Making the News

Most of us have probably spotted a news van flying down the highway or a photographer standing on the sidelines of a football game or even a reporter interviewing one of our neighbors. But, compared to how much work it takes to put together a half hour news show, the little bit of work we see journalists do is a very small part of their day.
Bright and Early
At KDLT News in Sioux Falls, S.D., reporters start a normal day at 9 a.m., although many have been known to come in during the wee hours to put together breaking news or early morning stories. Each journalist--reporters and photographers alike--have to bring story ideas for the day, and they better be good ideas because more often than not, they'll be working on what they pitch.
Gathering the facts
Sometime before 4 p.m.(ideally), the reporter sits down to write their stories. At KDLT, each reporter is supposed to write and edit a minute and a half long story as well as a shorter 45 second story before the 6 o'clock show. The later in the day the writing process starts, the more stressful "crunch time" will be.
Sports reporter Jason Anschutz says he always starts a story with the ending.
"The first thing I write is 'Jason Anschutz, KDLT News, and whatever city I'm in." says Anschutz.

Click here to listen to Krystle Kacner talk about her writing process.



Crunch Time
The last hour before any show will be the most intense time at KDLT's newsroom. At this point in the day, all the reporters are either already editing their reporter packages or are fighting to get into an edit bay to get started. In accordance with Murphy's Law, this is when things will go wrong.
As a reporter and weekend anchor/producer, Stacy Steinhagen has first-hand experience with breaking equipment.
"You never know what it's going to do, except that it'll break when you need it to work" says Steinhagen.

Click here to listen to Stacy Steinhagen talk about what makes her job difficult.


"Ten minutes to show, guys...ten minutes to show."
With just a few minutes left until showtime, reporters are busy speed-editing on tape-to-tape machines and flying through the hallways, trying to get their tapes turned in. This is when the production department takes the final steps toward giving the anchors their first cue.
During the last ten minutes, production assistants scurry around the studio, turning on lights, plugging in microphones, and double checking camera positions. Others are in the directors booth, making sure all the tapes have been turned in and are cued to the first frame of video, while another is making sure every graphic in the script is in the computer system and is spelled correctly.
At two minutes to show, all the production assistants are wearing a pair of headsets and are following the director's directions. The reporters, if they still aren't finished with their stories, are freaking out, and the anchors are sitting at the news desk, reading through their scripts. If anything goes wrong at this point, it's up to them to keep the show moving.

Like what you see?
Check out KDLT News at their website:
www.kdlt.com

What I Learned
Telling a story without any narrative seems to be the most difficult thing in the world for me. Friends who have looked at my piece--as well as others' natural sound pieces--say it makes sense, but I never seem to understand what the point of the story is. I understand the importance of sound--in so many cases, that is what makes or breaks a piece! Sound is what brings a viewer who may not be viewing at full attention into a piece. Sound is what drives the experience of an event home. But, I still haven't totally figured out exactly how and when to use it. I've learned that sound is something I need to keep working on, as much as I dislike it. I've also realized that sound will likely be something I struggle with for a long time, just like video sequencing. I don't think I'll be jumping at every chance I get to do a natural sound piece, but after this experience, I don't think I'll spend the entire time complaining about how hard it is.