I’ve known this for a while since starting my work as a producer and executive producer for ATVN. The daily responsibilities — assigning stories to students, coordinating coverage with the other desks within Annenberg Media, creating the rundown (an item-by-item roadmap that indicates what will go in the show) — can feel overwhelming.
Enter our latest assignment: introducing a new segment to the show.
Initially, I felt scared to pursue this. The whirlwind of producing a live newscast knocked on the doors of my brain, asking me “how are you going to pull this off?”
That’s when I realized that this rapid formulation of a segment idea wasn’t going to get me anywhere. So, like the news junkie I am, I began to read. I found an article about the rising rates of anxiety and depression that have increased among college students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, an idea struck: what if we did a segment that could help USC students lead a more mindful and balanced life? What if we gave them quick techniques they can incorporate into their daily lives?
Thus, Meta Moment was born, a weekly segment in which live guests who are involved in USC’s mindfulness program can talk to our Wednesday news anchors and demonstrate their expertise. I worked with my co-producer, Danielle Smith, on developing the segment and reaching out to sources. We researched USC’s faculty director and found Jim Burklo, a reverend and Senior Associate Dean of USC’s Office Religious Life. He’s also a teacher of mindfulness classes through Mindful USC.
Danielle and I emailed Reverend Burklo, and to our delight, he was quick to respond. We met on Zoom to explain our idea for the segment, hoping he could come join us live on the newscast. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available during our time of air, which is 5:30 p.m., so instead, we prerecorded the segment. I communicated with our anchors Anisha Banerjee and Luke Scorziell to let them know that Rev. Burklo would be coming to speak with them, but I didn’t want to give too much away (that’s the draw of live TV, right?) Albeit, this segment was not live, it was mostly unscripted and gave viewers honest insight into the concept of mindfulness.
When Rev. Burklo came to the newsroom, I was preoccupied with lead producer responsibilities: talking to reporters, writing scripts, and responding to messages. I spoke with one reporter about the logistics of the segment, asking her to help out with the video edit after the segment was recorded. I did not have time to approve or edit the video before we aired it, and moving forward, I will definitely make sure to have time to do so. The support from instructors and reporters was tremendously helpful, so I felt confident come showtime.
It was tough. It was a quick turnaround. But it aired, and I’m very happy with the product and look forward to continuing the Meta Moment segment in shows to come.
This story was written as an assignment in JOUR403: Television News Production with Professor Stacy Scholder. Annenberg Media student editors also reviewed the story and published it per newsroom guidelines.