature stories often start conversations among readers and viewers and some journalists shouldn’t dismiss them so quickly as unworthy fluff assignments. Those stories tend to stand out among the hundreds about crime.
Some media still wanna have fun. What’s not always fun is getting those stories to air.
Tags: breaking news, feature stories, feature story, journalist, journalists, media, PR, reporter, reporters, TV station, weatherman
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Wednesday, July 11th, 2012
I’m a journalist who once loved the nightlife. I began my Phoenix career as a night shift and weekend reporter. My nightshift stories typically took the theme of breaking news. The weekends often were efforts to find any news that seemed credible to cover.
When I moved to a day shift, I transitioned to stories that allowed me a little more time to explore the details of an issue. And the morning show, which I occasionally contributed to, often focused their coverage on different types of headlines.
When preparing pitches to reporters, consider their shifts. Their shift, even the particular day he or she is working, can impact the positive or negative position taken on a pitch.
True, even if you pitch to the wrong shift on the wrong day, your idea might be reborn or redirected to a more appropriate time slot. But I know from personal experience that story ideas seem to hold their most value the first time you pitch them. After that, some newsrooms view the ideas as retreads that aren’t as interesting as the latest thoughts at the table. The idea fails to gain further traction. You might as well make your first move the best move possible.
Tags: breaking news, journalist, media, Media Relations, morning show, newsroom, newsrooms, Phoenix, PR, reporter, reporters, story idea, story ideas
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Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on healthcare again reminded journalists of the risks of trying too hard to report breaking news first. First of all, what’s so important about being first?
- I can’t recall one person who said he or she watched my station because we regularly were first to report breaking news.
- Few people line up several TVs in their living rooms to determine which station reported something first.
- How will people remember which station reports the news first when few people can even remember the full names of a TV station’s anchors?
- The only people who really care about being first are those in the newsroom and I’m not sure it actually matters to most of them.
- TV managers who claim their staff reported something first have no idea some guy on Twitter reported it way before the news crew arrived on scene.
- Saying “Action 6 News was first on the scene…” just sounds cheesy and more appropriate for a Saturday Live skit.
- I lost track of the number of times viewers called my station to complain about a story, which actually aired on another channel. So I guess even if you report breaking news first, your competitor could get the credit.
- I’m sure reporting the news first holds far less impact on ratings than a really happy weatherman who makes viewers laugh.
- And who determines which “first” matters most. The first to report the event? The first live shot on the scene? The first live witness interview? The first animated graphic with alliteration and a super sound effect?
- Too often, being first to report the news makes someone last in accuracy. And the facts are the first thing that truly matters.
Tags: breaking news, health-care, interview, journalist, journalists, newsroom, PR, supreme court, tv news, TV station, Twitter
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