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Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
Producers

I'll Write It, and We'll Do It Live!

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Technically, the entire ATVN newscast is done live. But there is something different about having a reporter live at a remote location, away from the studio. Then our newscast can take viewers right to the action as it's happening, instead of an anchor just describing it. Live shots also give us the opportunity to cover something that may have happened late in the day - something that we wouldn't otherwise be able to turn around in time for the newscast.

That, I think, is the first and most important point of a good live shot. If an event wrapped up by 10am, there's not much point in having a reporter there live at 6pm, no matter the magnitude (with a few exceptions). The event must still be relevant - or better yet, happening, while the reporter is live on-air. One of the biggest taboos is going "live for the sake of live," or doing a live shot just because the technical ability is there.

On Tuesday, our top story was election day. Specifically, it was a report on Measure B in Hermosa Beach, which would have stipulated that bars and other businesses close an hour earlier than at present (it did not pass). Had we been able to do a live shot, we could have had our reporter Astrid live at a polling place and do a live intro and tag around her package on the measure. While technically not close to USC, the story affected the lives of many students at USC over age 21 who frequent Hermosa Beach bars on weekends.

While Astrid did a great job with her package as is, having her live on scene would have added a significant level of professional legitimacy to our newscast. Hopefully next week this can happen.

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