The Codes & Conventions of Broadcast TV News

Studio news readers

These are the main reporters / presenters that appear in broadcast TV news.

Studio news readers

But what do they do???

What do studio news readers / presenters do?

- Conduct in depth research, identify & develop news stories of interest.

- Edit copy from other reporters or external news agencies.

- Write news bulletins, links and assist in the production of scripts.

- Research & conduct interview’s in the studio or on location

- Provide briefings to crew and contributors

What personal & professional attributes / skills do news readers

need?

What personal & professional attributes / skills do news readers need?

Editorial knowledge

Understand legal & ethical issues which

affect journalism

Good communication skills

Good interpersonal skills

Visual CodesWhat does the presenters appearance

communicate to the audience?

Visual Codes

Neat, conservative haircut

Suit: Professional, respectable, smart

Clean shaven

Visual Codes

Would you trust your news from this guy?

Contributors

What kinds of contributors would you expect to see on a news programme?

- Experts- Witnesses - Members of the public (vox pops)

Report structure

Reports are normally comprised of the same techniques:- PTC: Piece To Camera- C/A: Cut Away’s- V/O: Voice Over- I/V: Interview- Vox Pops: Voice of the People- Graphics

Typical structure of a story

C/A I/V C/A I/VPTC C/A

TASK

Find a TV news programme on 4OD, BBC iPlayer or another VOD service.

Analyze it and critically assess what the codes and conventions are for TV news broadcast’s, how they are used and to what effect.