So What Do You Do Son?

Three Days...Three Entries in this glorious new enterprise. So why not keep the ball rolling? Why? Because I write for a living and it's the weekend now..Okay so what. I've got Sportscenter on in the background and amusing tweets to catch up on so I might as well put pen to paper...or thoughts to hard drive. Besides...I've heard that people curse writer's block so if it's flowing I better take advantage.

On to today's subject...Just what do I do...

Some people have it easy. "I'm an accountant." ..."Oh. So you crunch numbers and keep track of people's finances." "I'm a chef." "So you cook." On and on. So today I had to answer the question. I do it quite often and most of the time I flash a little pride in my profession. Not all that many 24 year olds have the responsibilities I do. Granted. It's not that glamorous. But it is interesting..and slightly difficult to explain. Where as movie producers seem to be stylish money men with their hand's deep into pulling the levers of feature films, TV news producers have a much more technical job.

So, today, riding home from the car repair shop in the courtesy shuttle, an older gentleman asked me what I did. And I tried to explain. For the most part I think he understood. But again... the look of recognition when I said I was a local TV producer quickly faded from his face when I began to explain. I guess there really is a disconnect. Oh well. Here is my brief rundown of my job... So perhaps, when you meet one of my ilk, you'll know what we're talking about. But please..Still ask what it entails...Because we get a happy glow inside when we get to tell you all about our little slice of television heaven.

Here goes... Basically, as a producer of a newscast, I have overall responsibility for the creative aspects of the program. That includes story selection, story presentation, story order and several other factors like assigning the stories to our talent, be that an anchor, reporter or other on-air person such as a traffic anchor or meteorologist. I also deal with the logistics involved in presenting the stories.

I pick the stories, for example, today we covered several topics including a pair of missing hikers...Michael Vick's return to the NFL and a major construction project getting started in the Portland metro area. I pick all the stories, with input from our talent, my co-producer and our assignment managers. Ultimately though, at the ground level, it's my decision whether a story goes into a newscast.

Then there is story presentation. That encompasses several elements such as video, graphic support, sound bites, live presence(if it's needed) and other items that may be needed such as maps and transition elements(those flashy flying graphics that say things like "NEW INFORMATION" & "BREAKING NEWS".

Story order comes down to where I physically place the stories in the newscast...First...Second...Third...Dead last. A good rule of thumb while watching a newscast is that you can expect to see the most important stories near the top of a program. Generally at the beginning of the half hour. For example today...2 hikers were missing in the woods overnight. That was the most urgent and important story because it was currently happening and hikers, overdue by more than 12 hours without proper gear and preparations can find themselves in a very dangerous situation. Typically, where there is the potential for loss of life, or if there is in fact death the story is of high importance. Not that other stories with broader impact, like health care are less important per se.. rather, at this moment, because they are not as urgent, they assume a lower position of importance. Whether this is in fact a correct philosophy is a matter for another post.

Assigning stories to talent involves deciding where they will physically be in our studio when they present the story and how that physical location impacts the stories surrounding them in the newscast. I can't have two people reading different stories from the same location back to back.. though I have tried.. with mixed results. These decisions also involve relevance. For example, it makes more sense to have my traffic anchor presenting a story on traffic impact or having my meteorologist presenting a story on severe weather. For large stories that need more in-depth reporting or that involve an evolving issue at a remote location we rely on live reporters. For example, with the missing hikers, it makes more sense to have a reporter at the scene present the story because they will know if anything changes faster than I will by virtue of proximity and invovlement with the subject matter. If the hikers are found, they will know before I do. A live presence also adds emphasis for a story, which again, is why they will typically present the more important stories in the newscast.

Logistics are another matter, that is less glamorous, but again, essential to a compelling newscast. To physically present a newscast from a remote location, I need to place a reporter/photographer team in the field, in a live truck capable of transmitting video & audio back to the station. When I talk about a live crew, that is what I mean. Our basic live trucks operate via microwave transmitter. These are very versatile pieces of equipment however they're limited to line-of-sight transmission. That's why when you see a gigantic tower on top of a hill.. that's why it's there. It can be seen from virtually all angles, from miles and miles away. The live truck transmits to the tower and the tower beams the signal to the station and then the station sends the images and sound out to you over the air. For places that are beyond line-of-sight transmission we use satellites. That's another layer of logistical support. For that, we require a second type of vehicle and operator who can control the satellite signal. To put on the story of the hikers this morning we were out of line-of-sight and so I had to assign a reporter/photographer team as well as a satellite truck operator in order to tell the story. There are other aspects to that equation, but that's the basics behind transmission for live crews. Then there are the physical elements. I have to allow time for a live crew to get from point A to point B and to set up their equipment. It can be a very delicate dance, but done right, the viewer never knows the difference.

And right there, that's it in a nut shell. If executed properly, the audience, you, should never know that I exist. The newscast should be visually compelling, flow smoothly and inform you fully without you ever noticing anything besides the information.

So there you have it. Next time some one tells you they're a TV news producer you'll have a glimmer of just what it is they do each day. Now I've got two more stories to write and a few flashy whiz-bang graphics to pick before the show...(kidding)...

Happy Friday...


PS...The unhappy, but truthful addendum. Invariably, if it goes wrong. It's my fault. Cheerful thought, no?