Finding a Lead: Oh the Places We’ll Go
“Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
Finding a top notch lead is essential to our newscast and, as a Monday teammate, I need to make sure we start the ATVN week off on a good note.
Sometimes a lead story is obvious (last week we had Amanda Knox’s sentencing) but sometimes there are a few options that would work.
This week we had to brainstorm a bit. It was Columbus Day so our budget was empty and since a lot of professionals and government officials were off work, we knew that interviews would be hard.
So we looked at the bigger picture and started narrowing pitches down. As for our “package” ideas we had the USC Wells Project, Dream Act, Gun Ban, Pat Haden at Sportswalk, Occupy LA, and the NBA Lockout. All of these were certainly interesting and had a decent amount of ‘chunk’ to them but from here we had to break down what THE MOST important story was for the day.What was everyone expecting to hear about? What would be relevant for USC students?
What was everyone expecting to hear about? What would be relevant for USC students? What would have an impact? What could be a make or break? And most importantly (I think) what stands out today?
Out of all of our choices the USC Wells Project, NBA Lockout and Dream Act stood out for me. The USC Wells Project was the biggest news around campus. For the next ten days two-hundred ‘SC students would be drinking tap water to raise money for wells in Rwanda. The NBA Lockout would also affect students (and LA sports fans), but this one was a gamble. Granted, it was a huge story in itself, but the fact that we wouldn’t hear about the NBA's decision until after our show was airing/had aired was tricky. And then there was the Dream Act. The Dream Act not only affected 'SC students, but it also hit college and university systems throughout the country. Illegal immigrants would now be able to receive financial aid (something that they have never had before). Although I would argue that the Lockout was the biggest make or break for the day, the Dream Act went far beyond "sports fans". It was controversial, timely, and directly related to "us".
So that’s what we went with… and by the end of the day when our Lockout package didn't make air, I knew we had made the right choice.
“And did we succeed? Yes! We did, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed).”
