Is the TV package outdated?
Consider this: at many local television stations, reporters cover two or more stories a day and never turn a package. Former news director Geoff Roth, who now teaches at Hofstra University, says the trend toward covering the news with live shots and v/o’s or v/o-sots is not going away. At his last station in Fresno, Calif., reporters were expected to go live at 4 p.m. with a preview and tell the story three more times at 5, 6 and 6:30 using sound and video. No package required. And the network evening newscasts also use fewer traditional packages these days, relying instead on debriefs.
The TV package is definitely not the standard for online video at newspapers, said Hofstra’s Gregg Smith at last week’s Broadcast Education Association conference. A survey he conducted found that 75% of videos on newspaper sites are not narrated and most of those that were came from the AP.
So is there any good reason for young journalists to even learn how to produce a package? “We have to teach beyond it,” Roth said. “We can’t stop teaching the basics, how to write, how to be good storytellers but do it on the fly.” News directors less interested in whether applicants have a finely honed package on their resume reel, he said, and more at whether they can handle a breaking news live shot. ”Thinking on the fly, organizing quickly. That’s what will be expected of them.”
Perhaps he’s right. But Peg Achterman of Northwest University, a former television photojournalist, argues that the package has not outlived its usefulness. “We encourage great story thinking when we encourage package production,” she says. “We don’t know where TV will be in 10 years. TV may go back to longer form because shorter form is on the Web. We have to teach them to write visually, communicate visually.”
I’d have to agree with Peg. Even if you work for a newsroom that doesn’t let you write packages, you still have to think about the elements you’d need for a finished product in order to collect the visuals and sound required to tell the story well in some other form. “Package-thinking” teaches shot selection and sequencing. It teaches listening skills and organization. And those are the fundamentals for visual journalists, like footwork and passing for a basketball player.
So what do you think? Is the package passé?
It was a matter of time until someone articulated this. I have noticed the trend. Local stations force reporters into talk-and-point live shots. Network anchors read produced pieces. Network news broadcasts feature many of the same correspondents every night, reading pieces on which producers must have done the bulk of the work. Sometimes, it appears as if those correspondents barely leave the building. And those are the standards to which younger reporters aspire? Is this all the viewing public demands?
It’s another twist on the franchising of America. Years ago, a person could drive from coast to coast, stop in restaurants, and taste the regions. Now, it’s one Burger King or Big Mac or Denny’s Grand Slam after another. Same with television news.
Fifteen years ago, I remember looking at the :25 second reports in radio news, and predicting a similar form molting into television as resources and audiences dwindle. We’re getting there. It’s about money, and serving perceived short public attention spans with story counts.
Not that the package is dead. Nor should it be. Television news does a fine job with immediacy, but I honestly believe the public will rally to well-told, thoughtful pieces, as well. For proof, look to NPR radio any morning or evening.
There is a market. Always has been. No form tells television news better than the traditional package. Fight for it.
Well-told stories will always find an audience – be it in print, on-air or on-line. They need to build suspense, have surprises and a resolution. Just like a good book. Yes, there are few good storytellers in TV today. But those that exist create a unique value for their employer, something viewers craving substance will not find elsewhere. Reporters need to be able to be nimble in live shots, yes. But those that want to stay employed better also be able to develop characters, seek moments and deliver something memorable for their audience – or that audience will go elsewhere.
I understand why stations are going to fewer packages and more live shots with vo or sot: it’s easier to tell the story for one show after another in late afternoons. It certainly makes sense on a rapidly-changing story.
But at its best, a package is a Story with a capital S. It stands out from the spot-news headlines, distinguishes your station from your competitors and makes you stop, look and listen.
A finely-honed package on a resume DVD can reveal writing skill, the ability to handle complex information, observational skills, raw curiosity and even a sense of humor.
Strong package-writing relies more on natural gifts. I see tapes where candidates impress in the live shot but not in their packages. It makes me wonder about their ability to organize information.
Does anyone give out awards for “Best Live Shot With VO”?
well “package” is a vague term.
it’s rare to see any (except for sweeps) that go longer than 1:30.
some are as short as 100-110.
is there much difference between that and a VOSOT?
Those who argue that a high story count is necessary because Americans (especially young people) have a short attention span are totally out of touch. Short attention spans are the reason that kids are riveted to a 900 page Harry Potter book or sit through three hours of Avatar. If you’re telling a good story, in any format, people will be interested.
The news business is, and always will be, about personalities and the stories they tell. Viewers enjoy getting to know the reporters, and, over time, know which ones will deliver the best stories. News is about reputation, and that’s built over time with quality storytelling, not 20 second flashes of meaningless filler.
In 20 years on the street I never heard a viewer say, “Hey, I like your news. You have a high story count.” I’ve never heard a News Director say, “Hey, let’s hire her. She can’t write or knock out a package but she’s hell on wheels if we put her on v/o patrol.”
But yes, let’s keep feeding viewers the endless video wallpaper of car wrecks, fires, convenience store tapes and other stories that don’t affect the viewer. Let’s keep doing live shots at eleven o’clock in front of municipal buildings that have been closed for six hours. Let’s keep recapping the same story at 4, 5, 6, and 11 and basically tell the viewer we can’t dig up anything else. Let’s tie up our reporters with this stuff so they can’t actually work a story.
Is it any reason local news is no longer appointment television for viewers?
Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.
Technology and time are probably reasons why the package is losing ground in broadcast newsrooms. Writing and editing a package is time consuming…although I’ve worked with reporters who could knock them out.
I had just been in the business a year when my station (KXTV-Sacramento) went from film to tape overnight (March of 1976). We joked about how long would it take before newsrooms were doing live shots just for the sake of live shots. Live shots no longer have meaning – reporters attempt to give a sense of urgency but no one is buying that anymore. Randy is right – it’s all old news by the time it goes live. The live truck is just another production tool – another set, another camera.
Part of the reason is technology – get enough cameras into the hands of enough staff members and you can get more coverage…and if it is kept simple, then minimal editing is required.
Wayne – you are so right that people appreciate a good package. I went online to my local newspaper video site and remembered why I never watch their videos. Beautifully shot stagnant and boring. Even when they add in interviews the goal seems to be to run just video and interviews and no explanation.
Package – a narrative form of visual storytelling which includes use of reporter voice, interviews, natural sound to create a final product that is more than the individual parts – a gestalt. A good package is poetry, weaving words and sound and images into a tightly woven fabric that draws the audience in and leaves them with a sense of completion.