AR&D Reinventing Local Media

See how this reporter overcame challenges of weak video and school officials who refused to cooperate.

How do you breathe life into your stories by including “real people”?

MMJs who do a good job of this make a flurry of calls on ongoing issues — like health insurance — to find people who are affected.  They also invite viewers to contact them to share their stories.

This approach works because they’re not waiting for one person to call them back.  By calling a dozen insurance agents, for example, their chances of finding a “real person” are much better.  It might take a day or two to hear back, then you have to line up the interview, but at least you have a “real person” to breathe life into your story.  Maybe more.

An MMJ who takes this approach says:  “It’s simple.  You double the odds in your favor when you just make two calls rather than one.  And leaving a voicemail message is fast.  While other MMJs are always waiting for people angles, I have several people angles in the hopper.”

Here’s a strong print example showing two “real people” angles as www.wsj.com reveals an issue that will affect young and old.

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Since health insurance or the lack of it impacts on just about everyone, it’s not too late to start making your calls.  Without the human angle, you’re left with officials and grabbing people on the street.

A major challenge for multimedia journalists is putting a face on a story — finding a “real person” to breathe life into storytelling.

KVOA (Tucson) multimedia journalist Jeff Westlake points to this story was one of his biggest challenges.  You’ll see he did find a “real person.”  He says he did it at the last minute:

No one in the area was worried about their trees or had trouble with them in the past. So, I went to a local Home Depot store where people shop for their homes where, fortunately, I found a man who knows a little about trees and Southern Arizona’s monsoon weather.  It worked out.  Aside from that, it was fun.

A frequent question MMJs ask:  “I go the extra step but don’t seem to get credit for it.  What am I doing wrong?”

Here’s an example of showcasing extra efforts from KIMA-TV, Yakima.

“What do stations propelling their ratings have in common?”  The head of a group of TV stations recently asked me that question. 

Although markets and challenges are different, one of the things they have in common is clear goals.  In going through my files, I pulled the example below of clear goals that I helped one station develop based on the research. 

HOW CLEAR ARE YOUR GOALS? 

Our experience shows, the best approach is to:

– Focus on what’s most important to driving your ratings based on what you know about your viewers.

– Keep the list to half a dozen calls to make it practical.

– Contrast the old and new way.

– Outline the “success path” to achieve the goals because they won’t happen on their own.

– Identify the obstacles, which usually include “Don’t have enough time.”  Provide practical solutions.

 Here’s the example of the goals, which I recommend you review and adapt based on your action plan.

You’ll notice the reference to “Watch any of our newscasts, and you’ll see…”  That’s because consistency is so important.  You can’t tell viewers “You watched the wrong newscast!”

Here’s another way to avoid running “wallpaper” video, generic shots that bore you and your viewers.

 In a story about marijuana for medical purposes, KVAL’s (Eugene, OR) Kelly Koopmans says a grower or patient can’t have more than 24 ounces of marijuana, which is the size of these four softballs.

Compare Kelly’s approach to simply using more video of marijuana. 

That would have been easier, but lacking the visual storytelling impact.

Here’s what you can do today.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Plan your story to include only the most engaging visual elements.
2. Work efficiently in the field by shooting only the most visual elements.
3. Think of memorable ways to illustrate your point when the video isn’t strong enough.

KVAL ND Jenny Kuglin hired Kelly in May 2010 after she received an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Your stand-ups can reveal your creativity.  And they beat shooting and voicing over boring video.  Plus on-camera storytelling from the field helps build your identity. 

For many more Multimedia Minutes, click on the links to the right under Recent Posts.

Anchors become more valuable when they’re Chief Journalists.

“It’s a long haul from down here to up there,” as one old school anchor put it.  Fortunately, most we know have made or are making that journey.

The more skills you have, the more valuable you are.  It can be challenging.  As my colleagues and I train MMJs across the country, we find it takes both a commitment then opportunities to learn the new skills. 

While the pyramid view of things may seem overly dramatic, it IS a long way to the top.  The good news:  It’s do-able, and we see many success stories.

Most reporters and MMJs are invisible to viewers.  

When we ask viewers who stands out beyond the anchors, they’re hard-pressed to think of anyone except, perhaps, a franchise reporter.  To stand out, you need to be known for something that viewers find valuable.  As an MMJ, it can be the people angles you find, the questions you ask, the stories you enterprise.  If your visual storytelling is strong, that could be your point of difference.

Learn more…

A frequent MMJ question is “What are defining moments“?   They’re memorable moments you build into your visual storytelling to engage viewers.  The more, the better.

Here’s one of my favorites.

You’re right.  Steve Kroft worked with a photographer.  Several of them.  And this kind of investigative reporting is beyond most stations’ budgets.  But in the stories you develop, look for opportunities to provide a reality check for the person you’re interviewing.   Everything is relative.  Your questions and on-camera storytelling can serve as memorable moments.