How to Time a Story as a TV News Reporter
Over the last few decades, journalism has become an extremely professional field, with not much room for error. Every reporter has to be on his or her toes all the time; otherwise, the viewers or the readers will lose their interest in that television channel or newspaper. A print media reporter does have enough time to polish their story before publishing it; however, this is not the case with a TV news reporter. Time is one of the most important news values and it becomes even more crucial in TV news reporting. Every reporter learns how to time a story as he/she gains more experience in the field.
Instructions
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1
What type of news is it?
For a TV news reporter to be successful, it is imperative that he or she has appropriate news sense. While covering news, you should know what kind of story it is. Some news are completely time bound and they need to be televised immediately; whereas, there are some which can be delayed.
For example, you do not have an option to delay the story while covering breaking news like an armed robbery in town or the speech of a public figure. On the other side of the coin, if you cover sports or showbiz, you can time news according to your will. Just make sure that you prioritise the news accordingly. -
2
Target audience
A journalist must always take into account his or her target audience. While timing a story, you must consider the people who are likely to be more interested in the news as compared to the common man. For example, if your news is going to attract housewives, you should time the news somewhere in the afternoon. Similarly, working men and women are likely to watch television in the evening or before breakfast. -
3
Exclusive
Every journalist is always looking for a scoop or some exclusive news. If you have some news sense and you think that the news is going to be a massive hit, choosing the right time to break it would be extremely important. Around 8 PM to 10 PM is considered to be prime time on television; therefore, if your exclusive news is a big one, you should break it during this time in order to get maximum ratings.
