The earthquake in Haiti was devastating for the country and a challenge for journalists trying to cover it. Now, a month after the quake, it seems like a good time to share some lessons learned there and in other crises that could apply when disaster …
How can a station do more with less and still produce award-winning work? KUSA-TV in Denver was named NPPA station of the year in 2009--the 11th time it's won the top prize for TV photojournalism. But that's one of the few things that hasn't changed …
Want to improve your newscasts? Improve your planning meetings. Meeting time may be the only time during the day when a …
By Michael Castengera, University of Georgia Increase efficiency. Improve morale. Reduce turnover. Raise the ratings. How, you ask? One word – communication. Yes, I know …
by Margie Ruttenberg I remember that big, bright, noisy newsroom. I was 18 years old. I was an television news intern, and I must admit, I was a bit intimidated. …
What's in a name? A lot, says RTNDA chairman Stacey Woelfel, which is why the organization will soon become RTDNA. "It's not a typo," Woelfel says. "It's a big change for the association." The Radio-Television News Directors Association, founded in 1946, is becoming the Radio Television …
Boomer bosses, take note. It may be time to change the way you look at your younger employees. So says Mary Rogus, a veteran TV news producer who now teaches at Ohio University. Yes, the Gen Y-Millennials are different from their older colleagues. They care much …
The ongoing debate over health care reform is a tough story for local television news to cover well. Angry protesters and emotional testimony at town hall meetings make for good video but add little to public understanding of the issues. Recognizing that, stations across the country …
It's hard to sustain a beat system in a short-staffed newsroom and even harder to build one from scratch. While many TV stations still have a medical reporter or a consumer reporter, it's rare to find a station these days where most reporters are …
Some news stories have lasting psychological effects on journalists. Just ask anyone who covered the 9/11 attacks or the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But traumatic effects like stress disorders aren't confined to major national disasters, as the staff of WGAL-TV learned in October 2006 when …
"When the media goes to trial, you're more likely to lose than to win." That caution from attorney John Ronayne III should get everyone's attention in newsrooms around the country. Ronayne warned that landing in court can be hideously expensive. "The average cost just to …
Ask a roomful of journalists if they get enough feedback on their work and you'll rarely see any hands go up. Managers typically say they want to offer more but there's never enough time. And in a short-staffed, overworked newsroom, pulling people together for a …
