Tuesday, May 22, 2007

What Does It Take To Prepare A Broadcast?

My first impression was that this is a relatively loaded question. I am sure this is something that has crossed many minds. Rather than letting it keep you up at night after night as you fight for the answer… I decided this would be a great topic to blog.

A lot of time and effort goes into creating a broadcast. What you, as a viewer, see on the news is the culmination of hard work by a team of journalists working for you, everyday.

We have daily news meetings to discuss what stories will be covered and in what manner we’ll be covering them. Once the meetings are complete, we all go about executing are part of the coverage plan.

The multimedia content coordination center is really the catalyst of all newsgathering. The MCCC is responsible for dispatching all the crews to the appropriate places, coordinating all the information that needs to be passed back and fourth between the newsroom and the crews working in the field.

The photographers are the ones who capture the visual elements to the stories presented during the broadcast. However, they also provide what we call “natural sound.“ This is exactly what it sounds like…natural sound. The world is surrounded by sounds. If we are covering a construction story, chances are a great opportunity for natural sound might be the sound of bulldozers moving about. A story about nature might include birds chirping. During severe rain, the sound of the rain hitting a roof or roads would be natural sound.

The reporters are the ones who tell the story. These are people who ask the tough questions, seek balance in their coverage to ensure all viewpoints are represented and than present their story on the broadcasts each day.

The producers are responsible for the layout of the broadcasts. They are charged with the order that the stories are presented to you. They file graphics; write scripts and work with the reporters to ensure the highest level of journalistic standards are adhered to.

The editors are responsible for cutting video for the broadcasts. Not every story is handled by a reporter and photographer. Sometimes we send a photographer by him/her self. On any given day, a photographer may shoot five or six different stories. When they come back to the newsroom, an editor than takes the photographer’s video and edits it down into a short and cohesive series of shots that accurately conveys the story from a visual perspective.

The web staff works feverishly to ensure the latest and freshest information is online as soon as we know about it. Meanwhile, the production team works hard to ensure you hear the correct audio and see the correct video when your supposed to. They make sure the wireless mics have fully charged batteries in them. They set the studio camera shots to ensure the Anchors are framed up appropriately.

And the anchors…are the ones who you invite into your home each day and allow them to tell you all about the news that our team has worked tirelessly to gather throughout the day.