Television News, 4th Edition

Television News, 4th Edition

by Ivor Yorke, Ray Alexander
Released April 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136026171

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Book description

A straightforward account of the editorial and production processes used by journalists to bring television news to the viewer. It is an invaluable text for students on journalism courses, print and radio journalists moving into television and TV journalists wishing to update their knowledge. Takes into account the latest practices and issues in the television industry.

This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to take account of the latest practices and issues in the television industry. It includes new illustrations of developments from both a technological and an editorial perspective.

In a changing broadcasting environment, newcomers to television journalism are finding themselves entering a world in which an empathy with technology is as important as a way with words. The newsroom itself is now completely computerized and consequently new skills and working methods need to be mastered to take account of the revolutionary advances.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. About the author
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. 1 Introduction
    1. The evolution of television news, 1954–2000
  9. 2 Getting into television
    1. What qualities for the beginner
      1. A good education
      2. An insatiable interest in news and current events
      3. Evidence of a commitment to journalism
      4. The right personality
      5. ‘Broadcastability’
      6. Other skills
      7. The ability to write
    2. Eyes on your target
    3. Writing in on spec
    4. Direct-entry training opportunities
    5. Catering for special needs
    6. Trainee selection methods
    7. Getting in from college
    8. National Vocational Qualifications
  10. 3 The electronic jigsaw puzzle
    1. How television gets its news
      1. Staff, freelances and stringers
      2. Foreign news sources
      3. International news agencies
      4. Archives
      5. Video news releases
  11. 4 Who does what in television news
    1. Multimedia working and multi-skilling
    2. The organization of television news
    3. The news-gathering machine
    4. Reporters and camera crews
    5. Domestic assignments
    6. Covering the world
    7. The three faces of output
    8. Writers
    9. Production output
    10. Technical output
    11. Integrated newsroom systems
    12. Newsroom layout
    13. Computerized newsrooms
    14. And the history of the future …
  12. 5 Writing for television news
    1. Television style
      1. Broadcast language
      2. Reader on camera
      3. Adding illustration
    2. The digital frame-store
      1. Stacking and cropping
      2. Storage and retrieval
      3. Making the choice
      4. Writing to still pictures or insets
      5. Composites and split screens
    3. Electronic graphics
      1. The artist and the writer
      2. Pictures with tape sound
      3. Widescreen transmission
  13. 6 Words and images
    1. Perspective: the history of the lightweight revolution
      1. Introducing colour
      2. The rise of ENG – electronic news-gathering
      3. How ENG works
      4. Picture editing
      5. Shot-listing and the script
      6. Non-linear editing
  14. 7 Writing to pictures
    1. Basic commentary construction
      1. Building in the pauses
      2. Getting started
    2. Scripting sports news
    3. Cueing into speech
    4. Selecting soundbites
      1. Last words about pictures
      2. The golden rules of writing to pictures
  15. 8 Television news reporting
    1. Reporting as a career
      1. Learning the ropes
      2. Speech
      3. Mannerisms
      4. Dress
    2. The reporter’s role
      1. Ready for assignment
      2. Reporter as manager
  16. 9 Reporting techniques
    1. Pieces to camera
      1. Knowing the words
      2. Studio spots
    2. Interviewing
      1. Purpose and preparation
      2. Four main forms of news interview
      3. Putting the questions
      4. Coping with the answers
      5. The set-piece interview, step by step
      6. Studio interviews
  17. 10 Packaging the news
    1. ‘Topfield’ picture package
      1. Editing the package
      2. Writing the intro
      3. Making ‘films’
  18. 11 The camera at work
    1. Soft news camera
    2. Hard news camera
    3. Safety
    4. Camera equipment
    5. Microphones
    6. Basics of camerawork
    7. International assignments
    8. Getting it home
      1. Telling it to the birds: the development of satellites in the late twentieth century
      2. Satellite news-gathering
      3. Meeting the deadline
      4. The field producer/fixer
  19. 12 Constructing a news programme
    1. The news ‘programme’ is born
    2. Putting it together
      1. Preparing for action
      2. Programme meetings
      3. Post-mortems
      4. The running order
      5. Running order format
      6. Timing
      7. Dealing with breaking news
    3. Countdown to transmission: The Five O’Clock Report
    4. Setting out the script
  20. 13 Production and presentation
    1. The control room
    2. The studio
      1. Sound and lighting
      2. Sets
    3. Script conference
    4. Rehearsal and transmission
    5. Local and regional news
    6. Headlines
      1. Guidelines for headline pictures
    7. Insets and studio-set idents
    8. Halfway
    9. End headlines
    10. Linking to the weather
  21. 14 Presenting the news
    1. How it began: newsreader or newscaster?
    2. Modern presenting
      1. Doing it in pairs
      2. Working with presenters
    3. Training to be a presenter
  22. 15 Media convergence and the future
    1. The Internet and television journalists
    2. Cable television
    3. Direct satellite
    4. Teletext
    5. Combination video-journalism
  23. 16 Conclusion
    1. Taste, decency and ethics
  24. Further reading
  25. Glossary
  26. Index

Product information

  • Title: Television News, 4th Edition
  • Author(s): Ivor Yorke, Ray Alexander
  • Release date: April 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136026171