Do You Have What It Takes to Be a TV News Director?

Howard Rosenberg often writes of the phony gimmicks used on local television newscasts, such as having an anchor ask questions of a field reporter when it’s clear the anchor already knows the answers (“More Stupid TV Tricks: News Dept.,” Calendar, Jan. 27).

Instead of complaining, why can’t Rosenberg do something positive, such as help encourage talented people to enter the news directing field? With that in mind, I’ve devised a test to identify future news directing stars. Anyone can take it. Point totals should be matched with the score card at the end.

1. How often should LIVE reports be included in each newscast?

a. Every 30 seconds. (2 points)

b. Every other story. (5 points)

c. No limit--this is my newsroom! (0 points)

d. Only when warranted by an actual live event taking place at the moment. (10 points)

2. When reporting a breaking story that occurred three hours ago, do you:

a. Have anchor introduce an edited tape that tells the story. (10 points)

b. Have field reporter stand at the site of the story and introduce an edited tape that tells the story. (5 points)

c. Have field reporter stand six blocks from the site of the story and introduce an edited tape that tells the story. (2 points)

d. Have field reporter stand on the roof of your studio building and introduce an edited tape that tells the story. (0 points)

3. When reporting a breaking story that occurred six hours ago, your field reporter should:

a. Pretend that something is still going on at the site, even though the only visible objects are the reporter and some old police barricades. (1 point)

b. Admit that nothing has happened for the last four hours and introduce an edited tape that describes the story. (5 points)

c. Introduce the tape and, at the conclusion, admit that you have absolutely no new information to report. (5 points)

d. Pack up the gear and go home, allowing the anchor to report the story with the edited tape of the actual story. (10 points)

4. When reporting a story that is not breaking but is an event that happened more than 24 hours ago, you should:

a. Promote the story as revealing new information, based on a true story ripped from today’s headlines, although it merely contains information reported in yesterday’s newspapers. (1 point)

b. Send anchor out to report on location, hoping that seeing him/her dressed in blue jeans will distract viewers from the fact that the story is old news. (3 points)

c. Report the story as a five-part mini-documentary series, taking three minutes of old footage and parceling it out over the course of five nights. (3 points)

d. Have anchor report only new information, and if there is no new information, drop the story. (10 points)

5. When reporting a story that is simply linked to promoting another show on the same station, you should:

a. Promote the story during all of the station breaks preceding the newscast. (5 points)

b. Promote the story at the top of the newscast and at every break, even though it runs 25 minutes into the show. (5 points)

c. Throw out all other stories on the newscast and devote the entire program to the promotion--except for one minute of sports and 30 seconds of weather. (0 points)

d. Refuse to place a purely promotional or outdated story into your newscast. (10 points)

6. You want your anchor to ad-lib an ending to a story that he/she has not seen and has no knowledge of. The anchor is uncomfortable about going on the air without knowledge of key facts. Do you:

a. Sit down with the anchor, share information about the story and discuss appropriate and intelligent ad-lib endings. (8 points)

b. Scream at the anchor from across the newsroom. (3 points)

c. Forcefully but politely follow the anchor around, cajoling and persuading him/her of the importance of ad-libbing to the ratings. (1 point)

d. Engage in a public shoving match that you can have videotaped for use on the newscast in your next sweeps period. (0 points)

Bonus Question: Define the word news.

a. New information; information previously unknown; recent happenings/reports of these. (10 points)

b. Current events, except during February, May and September. (5 points)

c. Whatever I can put on the air to snare viewers. (2 points)

d. It is my newsroom. I don’t have to define anything! (1 point)

Now, add up your score:

55-68 points--You could be the news director at KTLA.

35-55 points--You could be the news director at most any other station.

15-35 points--You could be the news director at KNBC.

0-15 points--You could be the news director at KCBS Action News.