news structure

Structure of TV News: “Storytelling”

Structure is basis to all communication

It’s just like a foundation of TV News story


Structure is involved in:1. Television News Story Production

2. Shots editing

3. On-air

4. Newscast itself


Structure – single most important idea

Structure – most important concept for TV Journalists


Task of Journalism

is also Explain & interpret the importance & significance of

news events


There are reasons why the actions of one person are more important than those of another


These reasons are revealed by 1. Interviewing

2. Digging for facts

3. Taping Editing

4. Writing stories that probe the reasoning


These elements are processed into news accounts and provide structure –

The “how” and the “why” of the news

As well as the “who”, “what”, “when”, and “where”.

If we left the “how” and “why” out of our reports, the audience would be less well informed.

Structure of TV News: “Storytelling” some of the ingredients that make up the

structure of television news: 1. Showing and telling

2. The relationship between the people on the air and the viewers watching their television sets

3. Storytelling

4. Linear clarity

5. Visual structure.


As local and network television news has expanded and all-news cable channel have developed, the common dialogue today is:

Did you hear about ….. ?

Yes, I saw it…….

Showing and Telling:


The important word here is saw.

By using it people seem to mean they either “saw” a newscaster telling them about it

or, because the technology makes it possible to bring pictures of a news event to people as it is happening



it is also more and more likely that they really did “see” at least some of it.

Instant replay and other production techniques also make it possible for the audience to “see it” again and again

To analyze it in slow motion or frame by frame.



Television news is more than just pictorial coverage.

Pictures & Words:


It “tells” the news with pictures in motion including 1. News sounds

2. Anchorpersons

3. Reporters

4. News makers.

Pictures & Words:


The link between the pictures and the words is crucial.

Pictures & Words:


At the basic level that wedding of the right words with right pictures is

at once the greatest potential strength and greatest potential weakness of television news.

Pictures & Words:


When that link is right the communication may be a whole new experience.

Pictures & Words:


When the pictures and words don’t work together

When the screen is showing one thing

And words are telling something else – “ cross-scripting” in the jargon of the craft – confusion.

Pictures & Words:


Now add in the second unique ingredient “Anchorpersons”

The fact that the audience is watching anchorpersons and reporters tell the news.

The Anchor ingredient:


When former NBC News President Reuven Frank said, “Television news is at its best when it provides an experience for the audience,”



He seemed to be saying that television allows the audience to go along with the anchors and reporters to the scene of a news story, either with live coverage or visual coverage on film or tape, and be there with them as the action unfolds.



Although anchorpersons are not supposed to become emotionally involved in the news they are telling the audience about, they are human



A personal dimension is worth closer

It is an integral part of the television news communication process



Audience watch

1. The personality

2. The looks

3. The style of the anchorpersons

Storytelling – A Dialogue with the Viewers:


strong evidence that

1. how they tell and show the news is also important.



The experts believe

1. what takes place is a dialogue between the anchors

and reporters and the audience.



The telling and showing of that story on television would involve 1. Pictures – probably live pictures – from the scene of the crash



2. Interviews with

a) Airline officials

b) Airport officials

c) Police

d) Firefighters

e) Rescue workers

f) Relatives of the victims



The station might develop some graphics to try to show the flight paths of the planes.



It might even have eyewitness reports from the people, who had seen the crash.



The anchors and reporters telling the story

Contribute a lot more facts,

identify sources more precisely,


give a list of the names of the dead,

interview experts who might analyze how and perhaps why the crash occurred.


End of Part – 1Thank you


The station would put together a package of information it hoped would be as complete and clear as possible

A package based on up-to-the-minute information.



Regardless of the visual and word content of the story,

A dialogue between the reporters or anchors and the viewers.

Those viewers have tuned in asking to be shown and told about the events of the day.



The news staff at the television station has chosen the plane crash as its lead story

Because of its importance,

judging it to be the most important story



Viewers count on the broadcast journalist to make that kind of selection – they expect the important news to come first.



A fourth structural consideration: Broadcast news is linear (step by step or Logical manner).

It took the industry a long time to realize this. Most experimentation developing what is called “broadcast news style” grew out of physical problems.

Linear News:


For those trying to read the conventional wire service reports on the air, breathing space was lacking.

Linear News:


Delivering the long sentences and convoluted paragraphs without taking a breath led to oxygen deprivation.

Linear News:


The wire services,

Particularly Reuters, APTN & United Press International,

came up with “broadcast wires”

in which the writing was simpler

short sentences

conversational words.

Linear News:


Viewers get the news

In a flow of information that is constantly moving forward

The first story is immediately followed by the second, and so on through entire newscast.

Forward Motion:


A viewer cannot stop the flow,

To go back and pick up missed points

The way a newspaper reader can stop and return to an earlier element or slow down to ponder a confusing paragraph.

Forward Motion:


The viewer cannot speed ahead, or skin

cannot slow down newscaster, if she or he is talking too fast.

Forward Motion:


The structure of Television News contain:1) The beginning – the Lead

2) The middle – the development of facts and details

3) The end – the conclusion

Forward Motion:


It is natural to finish all the parts of Story Element A before moving on to Story Element B.

Forward Motion:


Logical progress is needed – both aural and visual facts

Forward Motion:


The audience quickly becomes confused and irritated if we jump back and forth from one element to another in the narration or visual segment.

Forward Motion:


Keep subjects and verbs close together

Avoid too many dependent clauses

Forward Motion:


Make sure the referents of pronouns are clear

The audience can’t stop and go back to puzzle it out.

Forward Motion:


Television news producers spend a large amount of time figuring out where to place stories and how to group stories in the news.

Forward Motion:


Three Points keep clear in mind regarding preparation of News Bulletin

1. logical arrangement

2. A logical progression

3. Forward movement

Forward Motion:


The producer wants to maintain the highest level of interest and attention throughout the newscast.

Forward Motion:


Much time is spent determining what the lead story will be,

But perhaps as much time is also spent arranging the order of the rest of the items in the news program.

Forward Motion:


One of the major element of the structure of television news concerns the linear nature of the way the audience receives the news pictures themselves.

Visual Structure:


The scenes of the news event must move forward in an orderly fashion, or randomness will defeat clear communication.

Visual Structure:


Visual continuity in television news is everyone’s responsibility.

Visual Structure:


The videographer and reporter covering a story must be aware that unless they provide the elements for visual continuity in the raw videotape.

Visual Structure:


Compression is essential with both words and pictures

Visual Structure:


The key element of visual structure is visual continuity.

Visual Continuity


Visual continuity compresses the action of a story into a smoothly flowing whole.

Visual Continuity


The word continuity means uninterrupted connection, succession, union, or duration over time.

Visual Continuity


The key element of visual structure is visual continuity.

Visual continuity compresses the action of a story into a smoothly flowing whole.

The word continuity means uninterrupted connection, succession, union, or duration over time.

Visual Continuity

Thank You

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