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No matter which local news channel I watch (usually 5 or 6 PM), whoever is in charge of queuing up various video clips, still images, and even commercials, is terribly sloppy. Wrong or no video or still; missing or wrong audio with a video or still; or dead air instead of proper timing cutting to or from commercials. And, those transitions between news segments...give me a break! Do they really think it is impressive to have fancy animated graphics of their logo/tagline when switching from one reporter to the next? They are just burning up seconds at every transition, that could have been used to present additional, actual, usefull facts.
Facts are scarce enough as it is...much more likely to be very vague locations (often not even a neighborhood); weak or no physical descriptions; or the old "our source could not comment on an ongoing investigation"; or "follow us online for updates as they become available".
I guess they are just emulating the mainstream print/online media in many ways. I guess being a Boomer I still remember the good old days of actual journalism where the "who, what, why, when, where, and how" were far more "normal" pieces of reporting. Often times even the actual sources were named...
As far as their transitions from one camera/feed to another, it is as if the person handling the controls simply does not care and is not paying attention to the talent OR to the"pre set" and "on air" monitors as they should be. Poor work ethic, in my opinion.
Do they really think it is impressive to have fancy animated graphics of their logo/tagline when switching from one reporter to the next? They are just burning up seconds at every transition, that could have been used to present additional, actual, usefull facts.
There is an actual reason for the 'transition' graphics. Usually, the live reporter waits for their story to be introduced by the anchor, then starts talking. There is a one or two-second lag between the intro and the reporter because the reporter out in the field (or in another part of the studio) hears the audio in an earpiece or from their phone, which produces an unavoidable lag. The producers realized that they could mask the lag time by airing those graphics rather than airing two seconds of a reporter listening to the anchor on a delay.
Occasionally the game is given away when the reporter accidentally leaves the phone too loud on speaker, leading to the anchor's last few words being picked up by the reporter's microphone to produce an echo effect.
That point aside, it's no secret that these local reporters are not paid very well and often have to fly by the seat of their pants since they are so dependent on whatever technology the station can afford and the skills of the folks in the control room. It's up to directors and stage managers to make sure the videos are cued up properly, but it's the on-air talent left twisting in the wind when there are "technical issues". It seems like they'll have certain evenings where nothing goes wrong, and others where nothing goes right so it might be the "good" director's night off.
There is an actual reason for the 'transition' graphics. Usually, the live reporter waits for their story to be introduced by the anchor, then starts talking. There is a one or two-second lag between the intro and the reporter because the reporter out in the field (or in another part of the studio) hears the audio in an earpiece or from their phone, which produces an unavoidable lag. The producers realized that they could mask the lag time by airing those graphics rather than airing two seconds of a reporter listening to the anchor on a delay.
I hear you, but here they are using the graphics between news segments (without commercial break), sometimes with the same anchor, sometimes simply cutting to the second person at the same anchor desk. And when cutting to the weather person. It is just excessive to me. It is so similar to actual tv and radio ads that repeat two or more time during ONE commercial break (not to mention ALSO multiple times per one half hour long show). Some of those are so annoying they will NEVER have me as a customer!
To your actual example, I actually see little of that as well. Usually when they cut over to the live video, the reporter is listening in their earpiece, nodding like a bobblehead for several seconds until they do start to speak. I just find it all very unprofessional, especially when it happens SO often.
I guess if this is the worst aggravation I have, I am lucky indeed. Sometimes you just need to vent a little.
. Usually when they cut over to the live video, the reporter is listening in their earpiece, nodding like a bobblehead for several seconds until they do start to speak. I just find it all very unprofessional, especially when it happens SO often.
Oh, we have one of those on a local channel. I half-expect him to clap his hands and bark like a seal.
Quote:
The biggest failure is the lack of local news reporting
This same station, owned by a national media conglomerate, expanded to roughly 8 hours of "local" news on weekdays (spread through the day) and it has slowly transitioned to lots of "packaged" news stories syndicated to all the stations the conglomerate owns and operates. They try (and usually fail) to make those stories feel like something produced locally, when they are in fact very agenda/narrative-pushing and don't fit the station's style at all. Yet they persist.
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