Reporting and Surviving the 1989 Earthquake
It was the biggest earthquake to hit California since 1906.
Thanks to aggressive news departments, Bay Area residents heard the initial facts
and saw the dramatic pictures within minutes. The images were unforgettable. A
double-decker freeway collapsed upon itself. A roaring fire covered a city block. A
section of the Bay Bridge collapsed.
Columbine:
Viewer Sensitivities Were Key
The live images were monitored carefully when two young men killed 12 other students, a
teacher and themselves at Columbine.
Patti Dennis, KUSA-TV's News Director, told us, "We had pictures coming in from
hospitals that I told them absolutely, positively, I did not want to see on our air. I
forbid it!"
TV Reporting:
Covering Police and Crime
Viewers want to know where the money is going
The impact of the federal stimulus package is being tracked aggressively by WFOR-
TV, Miami.
"As in any good investigation, the mantra is 'follow the money.' What other
story could that apply to more than the stimulus money?" says Adrienne Roark,
News Director.
Deteriorating Paradise: Station Fights To Save Region
The great barrier islands, bays, and salt marshes of North Carolina were threatened.
The VP/GM of WRAL-TV, Raleigh, John Greene, shared with The Rundown the specifics of a major station
project.
Summer Heat:
Covering The Great Blackout Live
Fifty million people lost their electricity on August 14, 2003. In
spite of incredibly difficult conditions, broadcasters jury-rigged
equipment and devised creative solutions to stay on the air and serve
their communities. Several executives discussed how they did it:
Ken Plotnik, New Director, WABC-TV, New York
Dianne Doctor, News Director, WCBS-TV, New York
Deborah Collura, News Director, WDIV-TV, Detroit
Jim Tortora, News Director, WIXT-TV, Syracuse
Adam Bradshaw, News Director, WHEC-TV, Rochester
Here are lessons they learned that could be incorporated into your own
disaster planning.
Station Wins Court Fight For Mayor's E-Mails, Calendar
The business of how New Orleans is being run --- and how billions of federal dollars are being spent --- is a major issue in the post-Katrina era.
The news team of WWL-TV went to court to get the records that would show what the mayor has been doing. The answer from the city: Oooooops! Much of it has been erased and lost.
At one point, the mayor threatened to meet Executive News Director Chris Slaughter in the parking lot behind the station. Slaughter explained it all for The Rundown.
Choose Your News:The Ultimate Interactivity
A new franchise is taking interactive news to a whole new level.
News Director Randy Dixon explained how viewers are choosing their news and participating in an innovative
newsgathering experiment at KATV-TV, Little Rock.
Newscast
expanded
at 10 p.m.
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, expanded the 10 p.m. weekday newscasts to an hour, and quickly saw
audience growth. The plan was explained by Mary Lynn Roper, President and General Manager.
Officers
raiding meth labs: Many are ill from exposure
Former Utah narcotics officers, who put their lives on the line when they raided illegal
meth labs a decade or two earlier, have died or are battling unusual illnesses.
The chemicals used to make the meth are deadly.
The story was investigated by the team at KSL-TV, Salt Lake City. Reporter Debbie
Dujanovic found 58 police officers who had investigated meth labs in the previous two
decades.
News Director Con Psarras explained how they put the project together, and told us,
"We only found a few officers who didn't have a serious health problem. When compared
to the average rates of illness and cancer among that age group, the statistics were
indicative of a pretty big problem."
Of the 58 officers, 40 were sick or dead.
High
on meth, speeding, killing --- and still driving
A log truck driver kept on rolling, in spite of overloading his truck and causing a fatal
accident. The driver was off the road for only about one week after the accident.
KING-TV's Chris Ingalls found there was no penalty, no suspension of his license, nothing
---he just went right back to driving. There should have been three strikes against him.
He was speeding. His truck was overloaded. He tested positive for meth.
Web
Video Journalist Hired
A photographer has become talent and is producing stories for the Web site of WPRI-TV,
Providence. He shoots, writes, and narrates the pieces. News Director Joe Abouzeid and his
team explain how it works.
Financial
Fitness
Boot Camp
A major project combining financial information and advice aired on WCNC-TV, Charlotte.
News Director Mary Alvarez and reporter Anna Crowley explained how it was executed.
Broken
School Buses
Kept Rolling
Safety violations in the Indianapolis school bus fleet were so severe that the state
police began an immediate investigation after they were contacted by WTHR-TV. News
Director Carolyn Williams and investigative reporter Bob Segall explained how they
executed their project.
Rare
Interviews, SWAT Team Tapes Give Depth to School Shooting Anniversary Special
A deranged, armed drifter entered a Colorado high school. He took seven students hostage.
A special on the hostage drama was produced by KMGH-TV, Denver.
It featured interviews with people who had never talked about it publicly.
"If we were going to do something, we wanted to do something significant and
impactful, and that meant we needed to get a lot of players involved," said News
Director Byron Grandy.
Make Your Station's Web
Site A Powerful Asset
Your station's reputation and brand do not automatically move from the broadcast to the
broadband media. Here is advice on how to compete from top consultants and award-winning
Web managers.
Protecting Crews and Gear From Unruly
Crowds
Jubilant fans of the Los Angeles Lakers set fire to two police cars and damaged news vans
during an unruly celebration after the team's championship victory. It didn't
particularly appear there was going to be vandalism and violence. But it grew.
At one point, a photographer told his reporter, "Run for your life!"
Tornadoes
Drive Record Web Traffic For Live Blogging, Viewers' Photos
Live weather blogging proved so popular that response far surpassed the initial
expectations.
Valuable local information flowed in from people as they simultaneously received the
specific details of the storm and connected with an authoritative source. The general
manager at WIBW-TV, Topeka, Jim Ogle, told us, "As they interacted with us as the
storm approached their area, they would write things like, 'You don't know how much it
means to me to be able to hear this from you first person."
Dog
bite zones: Hot spots were identified
Anchor Artie Ojeda of KNSD-TV, San Diego, created a franchise of "zones" pieces,
in which he built stories around public statistics, sorted the data and posted the numbers
online by zip code or neighborhood.
Official
cars: Should the mayor be riding in a gas guzzler?
The cars the politicians were driving on the public's dollar were investigated by reporter
Bill Sheil of WJW-TV, Cleveland.
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Successful Television News
How To Do It
If you're going to have a chance at succeeding in television, you must
excel. The competition is extraordinary.
Here are selected articles and books that you can use to improve your chances.
Many top executives and newspeople have explained their techniques and theories to The
RUNDOWN, the newsletter reporting on local television.
Investigations:
How They Conduct Them
Air Force Academy
Rapes:
How Investigators Broke Story
The number of young women who were raped at the United States Air Force Academy --- and
the treatment they received from their superiors --- was so outrageous that it surprised
veteran reporters, elected officials and many viewers.
Here are the details of how this sordid scandal has been brought before the public.
TV News
Investigation:
Stealing Your Good Name: One Imposter's Story
Identity theft is so lucrative now that a thief intent on stealing a person's documents
from the mail will steal the whole mail box. Consumer and investigative reporters have
been warning viewers about various schemes. Here
are the specifics of one investigation that educated viewers about the potential danger.
Learn Successful
TV Reporting
 A top reporter explains how
to produce memorable stories in an age of shorter pieces and live breaking news emphasis.
KGO-TV's Wayne Freedman has won 44 Emmys.
This book is a must buy for reporters who are serious about their careers, or students
interested in learning how to report successfully on television.
Attract viewers with strong
teases
Writing effective teases is one of the most important elements in retaining an audience,
yet too often these are an afterthought.
If you can't convince viewers to watch, it doesn't matter how good your product is. It is
one of the biggest problems facing television news, according to a veteran tease and
promotion coach, Graeme Newell.
PROMAX
Award-winning Promos:
The Keys To Attracting Viewers
Here are details of one station's successful promotion strategies and techniques. A promo
designed to attract women viewers to its 5 p.m. newscast won a New England Emmy for
WTNH-TV, New Haven, in 1998. Not long after that, the station won a PROMAX Gold Medallion.
Make It Memorable
Writing and Packaging TV News with Style |
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by Bob Dotson
Bob Dotson is an Emmy award-winning correspondent for NBC News with more than thirty years
of experience in the field of broadcast journalism.
He shares tips and lessons he has learned that can help make your stories sharp, even
under the tightest deadlines. |
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Inside TV News:
Long-form stories are an effective alternative
It is a topic of high interest. But is also a complicated topic. People may not fully
understand something they hear. Fear or hope may impact what they "hear."
Give the story more time.
A New York News Director --- Paula Madison of WNBC-TV --- explained how and when to do it.
Promotion plays a
critical role --- if you want someone to watch your work!
Promotion brings viewers in. Check several articles with specific suggestions
explaining the basics. These were prepared by a top promotion coach and trainer,
Graeme Newell.
Sound and Look
Professional on Television and the Internet |
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by Michelle Mccoy and Ann Utterback
Here's advice for students aspiring to work in the broadcast field or executives and
spokespersons representing their companies on camera. Michelle McCoy is an Assistant
Professor at Kent State University's journalism department. Ann S. Utterback, Ph.D., is
the broadcast voice specialist. |
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| Latest edition
of Investigative Reporters Handbook is available at amazon.com |
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The newest version of this indispensable reference has been updated. It
includes examples of local investigative reporting and easy to find Internet address
lists to help in computer-assisted investigations. |
Authors: Brant Houston, Len Bruzzese and Steve Weinberg.
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| Tell clearer,
stronger stories |
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Aim for the Heart is designed to be a guide for TV
reporters, producers and photojournalists who want to learn how to tell clearer and
stronger stories. This is practical material, real world techniques.
Al Tompkins is currently at the Poynter Institute. He spent 25 years as a reporter,
producer, photojournalist and news director. |
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| Broadcast
Newswriting |
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Veteran writing coach Merv Block provides tips about communicating on
television.
Here are excerpts from one of his books. More from
Merv Block
Check here for analysis of broadcast writing with specific examples. |
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Write clearly on
deadline
Identifying the story and possible elements, and constantly writing pieces of it, enables
you to have your material ready to go and ready to be changed at the last moment. The
writing coach for the Omaha World-Herald, Steve Buttry, outlines a "real
world" approach to daily reporting.
Repetition Is The Top
Reason
Viewers Watch Less Local News
Eliminating repetition must be a priority as stations re-invent
themselves this year.
"What we have learned from our viewers is that repetition is our
biggest enemy right now. Local viewers are not engaged in our product
when stories or information is repeated," says Deborah Collura, Vice
President News, Post-Newsweek Stations.
The problem of repetition is more than just running the same
package twice or a package in one show and a VO/SOT in another.
Larry Rickel, President and CEO of
The Broadcast Image Group, believes that you are competing against all other possible sources of
information. If a person thinks they know it already, they're gone.
 One station that has an aggressive anti-repetition approach is
WJXT-TV in Jacksonville. An independent, its staff produces eight hours of news a day. Vice
President/News Director Maureen Ruddy-Baker explained to us how they do it.
Subscribers: You can print the pdf of the full 10-
page article from our archives. Thank you.
Two Years Into Newsroom
Of Future:
How They've Done It
Re-engineering local news operations will be one of the biggest challenges facing news
executives in 2009. Here is the first in an occasional series on how station executives
and their staffs are coping with the pressures that are forcing dramatic
changes.
Gannett made early start, and began the change two years ago.
New procedures were introduced, old models abandoned.
Their changes began in March of 2007 --- well before
the economic turmoil hit.
"At first, the staff looked at me like I had two heads. But I had
'been to the mountain,' and bought into the fact that this was exactly
where we needed to be. This was before there was advertising pressure
and the economic decline that has escalated the transition to warp
speed," says Patti Dennis, VP News at KUSA-TV, Denver.
In this week's issue, this top news executive explains
how they have changed newsroom procedures and technology.
The Place to Be:
Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of
Television
Roger Mudd |
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One of television's top political reporters --- perhaps the top
political reporter --- shared the inside experiences of covering many
major stories. Roger Mudd was a lead correspondent on campaigns and Capitol Hill during
the 60s and 70s. He was also the prime substitute anchor for the
network.
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His memoir, based on his own notes and extensive interviews, tells of
his 20 years in the CBS News Washington bureau.
His story provides many, many important insights for anyone interested
in a career in television news. There are the details of
newsgathering and bringing stories to air. There are specifics about
getting along with management and competing with rivals.
Reporting on President Kennedy's murder
Television news team members had to keep functioning despite their shock and grief, they had to find out what
happened, confirm, and avoid rumors and making mistakes. Here are
the recollections of three journalists who covered the tragedy.
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| Book is a valuable tool for
staff development Don't
Get Distracted:
Stay Focused on Your Core Product |
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An updated edition of a valuable newsroom resource has just been published.
Delivering viewer-centered information is the focus of The Producing Strategy, Version
2.0, by veteran consultant Larry Rickel and longtime successful anchor Ed Sardella. |
| Their premise: everyone in the newsroom is a producer. We must all
be involved in strong storytelling and making the newscast a special experience for the
viewer. Don't abandon your power base while upgrading your new media, says Rickel.
As broadcasters move onto new platforms, it is more important than ever to stay
focused on the role the TV newscast plays in your four-screen strategy.
Rickel and Sardella explain their theories, and the value of their book. |
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Advancing
The Story:
Broadcast Journalism In A Multimedia World |
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Broadcast journalism is a good starting point for multimedia
storytelling. Two broadcast veterans explain how a person with television skills can
expand their abilities an excel in the new media. Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter
offer specific techniques and strategies for maximizing the advantages of each platform. |
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Television Newswriting Workshop
Advice and perspective from veteran network newswriter and critic Mervin Block.
A top resource.
Newslab training workshops
NewsLab is an online resource center for television and radio newsrooms, focused on
improving journalism. This organization
offers workshops for newsrooms and journalism groups around the world.
The Producer, the book.
An excellent resource on producing techniques is the work of Alice Main, a newsroom
manager and producer at several stations.
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Copyright 2009, Standish Publishing Company. This material is for
your personal use as a subscriber, and may not be reproduced or transmitted to other
parties of any kind.
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Sign Up Today!
The Rundown has reported weekly on local
television news, programming, and community service projects since 1981. This material now
fills a massive hard copy archive of 7,000 pages --- easily the largest record of hometown
television's activities. Key articles are available in our online archives.
Search
Rundown Archives
Free
45-page Report
Hostage
Crises:
Do You Let Gunmen Control Your Air?
When an upset, armed individual is threatening to kill
someone, the police commanders supervising the emergency response and the news executives
in charge of covering the confrontation have many sensitive decisions.
Here's how broadcast executives have dealt with these dangerous emergencies.
When Writing Mattered
Charles Kuralt began his career by winning a baseball writing contest when he was 12.
Vanderbilt
TV Archives
Three decades of network news shows cataloged and recorded.
Collegiate
Broadcasters Inc
CBI is an educational media organization with stations and student members.
Newslab training
workshops
NewsLab is an online resource center for television and radio newsrooms, focused on
improving journalism. This organization
offers workshops for newsrooms and journalism groups around the world.
Tips To Improve Your Writing
Writers and editors at the Providence Journal share their reflections and lessons
learned about reporting and writing. Here
are detailed articles that are well worth reviewing by anyone seriously interested in
reporting today.
Strunk's Elements of Style
Fundamental writing guide from Cornell professor and E. B. White. Strunk's suggestions are online from Columbia . If you need
a new copy in print, amazon.com has
it.
The Tongue
Untied
A guide to grammar, punctuation and style for journalists. This was developed
at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.
Guide to Grammar and Style
Prepared by Professor Jack Lynch of Rutgers University.
AP Stylebook
Amazon.com
has the updated edition that is the guide for many newspaper writers.
Writers
Write
A professional resource for journalists and writers with job listings, writer's
guidelines, chat, links, message boards, news, book reviews.
Investigative Reporters
and Editors
IRE provides extensive resoruces, including access to The National Institute for
Computer-Assisted Reporting.
National Press
Photographers Association
The central place for the latest photojournalism material .
Journalism Education
Association
This organization serves educators with many services.
The Working
Reporter
Valuable sources are categorized so you can quickly find resources that might work for
you.
Political Reporters
Resource Roadmap
Here are many links and resources nationwide.
Bob Baker's
Newsthinking
A veteran print journalist offers
excellent advice for any reporter or writer. This article gives practical ideas on how to
produce good
stories without wasting time.
Here are ideas about sharpening
the focus, energizing your lede,
and keeping it rolling.
Frank van
Riper
on Photography
Commentary from a Washington-based commercial
and documentary photographer
and author.
The Poynter
Institute
Helps journalists seek
and achieve excellence.
American Women in
Radio
and Television
AWRT's mission is to advance
the impact of women in
the electronic media.
A canoe trip across wild, remote Maine was organized by WGME-TV, Portland and the Press Herald.
News Director Kevin Lynch explained this big adventure.
Museum Broadcast
Communications
The MBC is a not-for-profit organization that has offered opportunities
for public learning to a diverse population since 1987 in Chicago.
Its mission is to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform, and entertain
through our archives, public programs, screenings, exhibits, publications and online
access.
Live. Local. BROKEN News. The Re-engineering of Local TV
offers strategies to survive the extraordinary changes underway in technology and audience media habits.
These are the theories of the veteran consultants at Audience Research And Development.
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