Writing the facts

Week three was definitely an eye opener for me. Being a producer is a lot more than copying and pasting stories for the script. Producers are the navigators. They are the ones who create the map of the show, for the director to follow. Producers have a huge responsibility in show management. They have the ability to control a miss hap or miss communication with anyone in the show, to get it back on track. Even if something happens that is really terrible and un intentional, they have to remain calm in order to keep others in the control room calm. Writing, fact checking, and keeping track of time are just a few of the important things a producer must do.

Writing will always be a huge requirement to have in any profession, but in news it is imperative. The best part about writing is that it can be conversational. Your writing has to be easily understood. I have always known I have an editorial style of writing, which can be my kryptonite when it comes to writing VOs sometimes. However, once I got into the swing of things, I started to write in a way that made Jo realize I have a thing for writing.

Getting the stories was something fun and new for me. I did not know that producers had an all access pass to other affiliate stations’ scripts (OPUS locations), from all over the country. News Channel 3 is an affiliate of CBS and CNN. Which means they are able to use stories from them as well. Best part about fact checking is going around and finding if a story is well known and then taking all of the different stories and creating your own.

Producers do a lot and it is time consuming. Learning how to make sure the back and front time were correct, was something new to me. Hopefully Jo and I can continue to work on that. It is very important to know how much time you have in a newscast. I have continued to learn so much, that I grow more in love with this experience. I look forward to learning even more next week.