Going Live

Thanks to social media and the development of technology, most of the facts can be delivered on the Web through Twitter or news alerts when there is breaking news. As well as going live, a television newscast can present visual elements to the story that are happening right now.

I remember doing a live shot for my 306 class. Professor Randy Paige gave us an opportunity to do a live shot next to an actual KTLA van! He gave us a hypothetical story of a gunman hiding in a building on the USC campus. I learned how I should communicate with the anchor, producer and the operator for a successful broadcast.

Although reporters and producers do not have the same role when it comes to live shots, it all comes down to three things: communicating, having backups and knowing the full story. A rundown has to be clear to all members in the studio, the streambox operator and the reporter. If there are any changes that have to be made because of technical problems, I need to make everyone in the studio aware of this in a loud, clear voice to save time and avoid awkward pauses.

Backups are necessary too. Printing the backup script takes only 10 seconds but this little thing could save the whole live segment. For successful back p scripts and communication, producers and reporters should know the story well enough so they can present in their own words in a matter of seconds. 

Going live is exciting for everyone, but our team should not go live just because we should. We should think of stories that are visually compelling, or if there is breaking news around campus. The live element should add something to the whole newscast. Sometimes when I watch breaking news on a local newscast, I see just a building in the background behind the reporter. I think live reporting should go beyond conveying that something is happening right now. The audience should be able to know or feel what the story is about just by looking at the video behind the reporter.