Two days before my producing shift on Wednesday, I thought it would be interesting for my reporters to do a package about the Oroville Dam spillway. Then my Executive Producer, Sam, told me reporters Marc and Cole had already planned to drive up north and cover the story. I said to Sam that instead of focusing on finding out why the emergency spillway wasn't prepared to handle the flood or talking to some officials, I would love for at least one of their packages to be a human-interest story, which should focus on the residents in a more emotional way.
I had the role of video/graphics producer this week. Unlike with some packages, there was little I could do to help with Marc's and Cole's packages, because they would edit on their laptops and send them back. I wasn't concerned about the quality of their stories, but considering the potential technological challenges, I did worry a little about whether they would be able to send the videos back in time. At 4:30 p.m., we hadn't received anything yet, and they were still trying to change things. We didn't get the two packages until around 5:10 p.m. Marc sent his story via a text message, and Cole sent his story through email. The process was taking a long time, so they asked a Univision crew that was set up nearby to use their hot spot, and it finally worked. The video we wanted to use for the supertease and a live phone interview didn't come until 5:30 p.m. or so. I requested a couple of CNN videos during the day, and two MJs started editing the supertease and video with that as a backup plan before we received the rest of the videos from the reporters.
It turned out that both stories exceeded my expectations. We had two packages back to back, and a live phoner with Marc and Cole after their edited reports. In both stories, we were able to hear from the people who were directly affected and had to evacuate. I really like Marc's stand-up in which he was near a group of kids, and he interacted with a kid who was playing four square. I also like the sound from the kids in his story.
Although I submitted this package idea and had talked with the EP beforehand, I can't say it was my initial package idea that got developed, because it was the reporters who came up with the ideas. But I think, at least, I suggested to them to concentrate on a specific angle, which was to pursue people stories in some way. To ensure at least one of my ideas becomes a story, I think it's necessary to plan ahead and send reporters early, so that we can cover great stories that happen farther away from campus. Also, it's important to think of some realistic and creative ways to develop the stories and to include the people most affected by the news.
Annenberg Media