Just For TV Teachers

I think this is a good time to dig into the archives of this humble blog and re-print the one that got the most reaction.

It originally appeared here on November 22, 2006. With the seventh annual STN National Convention just a couple of weeks away, this seems like a good time to share it again.

“LOSING HEART”

I received an e-mail six or seven months ago from a colleague in Texas. She is someone I can not remember ever meeting in person, but I may have. I meet lots of broadcast teachers at our summer camp, and at the STN Affiliates Convention each year. When I read her note, it really got to me. She basically said, “We have entered lots of STN contests, but we’re losing heart because we never, ever place.”

It was a moment that hit me hard, and reminded me of the double-edged sword scholastic broadcasting contests offer to those who choose to compete. When I was a kid, one of my best friends, Greg, used to say, “It’s a fun game to win.” He was referring to baseball, or poker, or whatever contest he had been enjoying at the time.

One of my college baseball coaches used to say, “As long as someone’s keeping score, you might as well win.” At the time he was playing badminton (no kidding) and doing his best to pulverize his opponent, which in badminton means slamming the birdie to the open court where it makes a resounding “poof” audible only to nearby dogs when it lands. Being competitive is something we Americans perfected a long time ago, isn’t it?

But back to my colleague in the Lone Star State who said she and her kids were “losing heart” because of their frustration in STN contests. What do we do about that? It seems to me one of the biggest responsibilities we have as TV teachers is to make sure every contest experience is educational, no matter what the results are. It’s not always easy. But thank goodness STN provides critiques and judges’ comments in all contests. Sometimes forms get lost, or misplaced, but in every case, a serious effort is made to make sure the contests provide a teaching moment with written feedback, even if it’s just a score and a brief sentence. Sometimes it’s much more thorough.

Preparation of broadcast kids for contests is crucial as well. As a teacher, you simply have to lower the expectations. You have NO idea who is going to enter what, and how many schools will participate. So don’t make remarks to your kids about winning. Why? Because winning is getting tougher. There are more broadcasting programs in the schools now than there were ten years ago, and many have discovered contests like the “STN Fall Nationals,” which recently received just under 500 entries from over 90 schools. If you tell a kid they are going to win or place in a national contest, you are crazy, and you are asking for heartache.

I am a total softy when it comes to contests. I want every kid to win something. It’s so fun to see the STN Closing Awards Ceremony each year at the national convention. The recognition kids receive that day is so fulfilling to those who work so hard to make the contests happen. One of my favorite moments was at the 2004 convention, the first one, when a teacher and her kids went nuts when one of their own got an “Honorable Mention” in an on-site contest. I’m guessing the teacher did not tell her kids to expect any awards that day. When they won, they were truly thrilled.

To sum it up, contests should provide teaching moments about what we need to do better. Written feedback is crucial if that is to happen. Teachers need to lower expectations, and never tell kids they are going to win. They should also make sure they celebrate any recognition students earn in national contests, because these days, it’s only getting tougher.

In the end, yes, “losing heart” happens. For the kids who keep entering, but don’t win, they need to understand that the process of competing, with proper feedback, is worth the effort. It is totally up to the teacher, and to the people running these contests, to make sure that comes through loud and clear.

I finish with remarks I heard the great Nebraska football coach, Tom Osborne, make at a banquet 20 years ago. He was talking about a conversation he had with a high school coach in his area. Osborne asked him what kind of year he had. The high school coach said, “Oh, we went 7 and 3, just missed the playoffs.”

Osborne looked at him and said, “I didn’t ask how many games you won. I asked you what kind of year you had.”

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This NBC fiasco has me thinking about network greed, and how the late-night TV shows have become, in comparison with the Carson and Cavett era of intelligent interviews, humorous sketches and inspired comedy bits, featuring stars and legends that are sadly absent from the landscape today, just weak imitations that actually find their origins in the 50s show hosted by Steve Allen, who was followed by the inimitable Jack Paar, who then stepped aside for Johnny, who sadly left his mantle to Dave, who was then ambushed by the Peacock gang in favor of Jay, who now finds that his recent coup to return to the “Tonight Show” at the expense of the more loved, but less-viewed Conan, has made him unpopular with the general public, and that he may actually take it on the chin when he resumes his role as the “Captain Obvious” of late-night talk, once we all finish watching the winter Olympics and begin looking for the color of spring, which will surely remind us that life is best observed outdoors, when things are coming to life again, and not through the idiot-box in the front room.

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I am honored to share the spotlight with one of former students for this blog.

Ashley Reynolds is a 2003 graduate of Hillcrest High School, where she was a reporter and anchor on “HTV Magazine.” Her junior year, she was part of the team that won the “Robert F. Kennedy Award” for high school broadcasting for their in-depth study called “Poverty in the Ozarks.”

She is now a working journalist, one who is still young enough to clearly remember her high school and college experiences, and how they helped prepare her for a career in journalism. Ashley is currently a reporter and anchor for WYMT in Lexington, KY.

Below find her answers to four questions I posed. (And thanks, Ash, for taking time to provide such thorough responses)

1. Tell me two or three lessons/concepts/approaches/experiences from high school TV that have stayed with you through college and now professionally.

A. The story is never about you. So many folks want to get into TV because they simply want to be on TV. The best reporters let their sources and natural sound tell the story. Always have a CCC- A Central Compelling Character. Center your stories around real people. Don’t just interview the city council members about the new smoking ordinance, get out and talk to smokers and nonsmokers.

B. Shoot in sequences. This is as basic as you can get, but it is true. This saves me everyday. I see what I want to shoot and write a basic script in my head so I can write to video…then once I edit, I just lay down the shots. This makes you fast!

C. KISS- Keep It Simple Sweetheart or as Davis says, “Puppies must die.” Everyday I get about 90 seconds to tell a story. It’s all about trimming fat. I hate throwing away good bites, but you can’t just use good bites… you have to use good bites that move the story forward.

2. What aspect of broadcasting was hardest for you to grasp or conquer in college, or now?

I think sometimes it is still hard to grasp not everyone will like your stories. No matter how much work you put into it, or how fair you think the story is, someone is going to hate it. That’s just part of the job. Many people do not see their own biases. I had a parent tell me once I had no right to interview school district officials about an educational story. The parent thought I should only interview parents. Even after explaining I couldn’t just tell one side to the story, the parent still did not agree with me. In some cases you just have to use sound journalism and hang your hat up and call it a day.

Also, I don’t think covering murders, car accidents, shootings, any of those stories will ever get easier. I’m a strong believer you have to feel it to tell it. I meet a lot of people on the worst day of their life. That will always be hard for me.

3. What excites you about your job now that you are a professional journalist?

What really excites me about my job is telling stories using different mediums. I love using the Internet to make my stories better. I have a blog that helps give our viewers more information. I also use Twitter and Facebook to give updates throughout the day. These are great tools to connect to viewers so we can improve news.

4. What is your biggest suggestion for finding a job in TV news?

My biggest suggestion is to learn how to do everything. Report, Anchor, Produce, Edit, Shoot, and web! If you don’t, you probably won’t get a job. News Directors are laying off people that have limited skills and hiring those that can “do it all.” The days of having a photog are basically over. Cameras are easier than ever to use and stations don’t want to pay two people to do the job when one can. This skill can only help you. The internet is king. The more tools you know how to use, the more marketable you are. Finally, go to a college where you are going to get REAL experience. Internships are great, but the more hands on experience you get the better. KOMU in Columbia, MO is a great setup to get the feel for what an actual reporter does.

Finally, the goal for your first TV job is to get you to your next TV job. Bigger cities are not always the best option. Go to a place that has opportunities.

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