Does interactivity affect comprehension and memory for online news? A study conducted by Hesham Mesbah at Kuwait University suggests that it does, but not always for the better. Mesbah had four groups of subjects listen to a radio newscast on computer speakers. All of the groups heard the …
Covering wars and disasters can be traumatic for journalists, but they're …
By Andrea Miller, LSU The visual clutter and hyperkinetic pace of modern TV news make it harder for a “breaking news” story to grab viewers' …
By Deborah Potter and Walter Gantz The news is troubling for local television news. Audiences in many major cities are down across the board for early evening and late newscasts. And news directors are searching desperately for ways to reverse the trend. "We've heard the wake-up …
In the competitive world of television news, it’s a given that stations need to know as much as possible about their viewers. …
By Gary Hanson & Stan Wearden "They identified someone else with my name on the screen." Every news director dreads hearing from upset viewers when the seemingly simple facts of a news story somehow end up being wrong. Ask any journalist and he or she will tell …
By Sam Bradley and Deborah Potter It’s the TV producer’s holy grail—a newscast that keeps viewers tuned in and provides news they can understand and remember. Many producers believe that pacing is the key to a successful newscast. But what does pacing really mean, how can …
"You should never add to a crisis with your reporting." Voice coach Ann Utterback says that was never more true than on September …
By Bud Ward Their stations run promotional ads bragging about their forecasting accuracy, but television weathercasters are human. Anyone who banked on a sunny day on the basis of one of their predictions, only to get drenched on the way to work, can attest to that. Now, …
By Tom Grimes and Deborah Potter Has this ever happened to you? You're watching the news at home on a day off from work when you see a story you haven't heard about before. A few hours later, you tell a friend about it. And the …
By Mark J. Pescatore They've become a fixture in television newscasts, apparently based on the assumption that the little logos in the corner of the screen called bugs would help viewers remember what station they're watching. Now, there's research to suggest that bugs do work, but …
The vast majority of health stories on local television are medical reports: stories about diseases, lifestyles, experimental tests and treatments. Many of them aren't even local, although they may be "fronted" by a station's reporter or anchor. Hundreds of newsrooms depend on feed services like …
