We are a variety of working broadcast professionals, offering advice & guidance to people interested in tv, online & radio broadcasting ______________________________________________
________________________________________Editorial
Ethics: Selling vs. Storytelling
I used to have a managing editor who would emphatically declare, “Let ‘em buy time!” whenever someone would pitch a story about a new product or service. It’s common to be faced with the opportunity or desire to report on something somebody else is selling. It’s human nature to want to discuss the latest gadget, the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
