Newscast Preparations

To prepare for the newscasts, it is important for the producers to know the news stories for the day as well as the newest information for the stories. However, it is not enough to just look through the newswire and the budget to gather story ideas. As producers, we have to pay attention to the news every day to make sure we know what is going in our community and in the world so we understand the news stories as a whole. Understanding the background of the story helps us understand why the newest piece of information for the story is important.

For example, the government shutdown lasted for weeks and it was important for the producers to watch the news every day and understand the newest angles to the impact of the government shutdown. For one of the Wednesday newscasts, we knew the impact of the government shutdown on the veterans' benefits was the newest and most important angle of the government shutdown story. 

It is also crucial for the producers to watch the news the night before the newscast and to start thinking of package ideas as well as the news throughout the day of air. Watching the news the night before will help producers understand which stories are ongoing and which stories are old. As we work on developing the stories throughout the day, we also have to keep an eye on the newswire for breaking news.