Sabtu, 16 Oktober 2010

Summary of Assignment English for Media and Advertising






TV NEWSROOM ORGANIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES


TV stations around the country follow similar routines, made possible by a formal organization structure. News departments are generally headed by a news director, who is responsible for overseeing the operation of the news department in term of personal, budget and policy. The smaller the station, the more likely it is that each person will have several jobs. On occasion, the news director will double as assignment editor, responsible for sending reporters and videographers to cover stories and coordinating the work of stringers, who are freelance correspondents, generally in distant locations, that supply reports the station would not otherwise have. The assignment editor usually starts the day by scanning local and regional newspaper to ensure awareness of upcoming events or make sure the station has not been scooped by the competition. Reporters at small-to medium-market TV station are likely to be general assignment reporters with multiple responsibilities. Good reporters, like assignment editors, read local newspaper and listen to the news radio station o the way into the newsroom or the first stop on their beats.
Other people affect the news department’s operation, as follow :

-         The chief photographer is responsible maintaining portable video equipment and training videographers.

-         The editorial writer prepares station editorial position in consultation with management.


-         The technical director is the engineer responsible for taking the news program that has been prepared and directing and its delivery over the air.
                                                                                                                

















Putting the Pieces Together : The Producer

      The news program combines the efforts of  everyone in the newsroom into the station’s various newscasts. He or she confers with the assignment editor to assess the importance of various news stories. Commercials divide sections, of the newscast, fixed time blocks are set for sports and weather, and time is allotted for program introductions and conclusion (“intros” and “outros”) and transition lines (“tosses”) between air talent or into commercials.In smaller market station, where news is scare or few reporters are available to cover stories, the producer rarely has too much material. On slow days, in fact, stations may run stories that otherwise would not ordinarily make the news. In large market, more reporters are trying to put material on the air. The producer often has to argue and cajole to convince people to cut story length or to agree to hold a feature for a day or two.

        
             Working Relationship

Interpersonal relationship are important in the successful operation of any broad cast station. The business is known for attracting big egos and working with those people can be a challenge. A good general rule is not to unnecessarily  make anyone angry with you because you never know when things will come back to bite you. The engineering and floor crew, for instance, is vital for the night-after-night success of the evening news. The words gets around in the professional community, by the way, that someone is difficult to work with. A reputation for being troublesome, no matter how talented an individual may be, is often the “kiss of death” for advancement or even for having the opportunity to compete for plum assignments.





















WRITING FOR TV NEWS
                                                

TV news report, designed around sounds and visual, are uniquely able to let listeners and viewers “go” to an event through aural or visual stimulation, which enables TV to involve its audience emotionally. Consider the person for whom copy is being prepared. Although most stations have a standard length for copy, announcers or anchor do not always read to those speeds. The day of ripping copy off  the wire-service machines are over in many news operations. Wire-service copy is now available to computers and broadcast reporters can access the same online sources available to print journalist. Large-market TV stations use computer system to produce their news. The computer also feeds the TelePromTers in the studio during the newscast, and some automatically insert graphic material listed on each script.


         TV Script

Script are headed by a slug line, which is the name for a story-fatal auto ax, for instance-and often contain the name of the writer and of the date. The TV technical director also marks up the scripts before the newscast to indicate which cameras and microphones will be used. There are several varieties of TV scripts. The most basic, the reader, is a nonvideo script and consists of copy read  without any supporting visual. Reporters also put together interview stories that are SOT, or sound on tape. The most complex piece is called a standupper, in which the reporter in the field-often standing in front of the camera-produces a self-contained video package. Scripted, it begins with copy read in the studio introducing the news event and the reporter. In terms of script format, TV uses a vertically split page, with technical cues on the left and announcer copy on the right. To ensure that the anchor does not inadvertently read the visual cues, the left side of the page is often written in capital and lowercase letters; the right side is in all caps.

 
            














        Writing Style

Broadcast writing is both simple and conversational. Copywriters need to consistently follow the style of their news organization; to not do so could be confusing for the news producer or announcer. The producer and technical director ideally should talk about the late arrival, where it goes in the show, who will read it, and any technical adjustment it requires. The same rule of clarity apply when going live to a scene or taking a late- breaking network cut-in.


       Sound Bites

A sound bite is incorporated within a story, not only does it provide factual information but background sounds also say a lot about the scene. Scripts are with sound bites in mind the nature of the sound bite and the time available for it dictate how the story will be shaped. Copy should move into the sound bite, leading the listener or viewer logically to what is going to be heard. Because audience attention spans are short, sound bites are too. Short sound bites may lack perspective; therefore, it is important for the reporter to bring in background and update the audience about what’s happened before. The sound bite needs to be clear and understandable, free of interfering background noise and devoid of professional jargon. Law enforcement officers, social workers, engineers, and computer buffs, along with military personal, often speak their own unique language. Sound bites should be chosen not only for factual information, but also for colorful language or for opinion and reasoned speculation. Sound often adds drama to a radio or TV story. Fire, accident and rescue scenes all carry background natural or “wild” sound, which heightens listener or viewer interest in the piece. Be careful not to overuse background sound, however, and don’t exploit a tragic situation.





















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