We are a variety of working broadcast professionals, offering advice & guidance to people interested in tv, online & radio broadcasting ______________________________________________
________________________________________TaiTakahashi
Editorial: The Place for Opinion
Part of the appeal of one particular cable news organization has been its success in cultivating opinion-based journalism. Although everyone who has ever been to journalism school would contend “opinion based journalism” is an oxymoron, some have cleverly found a way to make the two seemingly contradictory schools of thought co-exist. I was just breaking [...]
TV News: Building a Brand
I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to explain branding. The two most commonly asked questions are: Why do we have to do it? Why do we do it so often? The answers are a lot simpler than you might think. Branding, in most rudimentary terms, is a statement of who you are. It [...]
Editorial: Information Versus Entertainment
Just what is the primary purpose of news? Die-hard news-types will always argue the primary purpose is to inform. However, all too often, entertainment-oriented news creeps into daily newscasts. When pressed for answers, managers will often shrug and state the mother of all cliches: “It’s what viewers want.” Like it or not, the debate takes [...]
First Jobs: “Producing” Your Way to the Top…
Good producers are worth their weight in gold. It’s a philosophy worth remembering – not because producers are more valuable than any other employee, but because the most gifted employees have figured out how to think like producers. Those who’ve picked up this trick rise to the top day in, day out. For instance, a [...]
First Jobs: The “ABC”‘s of Reporting 101
A line from the famous Alec Baldwin role in “Glengarry, Glen, Ross” came to mind as I began to write this week’s post. Baldwin’s character angrily chastised workers for not selling enough real estate. He used the “ABC” acronym, which stands for “Always Be Closing.” There is a hidden message in this scene for all [...]
Editorial: Why Weather is King…
Every time it rains, you’re likely to see many news directors go into their “game” mode. They want pictures. They want to send their crews out for live, team coverage. Although everyone seems to understand the mentality of wanting to win weather, it’s also easy to be cynical. Viewers know what rain looks like. Viewers [...]
Always Be Local: The Secret to Sports
This week, I thought I’d write to aspiring sportscasters. Young women and men alike are competing for these jobs and it is becoming more and more difficult to land them. For starters, a number of stations are making the bold move to eliminate sports from their daily broadcasts. The time a sportscaster has for his [...]
First Jobs: Rejection Happens
Let me start off this week’s post with a scenario. You have a new job as a reporter. You work hard every day, hoping to be promoted to anchor when that job becomes available. Within a few months, the noon anchor moves on, and you eagerly apply for the job. You put your best foot [...]
First Jobs: Landing the Interview; “The Best Fit”
Many moons ago, I embarked on a journey in an attempt to land my first broadcast job. I called, set up appointments, and traveled on my own dime (even though I had very few of those). Some kept their appointments with me, others did not. Within 45 days, I received an offer for my first [...]
