LUTV Blog Log #5

Introduction

This is one of the more interesting blogs in my opinion because of how the past few weeks have gone, and the things that I dealt with in those weeks during class. The class came back from spring break without missing a beat ready to go, and even without our beloved professor we put together two successful newscasts with minimal mishaps. It seems as if everyone is thinking the same thing as the semester is coming to a close, me being apart of the group, and it’s going to be odd not being around our class when it’s all said and done.

Free time is a commodity

Sports and What Not

I will be the first to admit my favorite week is when I get to do sports. It’s the best week to try and get caught up on VO-SOTs and what have you, and I’m a multi-sports fan. Learning about the success Lindenwood programs are having and bringing teams into the newscast that people don’t hear about often is fun. Before this class I didn’t know how dominant Lindenwood’s synchronized swimming team or shotgun team was, but now I’m surprised I hadn’t heard about them earlier. I enjoyed bringing the roller hockey team some coverage and recognition, even though I think the head coach thinks my name is Mike, but hey if I can keep getting interviews with the guy he can call me whatever he wants. I’m not sure if I want to do radio broadcasts that are music based or sports shows, but next to being an anchor sports and weather week is the best practice that I get to develop my presentation skills.

A sportscaster…alone with his thoughts

The End of the Tunnel

Notice I didn’t say light at the end of the tunnel. Yes I can’t wait for summer who doesn’t love less responsibilities, but I will miss the news as odd as that is for me to say. I’ve had a lot of conversations that have subjects dealing with what everyone needs to complete before the semester is over. This hasn’t drastically affected the broadcasts, and I hope it stays that way, but as the weeks wind down the assignment spreadsheet still needs to be filled. I can’t say that package week is my favorite, be a long shot, but I understand that it is these projects that I can take with me when I leave Lindenwood. They are the best way to show creativity, and attention to detail when making something for a broadcast. I plan on being in radio, but video is becoming a part of the industry and showing that creative side could pay dividends in separating me from other job competitors.

I don’t have an explanation for this face

Conclusion

My conclusion is that I’ve had a lot of fun this semester. I am blessed to be able to be in an environment such as our news room, and appreciate it every time I walk into the studio. I have met some amazing people during the super semester, and have learned a lot about news broadcasts. I have new found skills that I can take with me to any profession, and even more confidence in the way I can present information to the masses. It’s been a good time.

Industry Issues Blog #3

Introduction

The advancement of technology has an affect on every industry, and broadcast news is no exception. One of the best things about our class is how up to date our equipment is. It’s almost a selling point for incoming freshman you are looking to major in communications. I’ve seen a number of people that were brought into the studio and looked in amazement at what we as college students get to work with. As the technology available o will our news studio, and at some point we might not need the field cameras we use anymore. The articles I found deal with the incorporation of cell phones in a modern news broadcast, and an application that some journalists are using to create breaking news.

Mobile Journalism

Broadcast news wouldn’t be possible without field reporters that bring footage to the newscast to help present the stories. The average viewer doesn’t know what the reporter uses to bring this footage to their televisions, and I suspect most don’t care as long as the footage is of high quality. With that in mind if cell phones have the technology to shoot video that has the same general qualities as the footage we film outside of class Why shouldn’t broadcast news companies incorporate cell phones in their news reporting. In an article by Reuben Stern and Olga Kyle new technology in broadcast news is presented which could not only affect how journalists get their content, but the number of people needed to do so. This could be small scale like using a cell phone instead of a video camera, but could also be done for larger assets. The article says that many broadcast television newsrooms have replaced their satellite trucks with live backpack units like LiveU. Others are simply outfitting their reporters with iPhones for photo and video coverage, or accepting consumer-generated content.

There’s An App for That

One of the most desired situations in broadcast news is presenting a news story as it happens in real time. Since cell phones are already being incorporated in field reporting creating an application to assist this task in a no brainer. In an article posted by Debora Wenger a reporter used an app called Videolicious to shoot her entire news story and send it to her news station. The reporter even made multiple versions of the story as the day went on. The article said Videolicious allows a journalist to record his or her own voice, shoot the necessary video clips that go along with the story and drag and drop them into place within seconds.  With another click, the video is edited and able to be shared.

Conclusion

This week I’m noticing the ease at which a quality broadcast can be presented I does their job. It’s fun being able to relax thirty minutes before the newscast begins checking the minor details to make my part of the news as flawless as possible. This past newscast everyone was done with the main parts of their jobs an hour before we started the live broadcast. We are a well oiled machine and with the final weeks to come we have the opportunity to create content we can use in finding a job for a real news station.