AR&D Reinventing Local Media

Change is always difficult — especially when it seems radical to the staff.  KBCI-TV Boise news director Yvonne Simons has been overcoming challenges, transforming reporters and photographers to multimedia journalists.

When I asked her how it’s been going, she wanted to share the story of one veteran reporter she was excited about.

Why excited?

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?   And, don’t call KBCI-TV’s Senior Political Reporter Scott Logan an old dog!   Scott has been with the Boise, Idaho station for more than 13 years and in journalism for nearly 40 years, both print and broadcast.  

As the senior reporter on staff, Scott was used to grabbing a photographer and heading out the door each morning.   But when the station announced a change that news reporters would become one man bands, he had a choice to make:   Learn new skills or perish at CBS 2.  

Scott picked up the camera.  In fact, Scott has been one of the fastest adapters to a new world, shooting and editing his own stuff.  Scott’s entrée into broadcast came from a crossover from newspaper.  He didn’t start with the tiny stations that often require reporters and anchors to shoot their own stuff. He cut his journalism teeth at the Idaho Statesman and the Dallas Morning News.  He moved to television as a freelance reporter for NBC in Argentina, covering the Falklands war.

Fast Learning

As a 50-something, he’s had to pick up brand new skills, and rapidly become competent.   He will tell you it’s been a stressful two months. And, there’s a whole new set of worries while working out a story beyond a pen and reporter’s pad, his usual tools. The world of broadcast electronics comes with hazards. He’s come back with unusable audio. Another time, his camera was blinking codes, but not shooting on tape. 

He’s had to run into the hallowed halls of the state legislature toting a camera and tripod, while his competitors have a partner to shoot their stuff.   He’s had to learn to edit and get his stories finished on deadline, now an hour earlier. And there’s still the web.  He has to file his story before heading home.

Through it all, Scott has become our most dependable one-man bander. He gets a story, shoots it, edits it, presents it, and then files to the website.  And while he probably could complain about the bait-and-switch of reporter to photographer, he doesn’t.

Scott sometimes worries that his creative storytelling days are over, because he feels the pressure of time.  However, it’s not true  Just last week, Scott Logan related a budget story with his unique flair and at least once swirling motion shot with the camera that indicated the dizzy disorientation lawmakers and taxpayers feel dealing with the stimulus package.

It was a wonderful effect that presented an emotion in video.  Not bad for a print guy… gone broadcast… and now videographer.

Scott, turning to you, please give us a reality check.  What’s been your most difficult situation?

My most challenging moment? It’s still here. But what was very difficult, and emotional was that we moved to the one man band concept as a result of the layoffs that so many are experiencing. So it was hard to see people I had worked with lose their jobs.

I guess the most stressful time was when I just simply had to go out and shoot this stuff myself and make the deadlines for 4, 5 and 5:30. Fortunately Chief Photographer Clyn Richards was on hand if I needed to phone him because I didn’t understand what the camera was telling me.
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Gratifying moment?

Haven’t had it yet. I still am very critical of the video I bring home. But it’s true that I now feel somewhat comfortable that I can take the gear and go out and shoot a story, get it back and get it on the air. But I worry the quality of the pictures suffer. TV is all about the video. Still, I feel better each day and I am encouraged that I am starting to trouble shoot the camera problems myself.
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Advice to others?

I never thought I’d be shooting my own video. But the United States Marines have a saying: Every Marine a rifleman. In other words we all need to know how to use the most basic equipment of our profession. It’s a different world, and I lament the fact I’m not able to work with photographers for the most part. The bottom line: I want to be the best video journalist I can be. I don’t like the phrase one man band, because it lacks the dignity, I feel, that our profession deserves.

More secure about your job now?

Yes, I do feel some what more secure, but I am still dealing with often being distracted during an interview because I want to check the filters, audio levels, etc. and so maybe I don’t concentrate on the interview as I did when working with another photog. But we all have to multitask these days. My advice to others:  Make a checklist, and keep it handy.

How do you contribute to your Web site?

I file stories for the web everyday and feel comfortable doing that given my background in newspapers and the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon. I was a print guy long before TV. And I think some younger TV reporters have trouble writing for the web — grammar, sentence structure.

Multimedia Journalism doesn’t have to be a solo act.

Multimedia anchor Marc Schollett shoots his stories most of the time.  But the TV7-4/Traverse City, Michigan journalist also makes smart use of a photographer when it makes for better storytelling.

For example, in the case of delivering to the mayor a stack of viewer emails who want their opinion heard.

The mayor thanked Schollett, suggesting a link to him from the station’s Web site.

Watch:  

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/video.aspx?id=277613

Time management will make or break you, according to Jenna McWilliams, a multimedia journalist at WFXL-TV, the FOX affiliate in Albany, GA.  She finds, sets up stories, writes, voices, edits and contributes stories to the station’s Web site http://www.mysouthwestga.com/

Jenna, who’s worked at the station as a multimedia journalist for two years, says:

The most challenging aspect of “one man banding” I believe is timing. If you can handle your time then you can pretty much juggle your stories. It’s good to lock down a time for interviews that you know won’t change early in your day – so then when breaking news happens you hopefully already have things going on your other stories.

Everything is subject to change though as well.  You must be able to capitalize on every second of your time while at work.

Best Part of the Job

The best part of my job is the versatility of it and the creative freedom you have doing it. When you’re shooting your own video, you know exactly what it’s going to look like in your story – how you’re going to weave all your elements together.

My job also changes everyday.  I meet new people everyday.  It’s not just the same old thing – but I guess that’s a perk of any “news” job.  I think a good job is done when you know you’re doing your best. So whether that’s 100 stories in one day or one story a day, what you put into it is what you get out of it.

The Quality Issue

Once you hone your craft much like any other job, the experience and capability is evident.  Like a fine wine:  Better with age.

I refuse to believe though with more stories one’s content gets worse – if it’s that bad maybe you shouldn’t be airing it anyways.

Once again timing is key!  You have to keep a schedule of your day manageable if you want to get the job done. But communication is also very important.  My co-workers and superiors know I am just one person and if I get in a bind or need some help, they are a text/phone call away. You have to be willing to help — when help is needed for the good of the station. 

The Web

We are required to submit a “web” version of our news stories. The trick to that is wording.  When people are searching the web, they want the descriptive words that will stand out like “shot, murder, naked.” You have to entice them to view your video online.  Here at Fox 31 we have someone that uploads our stories onto the web.

About Jenna

Jenna is originally from Tecumseh, Michigan.

She attended Wayne State University in Detroit on a four year softball scholarship.

After graduation, Jenna attended Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts with a video concentration.

She spent almost one year reporting in Northern Michigan at WFQX FOX 33 News before moving to Albany.

“I am a long ways from home but can honestly say I don’t miss the snow at all!” 

Meet the first Multimedia GM in the country, at least as far as we can tell.   Mary Beth Farrell, general manager of Reno station KRNV, uses her Flipcam when she spots the right opportunities.

What made you think of shooting Flipcam video?  

The President of our company, Ralph Toddre, suggested we get a couple of extra cameras for just this purpose so I bought flip cams for all of my Department Heads to expand our ability to gather video.

Being a news junkie, I’m always on the lookout for good video, and for something I think our viewers might be interested in seeing.  That includes everything from breaking news to Fact Finders, to events coming up this weekend, and everything in between.   

Did anybody at the station know you shot the videos? 

Yes they always know when I’m sending video… I call right away.  Or, they know in advance if I’m shooting a package. 

Any reactions by them? 

At first, people were surprised that the GM was shooting stories but they’re getting used to it.  I think it sets a good example and sends a strong message about my priorities and the station’s priorities.  We work hard for our communities and news doesn’t take the day off.    

One reporter/producer/photographer said “If she’ll do stories — and do them on her days off, I think we can all afford to go the extra step”.

When the stories air — like this one related to a major traffic tie-up — we tell viewers that the video was shot by a News 4 employee.

That’s because you can tell it’s not the same HD quality as our regular newsgathering cameras, and that gives us the opportunity to ask viewers to send us their video or photos.

News has always been my passion, and quite honestly, this has given me the chance to go back to my first love: telling stories.  There’s something very meaningful about it and it’s fun.