B R O A D C A S T J O U R N A L I S M Techniques of Radio and TV News

Third Edition

ANDREW BOYD

CONTENTS

Acknowledgemen ts

Foreword

How to use this book

List of illustrations

Part One

NEWS GATHERING

1 What is news? Proximity-

Relevance Immediacy Interest Drama .\—JL L.1.1 1 l t_ l

Entertainment Different types of news

Emergencies Crime Local and national

government Planning and

developments Conflict and

controversy Pressure groups Industry-Health Human interest Personalities Sport Seasonal news Special local interest Weather Traffic Animals

X

xi

xiii

xiv

3 3

4 4 4 5

5 5 6 7

7

7

7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9

10

Checklist Fieldwork

2 News sources

Reporters Contacts

Newsroom diary Files

Check calls Emergency services radio

The 10 code Politicians

Pressure groups Staged events

The protest The announcement

The set-piece News releases Syndicated tapes Freelances

Advantages and disadvantages of using stringers

Tip-offs Hoaxes Wire services and news

agencies The network

Other news media 'Get the father...'

Shared material Fieldwork

3 Getting the story Newsroom conference Copytasting Balance of news Visuals and actuality The brief The angle

10 11

12

13 13

13 14

15 16 16 17

17 17 18 18

18 19 19 21

21

22 22

23 24

26 27 28 28

29 29 30 30 31 31 32

Chasing the contact 34 Staged news conferences 35 Beating the clock 36

Work to sequence 36 Don't panic 37

Fieldwork 37

WRITING FOR BROADCAST

4 Conversational writing 39 Telling the story Writing for a mass

audience No second chance Confusing clauses Inverted sentences Plain English Familiar words Easy listening Accurate English Keep it concrete Make it interesting Contractions Rhythm Fieldwork

5 Newswriting The news angle Multi-angled stories Hard news formula The intro Placing key words Feature openers Developing the story The WHAT formula Signposting Last line Last words Accuracy Fieldwork

40

41 42 44 44 44 45 45 46 47 48 48 49 50

51! 52 53 54 54 55 57 58 58 59 60 60 61 63

V

Contents

6 Broadcast style book 65 Cliches 65 Journalese 67 Hyperbole 68 Adjectives 69 Quotations 69 Attribution 69 Contentious statements 70 Immediacy 71 Active 72 Positive 73 Redundancies 73 Repetition 73 Homonyms 74 Singular or plural? 74 Pronouns 74 Punctuation 74 Spelling 75 Abbreviations 75 Figures 75 Proof reading 76 Ambiguity 77 Fieldwork 77

INTERVIEWING 7 The interview 79 The interviewer's skill 80 Different types of

interview 80 A disaster story? 80

Hard news 82 Informational 83 Investigative 83 Adversarial 84 Interpretative 85 Personal 85 Emotional 86 Entertainment 87 Actuality only 87 Telephone or remote 88 Vox pop and multiple 88 Grabbed 89

The disaster story continues... 90

Fieldwork 91

8 Setting up the interview 92 Background 93

A plan of campaign -the questions 93

Get your facts right 93 Fit the brief 94 Check arrangements 94 Approach 94

Pre-chat 95 Body language 96 Discussing the

questions 96 The questions 97

Using notes 97 Ask questions that

will get answers 98 Yes/no questions 99 Avoid questions that

call for monologues 100 Short, single idea

questions 100 Progress from point

to point 101 Building bridges 101 Avoid double questions 101 Keep the questions

relevant 101 Avoid leading

questions 102 Mixing statements

with questions 103 Beware of questions

that would be out of date 103

Avoid sounding ignorant 103

Winding up the interview 104 Finish strongly 104

Being interviewed yourself: the О & A 105 Introducing actuality 105

Fieldwork 105

THE NEWS PROGRAMME

9 From 2 minute headlines to 24 hour news 108 The bulletin 109 News programmes 109 Documentary 109 Verite 109

24 hour news 111 Who does what? 112

Network TV news 112 Local radio news 113

Fieldwork 113

10 Item selection and order A fair picture...' 114 Second thoughts 116 Item order 116

1 The significance of 117 the story

2 The material impact 117 of the story

3 Audience reaction 117 4 The topicality of the 117

story 5 The immediacy 117

factor 6 Sport/specialisms 118 7 Linking items 118 8 Actuality/pictures 118 9 'And finally...' 118

Local considerations 118 Foreign coverage 119 Producing a running

order 119 Fieldwork 122

11 Putting the show together Establishing programme 123

identity Winning an audience - 124

the openers Keeping an audience - 124

headlines and promotions 124

Actuality 125 Pictures 126 Graphics 127 Programme balance -

being all things to all people 127 Groupings and variety 128 Rhythm and pace 130 And now the good news 132

Fieldwork 132

vi

Contents

12 Making the programme fit 134 Cutting 134 Filling 136 Backtiming 137 Fieldwork 137

PRESENTING THE NEWS

13 News anchors and presenters 138 The talent 138 Anchors versus

newsreaders 139 Qualities of a

newscaster 140 Women newscasters 140 More than just a

newsreader... 141 Professionalism 142 Voice 143 Fieldwork 144

14 'On-air!' 146 Performance 146 Presence 147 Getting through to the

audience: rapport 148 Know your material 149 Ad-libs 150 The gate 150 Making a swift

recovery 151 Corpsing 153 Relaxation 153 Fieldwork 154

15 Newsreading mechanics 156 Speed 156 Breathing 156 Projection 158 Emphasis 158 Pitch 159 Microphone technique 159 Using the prompter 161 Noise, noise, noise 163 Bringing the story to life 163 Fieldwork 164

DUTIES AND DILEMMAS

16 Power, freedom and responsibility 167 Power 167 Regulation 168 'Independence' 168 Censorship in

developing nations 169 The myth of objectivity 170

Opinion and comment 171 Campaigning

journalism 172 Impartiality under fire 172 Responsible reporting 173

Reporting disorder 173 Camera bias 175 Distortion 176 Sensationalism 176 Good taste 176 Privacy 178

Internal pressures on reporting 179

Resources 179 Selection 179 Pressures of ratings 180 Pressures of

advertising 180 The law 181

Libel 181 National Union of

Journalists' code of professional conduct 181

Fieldwork 182

Part Two

INSIDE THE BBC WORLD SERVICE 17 The best of British 187 The newsroom 188 Foreign correspondents 189 Bi-media reporting 190 The news conference 192 The stories 192 Accuracy 194 The service 194 Newsdesk 196

Newsreaders Independence The Way Ahead? Fieldwork

199 199 200 201

RADIO NEWS COVERAGE

18 Story treatment Newsflash Headline Copy story Voicer or voice report Teaser or taster Voice report from the

scene Interview Newsclip Package Mini-wrap Fieldwork

203 204 205 206 206 207

208 210 212 213 216 217

THE EQUIPMENT

19 Principles of recording Tape

Reclaiming tape Care of tapes

Cartridges Pros and cons of carts Digital carts

Principles of recording Sound How recordings are

made Tape heads Tracks Video recording Digital recording Bias Equalization Noise reduction Types of

microphone Fieldwork

219 220 221 222 222 222 224 224 224 224

224 224 225 225 226 226 226 226

227

20 Using portable sound recorders 229

VII

Contents

Reel-to reel versus cassette: advantages and disadvantages Reel-to-reel: The

Uher Cassette: The

Marantz Before the interview

Mike handling Lining up the victim Setting up the room Dealing with

distractions The level check Are you sitting

comfortably? Logging the tape Maintain eye contact Adjusting levels

Fieldwork

21 Editing Studio tape decks Marking and cutting The editing block Leader tape Dub editing 'You can't see the

join...1

Editing a thirty second bulletin clip

Unethical editing Mixing Setting levels Types of fade Fieldwork

229

230

234 235 235 236 236

236 237

237 237 237 238 238

239 240 241 243 243 244

244

244 245 246 246 247 249

22 The studio today and radio tomorrow On-air studio Talks studio The contributions studio Remote studios Radio car Outside broadcast

vehicle Portable telephones Telephone reports

Phone levels

250 250 251 251 252 252

253 253 253 255

Obscenity button The touchscreen studio Tomorrow? Fieldwork

Part Three

INSIDE ITN 23 Independent Television News Cetting the news The editors The producers Getting the programme

on air Fieldwork

24 A story is born Chasing the story The ring round Shooting the soundbite Edit suite Chasing pictures Anya Feed Piece to camera Compiling the report Fieldwork

255 256 257 259

263 264 266 267

270 271

272 273 273 275 276 279 279 281 281 282 283

HOW TELEVISION WORKS

25 The story of TV Early days The camera How television pictures

are transmitted The TV set Satellite and cable TV Fieldwork

TV NEWS COVERAGE

26 Gathering the news ENG versus film The camera crew

Cameraperson Recordist Lighting technician

285 285 288

288 289 290 291

, 292 292 292 294 296 297

Film The outside broadcast Getting the story back Master control room Fieldwork

27 Camera shots The shots Camera positions Sequence of shots Shot length Grab action shots first Shoot for impact Context Pictures should

complement the narrative

Sound Cutaways

Telescoping the action Reverses

The line Continuity Pieces to camera Planning - the full

treatment Fieldwork

TV SCRIPTWRITING

28 Writing the script The cue (lead, or link) Writing to sound Keep detail to a

minimum Script layout Balancing words with

pictures Using the library Fieldwork

COMPILING THE REF

29 Editing videotape and film Editing videotape

The tape The tape editor The editing suite

300 301 302 304 304

305 305 307 307 308 309 309 309

310 310 311 312 312 314 314 315

316 317

319 320 320

322 322

325 326 327

ORT

330 330 330 331 331

Vlll

Contents

The timer 331 The edit controller 331 Video mixing 332 Recording the

commentary 332 Audio mixing 332

Playing the tape on air 333 The video cartridge 333

Editing film 333 The film 333 Different types of film 334 Editing sound on film 334 The double system 335

The film editor's eguipment 335 The enemy within 335 The editing bench 336 The sound reader 337 Marking the edits 338 Splicing 338 Leadering and cues 338 Assembling the print 339

Playing the film on air 339 Telecine 340 The roU through 340

Fieldwork 340

30 VISUALS 341 Stills 341

Screening stills 342 Film library 343

Electronic graphics 343 Graphic stills and animations 343 Painting with light 344

Titles and captions 345 Overlays 347

Chromakey 348 Back projection 348 Inlay 348

Fieldwork 349

THE NEWS STUDIO

31 'Standby for transmission...' The set

Lighting Cameras Sound The floor manager Prompting

Control room The director Other personnel Running order

Fieldwork

350 350 351 352 352 353 353 354 355 356 357 358

PUSHING BACK THE FRONTIERS 32 Tomorrow 359 The computerized

newsroom 359

Teletext 361 Next steps 363 Digital TV 363

Developments in space 365

Fieldwork 366

APPENDICES 368

1 A career in TV and radio 368 Jobs in radio 369 Television 369 Freelancing 370 Union membership 371 Getting started 371

Approaching news editors 372

The interview 373 Training courses 373 Degree or not degree...? 375 Personal qualities 375

2 Addresses of vocational and pre-vocational courses in broadcasting

Glossary

Further reading

Index

377

383

391

393

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