Story Time

As any producer will begrudgingly tell you, a producing shift at Annenberg TV News runs from 8:00am - 7:00pm.

But if that's all the producers say, then they're not telling you the whole story.

The process doesn't even begin the same morning as your shift. In fact, often times it starts days before.

Don't get your news from here! Go find something original!

Coming into the 8:00am pitch meeting shouldn't be a starting point. It takes an incredible amount of preparation. And if you don't come in prepared, you won't have to worry about making air at 6pm--you won't even have a show.

The pitch meeting requires a TON of research. It's not enough to watch the morning news and ace your quiz. That only requires knowing what's going on in the most basic of senses.

They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery... We call it "old news."

Do something new! Come up with something orginal! That's not going to come from watching NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, (insert cable news here). That's been done--that's why those networks are airing it.

You could get an idea from watching these stations, but your story needs to be developed. Find a unique angle; find the person no one has interviewed.

So you have an idea... Don't stop there! Don't be content to have "just an idea." Know your pitch forwards, backwards, inside and out. Who do you need to contact? Where do you need to shoot? Already be thinking about how people will react to your story and go a step further: answer the questions those viewers will ask!

These teleprompters won't come up with stories on their own!

You'll thank yourself later. Coming in with great story pitches and package ideas will make your show infinitely better (and your job infinitely easier).

So do your homework! (Quite literally, though--it's part of your grade.) Research quality package ideas and be thorough. Come up with new ideas; don't recycle what cable news is running.

Unique packages will make your show pop. It's hard to stand out in the crowded field of broadcast news. Do yourself and your viewers a favor: show everyone something they haven't seen and tell a story that hasn't been told.