Writing and Producing Television News

The single universal bit of advice that working journalists give students is "learn to write well". Solid writing is the key to any successful and solid broadcast news operation. In Writing and Producing Television News, Second Edition author Eric Gormly uses contemporary news events as an engaging backdrop to teach students the fundamentals of writing news for television and cable.

Author Gormly draws on his extensive background as a television journalist to explain how real newsrooms work. The text reviews basic grammar, introduces students to industry-specific terminology and the particular rules for TV newswriting, appraises the basics of a television news story, and reveals how television writing differs from writing for other media. The core of the book develops various story formats, and gives step-by-step instruction on how to transform basic information into properly scripted, solid stories.

Included in this edition are the latest in script formatting; an in-depth look at new writing styles; interviews with and observations of working journalists from major television markets; an expanded chapter detailing the process of producing a television newscast; and up-to-date information about applying for jobs and internships in today's television marketplace.

Newly expanded, packed with student exercises for hands-on learning, and fully illustrated with photos, line drawings, and charts, Writing and Producing Television News, Second Edition prepares students to perform from the moment they hit the newsroom.

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Television News: An Introduction 3

2 Television Newswriting: A Different Style 11

3 A Brief Review of Grammar 17

4 Some General Rules for Television Newswriting 35

5 Usage 53

6 Approaching the Television News Story 69

7 Story Formats: Some Basics 101

8 The Voice Over: VO 137

9 Sound on Tape: SOT 165

10 The Voice Over/Sound Bite: VO/SOT 187

11 Putting the Formats Together 211

12 Interviewing: Conversation with a Goal 223

13 The Package 235

14 An Interview with Deborah Potter 271

15 The Live Shot 275

16 An Interview with Beverly White 285

17 Producing the Newscast 295

18 The Station and the Newsroom 321

19 A look Inside: WFAA-TV, Dallas 331

20 Finding a Job 365

Index 387

Eric Gormly, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism at the University of North Texas, where he teaches television news and media criticism courses and conducts research in the area of religion in media and culture. He is a former major market television news reporter who also has extensive experience as an anchor, editor, videographer and producer. Gormly has taught a range of broadcast news and mass communication courses at the University of Nevada-Reno, Trinity University in San Antonio, The University of Texas at Austin, and Arizona State University. The single universal bit of advice that working journalists give students is "learn to write well". Solid writing is the key to any successful and solid broadcast news operation. In Writing and Producing Television News, Second Edition author Eric Gormly uses contemporary news events as an engaging backdrop to teach students the fundamentals of writing news for television and cable.

Author Gormly draws on his extensive background as a television journalist to explain how real newsrooms work. The text reviews basic grammar, introduces students to industry-specific terminology and the particular rules for TV newswriting, appraises the basics of a television news story, and reveals how television writing differs from writing for other media. The core of the book develops various story formats, and gives step-by-step instruction on how to transform basic information into properly scripted, solid stories.

Included in this edition are the latest in script formatting; an in-depth look at new writing styles; interviews with and observations of working journalists from major television markets; an expanded chapter detailing the process of producing a television newscast; and up-to-date information about applying for jobs and internships in today's television marketplace.

Newly expanded, packed with student exercises for hands-on learning, and fully illustrated with photos, line drawings, and charts, Writing and Producing Television News, Second Edition prepares students to perform from the moment they hit the newsroom.