TV News Reporting and
Production
Lecture # 20
Mr Uzair Ahmed
Presentation of News
Bulletin
There are many types of news telecast and each
one is presented in different manners and
prepared in different style.
Probably the most elementary type of news
telecast is one in which the television reporters
find it necessary to process news items, making
them worthy watching and hearable than
readable.
Everyone experienced in the field of electronic
media knows that there are newscasters and
newsreaders, who merely read a news bulletin,
and the news anchors or the news commentator,
who take the news of the day, relate it to
happening of the past and to those of probable
future and analyze its significance.
The speaker, who puts a great deal of his
personality into such presentation, gives this
news telecast in a less formal manner.
The news that is presented by a commentator
may be coloured by his/her own attitude or by
the policy of either his station or the sponsor, if
the news telecast is sponsored.
Tele-prompter
Tele-prompter
The Machine Facilitating the
News Caster
It is a machine to facilitate the news reader to read the
news while having direct eye contact into the lens of
camera and it is controlled with the foot of news caster.
It is a screen between the reader and camera which is
visible to reader but does not effect the view of camera.
The whole script of news bulletin is scrolled upwards with
the machine so that the newscaster can easily read it
without remembering the whole bulletin.
Suspense and Surprise
The viewers are tuning in on a programme,
anchors usually save their most important item
for second place unless their news is preceded
by the lengthy announcements. An item of
national or international interest is considered
most important.
Continued Story
The news-anchor attempts to tie up today’s story
with the news of yesterday, forming sort of
‘continued story’ effect which shows how the
events of the yesterday have led to those of
today, and how these events may effect the
society and history in the future.
Featurized News
During the course of programme the news
commentator includes some human-interest
stories. It is good practice to insert short, bright,
and fast moving items between long news
features.
As the news reporter or producer, the news
anchor must have the sense of what will appeal
the greatest number of viewers:
Reading A News Properly
Weather is subject of universal interest while
financial statement will interest only a limited
class. The conversational news of the news
anchor is not so immediate as that presented in
the press news report.
Some news anchors speak extemporary from
the notes, cleverly changing their pace and pitch
to conform to content of the items and to mark a
change of subject.
Do Not Cause Anxiety In News
There are news anchors who endeavour to their
items together regardless of their relationship to
do this sometimes results in monotony.
The news anchor must not allow the news items
to cause alarm or anxiety for the safety of friends
or relatives of the viewers.
Human Interest Story
Many TV stations and the sponsoring agencies
require that their telecast combine information
with entertainment and consequently humorous
and human-interest stories are mixed together
and interspersed between the more significant
items or are used in the conclusion of the news
telecast.
Avoid Shocking News
It is always better to avoid shocking and
frightening, dreadful and horrible news item and
stories like court trials with unpleasant angles,
particularly of gender, social evils, divorces
except of famous personalities, crime only
outstanding cases and that to minimized, capital
punishment, except that which has resulted from
trials which have been in the public eye.
Do Not Be Alarmist
This does not mean that all unpleasant cases
and distasteful items are discarded it does mean
that as far as possible the television reporter and
producer avoids being alarmist. This is the result
of the television’s whole-family audience.
Code of Ethics
Furthermore, in presentation of news bulletin the
news producer must take into consideration that
he may be held for defamation, libel or slander,
blasphemy, immoral telecast, contempt of court
of sedition and select items to avoid any of such
charges.
