Producing a remote newscast looks like me squinting to see the total run time of a soundbite on Zoom and sounds like the chilling notification of three more Slack messages.
One of the main challenges I have faced as a producer is maintaining an open line of communication with multimedia journalists (MJs) and reporters. Working remotely means I can’t walk up to MJs in the Media Center editing bay to see if they have chosen a soundbite. Instead, my executive producer Nisha and I are constantly sending MJs and reporters messages on Slack, our communication channel, urging them to join the Zoom room so that they can show us what they have accomplished.
The key to producing a remote newscast is maintaining continuous communication with MJs and reporters. Nisha and I consistently reach out to our teammates to see what progress they have made and if they need help developing any elements of their story.
MJs and reporters are prompted to join the all-day producer Zoom so that we can help them write interview questions, approve soundbites, and place them in a breakout room with a writing coach to work on their script. The producer Zoom room is different from the Annenberg Media Center, but it still allows us to come together as a team to produce a quality show.
Setting deadlines and posting the show at a reasonable hour is another challenge presented by remote production. When shows are produced in the Annenberg Media Center, we go live at 5:30 p.m. on the dot. Now that we are producing Annenberg TV News (ATVN) remotely, it is an entirely different story.
When there is a problem with exporting the show or we are too ambitious about the number of stories we want to pursue, the show is edited and posted pretty late at night. In an effort to post our shows earlier, Nisha and I have set a rough deadline that most scripts are approved and anchors are recording by 4:30 p.m. Setting deadlines for our anchors ensures that they have enough time to read over their scripts a few times and record them in a timely manner.
To my surprise, last Monday’s show was nearly 20 minutes long. While this is proof that our team is capable of producing longer shows, I think the coverage for certain stories could have been more thoughtfully built out. Instead of pursuing multiple smaller stories, I have made it my goal as a producer to really focus on a handful of stories that will be valuable to our audience.
Stacy (my faculty advisor) and I have also discussed the value of incorporating more diverse student voices in the newscast. In some cases, remote production has made the sourcing and interview process easier. Since students are working remotely and don’t have to walk from class to class, I have found that more people are available for a quick Zoom interview.
Despite the challenges of producing ATVN remotely, we have learned to play to our strengths. Our Monday team has had a reporter outside of Walter Reed hospital when President Trump was released and MJs at voting locations in their home states to interview early voters. Having a team of MJs and reporters who work in different locations has been an asset to our show and has allowed ATVN to expand its reach.