Posts Tagged ‘tv news’
Monday, May 6th, 2013
While speaking about the media to managers at a conference in Victoria, British Columbia, a woman asked me why TV news stations use the word “exclusive” or point out they are airing a story viewers will only see on their broadcasts.
I sometimes asked that question to colleagues while working as a TV reporter. I argued few people watch five newscasts and compare their content in detail. I don’t recall viewers ever telling me they preferred a station because it aired more exclusive stories. And when TV news stations point out an upcoming story is an exclusive, they are acknowledging that viewers can find most of the same stories on most days on other newscasts. (It’s not like we hear the word exclusive that often.)
I told the woman in the audience I don’t know why news stations declare stories as “exclusive.” When I raised these questions as a TV reporter, co-workers shook their heads in acknowledgement and moved on to other business.
My guess is that TV news stations, like businesses in other industries, do things simply because that’s how it’s always been done. Using an “exclusive” graphic for a story also is an opportunity to kick a little sand in the competition’s face. But no one has presented me with information that labeling a story “exclusive” as often as possible leads to some return on investment.
The woman in the audience didn’t like all this exclusive business. I inferred she considered it all a bit silly. News stations do many things I don’t understand. Just watch some of their promos which appear to be produced by the staff of Saturday Night Live.
You’ll only find this blog on this website.
Tags: media, Media Relations, news station, news stations, newscast, newscasts, PR, reporter, saturday night live, tv news, tv news stations, tv reporter, victoria british columbia
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Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
She pitched me her story idea one year and ten months after I left TV reporting. Is she encouraging me to get back into the TV game? Has she not updated her media list?
One of the first pieces of information her pitch shares is that their patent was just published. I don’t recall a producer ever saying to me, “Now that the company got its patent, let’s cover that awesome story!”
The pitch’s first line includes several punctuation errors. Is this actually a pop quiz putting my copywriting skills to the test?
The pitch includes a dateline, headline and subheadline. Am I reading a pitch or a newspaper article?
Some of the words in the pitch’s sentences are in all caps and others are in bold. Thank you for highlighting the key points.
She included her product’s retail price. Who moved me to the sales department without telling me?
She didn’t include any potential local interviews with people who use her product. She didn’t explain why this product is newsworthy.
Her pitch includes all the cool media outlets that have featured her product. I was going to ignore this pitch until I realized I didn’t want to miss out on the big news. So I would pitch this story immediately if I hadn’t stopped TV reporting one year and ten months ago.
Tags: Copywriting, copywriting skills, interviews, media, media outlet, media outlets, Media Relations, PR, producer, tv news
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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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Friday, January 25th, 2013
When reporters don’t like a PR pro’s story idea, reporters can simply pretend to pitch the idea and blame the producers for not liking it. This is similar to husbands blaming their wives when telling a salesman “no.”
Producers are not afraid to come to work in jeans and ponytails, a stark contrast to reporters who walk in daily under a mound of make-up and Hollywood sunglasses.
Producers won’t hesitate to tell you which reporters popular with the public are actually quite lazy.
Managers often think producers are their allies, but producers sometimes mock managers even more than reporters.
Producers can actually move up in their industry for hard work, while reporters often must rely on whether they’re hot enough to turn on some middle-aged executive reviewing resumes in a corner office.
Producers are the first to know about free food and will save you some if you’re not a lazy reporter.
Producers aren’t afraid to laugh at their old anchors who constantly flirt with them.
Because they sit in the newsroom most of the day, they often have the best gossip, especially about managers, who like to pretend everything is amazing.
Producers will go bat s—t crazy on photographers who complain about stories simply because the assignments require them to set up live shots far from the station late in the day.
Producers who find good and reliable reporters aren’t afraid to let them try some off-the-wall story ideas that wouldn’t fly with managers who can’t see past crime and house fires.
Tags: AZ, Hollywood, media, Media Relations, newsroom, photographer, photographers, PR, PR pro, producer, producers, reporter, reporters, tv news
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Monday, January 21st, 2013
The psychologist we sent to appear on a morning TV news show did not expect the anchor by her side to start the interview by asking about her plans for Christmas dinner. We scheduled her to speak about relationships, but the anchors had been talking about holiday dinners beforehand. We prepare people for all types of questions, but anticipating one specifically about dinner is a reach.
Many TV anchors have always liked a transition between stories, sometimes no matter how difficult or forced. Some anchors also appreciate starting or ending an interview with a question that reminds us of a party ice breaker. The question might focus on the weather, sports or some other lighthearted current event everyone seems to be chatting about. This type of unpredictable question can throw off a newbie to TV, especially someone practicing and zeroing in so carefully on delivering key messages. And when people hesitate to answer such a question or do so awkwardly, they appear stiff or to lack personality.
When anchors tossed to me for a live shot, they sometimes threw a twist by beginning with a question instead of the more traditional, “Let’s go live to Keith Yaskin with the story.” This type of surprise requires rapid thinking especially when someone is so focused and prepared to begin by saying something else.
Media training should include some off-the-wall, seemingly unrelated questions to ensure you don’t stall. While interviewing a manager during media training, we asked him a question about his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. He offered an analysis worthy of Phil Simms and his thorough answer led to laughter. But his ability to answer our audible and then return to the game plan helps ensure his future interviews will be no joke.
Tags: dallas cowboys, interview, interviews, media, media training, news, news show, PR, reporter, reporters, tv anchor, tv anchors, tv news
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Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
During media training, a participant said to me no offense, but she encounters reporters especially in TV who are dumb as rocks. Reporters show up to interviews with no concept of the topic. They even ask her what questions to ask.
Other participants agreed this lack of intelligence seems more prevalent in TV news. How would I respond?
First, I imagine every industry employs people we cannot believe have their positions. I don’t have studies concluding TV news has a higher share of dumb dumbs. But let’s use some logic. Many TV news directors don’t hire the best reporters they can find. They hire the best reporters they can find who are good looking. Some people might be excellent journalists, engaging to watch and know how to turn even the most mundane topics into visual masterpieces. But if those same reporters look like Elmer Fudd and sound like Mickey Mouse, their chances of holding a microphone or anchoring the news plummet. On The Flip Side, some news directors don’t mind teaching beauty queens how to report the news.
There’s another factor to consider. It was not uncommon for me to arrive for a 1:30pm editorial meeting and be told to go live at 5pm about, for example, a complex insurance story I knew nothing about. The assignment desk hustled me out the door to an interview it previously scheduled. With the few minutes allotted, I turned to Google, jumped on my smartphone and gathered every kernel of information I could on the way to the interview. You can see how someone less ambitious might show up with very little knowledge, although asking people what questions to ask them is an experience I can’t relate to. But TV general assignment reporters cover everything and often have little time to study.
The silver lining is this: A reporter who doesn’t have a clue might be less willing to hit you with hard questions. They just want to finish the interview without making themselves look any more like a jackass. So if an unprepared reporter shows up and sounds like a dummy, be smart and guide the interview to go just like you want. Yes, take advantage of the situation. The media often push people into a tough corner. You can return the favor when possible to push your agenda to an unprepared journalist.
Tags: assignment desk, elmer fudd, google, interview, interviews, journalist, journalists, media, media training, mickey mouse, news director, news directors, PR, reporter, reporters, tv news
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Monday, January 14th, 2013
In the movie “Wanderlust,” a TV reporter is covering a groundbreaking. Alan Alda’s character, speaking through a bullhorn, asks her to stay to report the real story of a land dispute. She declines, citing time constraints.
Jennifer Aniston’s character asks the reporter, “You want a news story?” and then takes off her top. The reporter returns to cover the story. Other men and women also start taking off their shirts. Aniston’s character and her friends later watch the news, smiling in pride at the coverage they generated.
Would going topless really grab an otherwise uninterested media? Absolutely. TV newsrooms like few things better than to blur out something. I even recall an example of a newsroom obscuring out something that, in my opinion, did not need blurring, making the content more interesting and mysterious.
But going topless brings risks and questions:
- How would taking off shirts affect your brand? Would going topless to obtain news coverage be worth breaking with a brand which otherwise promotes people wearing clothing?
- Would your spokespeople be able to speak smoothly to the media and keep on key messages without wearing a top?
- Would your representatives speak passionately or allow the adrenaline rush to drastically change their tones?
- How would a business ensure the stunt did not backfire? It’s one thing for glamous Hollywood actors to pretend to protest in the nude. Would you be ready to see real life co-workers take on this task?
- Would the company itelf take its own photos to post on social media?
- How about citizen journalists covering the event who decide to post video without blurring it?
- And how would a business handle employee communications, ensuring everyone understands the strategy and can come forward with concerns?
The movies can inspire us and reflect reality more than we wish to acknowledge. But before trying topless, consider how the concept fits into the overall communications plan. Most likely, the end will bring more than simply rolling credits.
Tags: alan alda, citizen journalists, communications plan, employee communication, employee communications, Hollywood, hollywood actors, jennifer aniston, journalist, journalists, media, Media Relations, news story, newsroom, newsrooms, PR, reporter, Social Media, tv news, tv newsroom, tv newsrooms, tv reporter, video
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Monday, January 14th, 2013
I was eating chips and salsa preparing to play Wii when the DVR began recording “Big Miracle.” Real life events of people collaborating to free trapped whales inspired the movie. I didn’t expect the movie to depict a series of interesting media and public relations scenarios for businesses. My all-important analysis is based on events depicted in the movie not real life.
An oil man despised by an environmentalist initially shows no interest in helping save the whales. He then realizes saving the whales may improve his image among critics and ease his path to future business deals. His motive at first is selfish, but the lesson is companies the public perceives poorly can find PR opportunities in strange places.
The movie depicts President Ronald Reagan, not particularly embraced by environmentalists, as finding an unexpected PR opportunity in helping save the whales and allowing the Soviets to assist.
A colonel, whose first effort to save the whales fails, skillfully handles a mob of following reporters asking if he misled the president on the chances of success.
The environmentalist, played by Drew Barrymore, learns being personable can prove a more effective way to sway public opinion than spewing out a series of dreadful facts.
Two Minnesota men who travel to Alaska learn how news events, instead of commercials, can provide businesses opportunities to establish themselves as leaders in their industry.
Big Miracle also raised old issues about journalism. People love inspiring animal stories. And TV news stations have changed little in about two decades. Stations continue to lean toward covering crime and crap and must often be persuaded to realize the value of covering a fluff or feature piece. Forgive that last line. A public information officer recently told me TV news no longer leaves room for good feature stories. I don’t agree but convincing stations to cover one can feel as tough as freeing whales.
Tags: drew barrymore, environmentalists, journalism, media, media training, news stations, PR, president ronald reagan, public information officer, public opinion, Public Relations, reporter, reporters, tv news, tv news stations, whales
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Thursday, October 25th, 2012
While working in TV news, I once started a Twitter debate with a PR pro after I Tweeted adding the words “For Immediate Release” on pitches to reporters is unnecessary. The conversation inspired the PR pro to write a blog on the topic. I still don’t understand why PR pros add those words or other phrases such as “Media Advisory.”
- Even if you don’t write “media advisory,” no one is going to mistake your news release as an advisory from the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Weather Service.
- If you’re married to the words “media advisory,” save the phrase for straight forward, nuts and bolts news releases that accomplish little more than share information. Send such pitches to the newsroom’s assignment desk, which can forward the story to the correct reporter.
- Consider this: Have journalists ever told you they accidentally deleted your pitch because you didn’t properly label it with “media advisory”?
- Whether you write “For Immediate Release” or not, reporters assume if you send it, they can use it immediately.
- Just because a college professor or some PR agency taught you to write “Media Advisory” or “For Immediate Release” doesn’t make it meaningful or right.
- Those two phrases at the top of a pitch often gave me a heads up I was about to read something coming out of Boringville.
- If you write “For Immediate Release,” I assume you still type “www” before URLs and get your oil changed every 3000 miles.
- One final thought: PR has changed since 1980.
Tags: assignment desk, Communications, journalist, journalists, media, media advisory, news release, news releases, newsroom, PR, PR pro, PR pros, reporter, reporters, tv news, Twitter
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Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
You are allowed to make statements that may not be elegant. But assuming no one outside your four walls will hear your words is a dangerous conclusion that can lead to ugly results.
This is basic media training in a modern world where about the only device still unable to record you is a refrigerator. I often stood in front of a camera long before a TV station actually took me live. But while standing and waiting there, I reminded myself to never say anything I wouldn’t want people to hear. I wasn’t yet on live TV, but I was wearing a microphone. Someone somewhere could hear me and simply needed to push a button to record me.
“Don’t say stupid things in any setting because everyone has a camera,” a TV news executive producer told me the day after Romney’s controversial video surfaced.
Despite this, I still saw politicians compile a string of curse words during side conversations while waiting to appear live. Some of the videos on YouTube showing public figures caught unknowingly on camera are legendary.
A big, red flashing light won’t warn you someone is capturing your words. And spreading those words is easier than ever.
Maybe you tell it like it is. That’s OK. Just ensure you really feel the way you do because someone just might share your comments with an unintended audience.
Tags: executive producer, live tv, media, media training, news, politicians, PR, tv news, TV station, video
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