Don't Get Bogged Down By The Budget

A great morning editorial meeting makes a great broadcast.  It's the time when things in the newsroom are slowest and the producers can get on the same page.  I like to come in with a prior knowledge of the budget so we don't have to go through it story by story.  Team Thursday is at a slight disadvantage because our morning meeting gets cut short, so we have to pick our focuses quickly and flesh them out.  In addition to the budget, it is important to know the news of the day.  What do we need to update or follow up on?  What should we watch throughout the day?  Efficiency is key in the morning meeting and that efficiency is achieved by being prepared.  Once we settle on our big stories, we start making calls.  It is critical to keep the assignment editors current on your stories and hound them about calling people, calling them back and scheduling interviews.  When the assignment desk isn't together, the newsroom suffers.  It is also important to brief the MJs and reporters on the stories you want them to cover.  The more they know, the better the story becomes.  It doesn't hurt to call them while they're out if something breaks or there is a new development.  

Communication is the driving force of the newsroom.  The morning meeting sets the pace of that communication for the day and the broadcast is a reflection of that.