Well, a couple of you recently asked if the blog was available via Amazon Kindle. That's the reading device that lets people download books instantly. It's becoming very popular as readers like the instant delivery system and the ecological benefits. Curiously, it's a big seller among people of my generation who suffer from arthritis in their hands, as you don't have to turn pages.
However, I had no idea that blogs could be delivered this way. So I followed the incredibly simple directions on Amazon and poof! The Grapevine is now available on Kindle. Right here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GU6MSQ
Please note that this service isn't free, though it's pretty cheap. And you can try it out free for two weeks. Full disclosure: The Grape does receive royalties on this as a percentage of the subscription fees.
Of course the blog will always remain free via the internet, so nothing will change there. But for those of you who wanted to drag me kicking and screaming into the electronic age, well, I admit this one makes sense.
I still, however, refuse to twitter.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thoughts from across the pond
I recently returned from vacation... a cruise around the British Isles. I hadn't been to Europe in ten years, and once again I was struck by the great differences in cultures.
And of course, I checked out the British newscasts.
Put them side by side with any newscast in this country, and you're struck by the class shown by the British. While co-anchors do engage in chit-chat going into breaks, they don't present news in an over-the-top fashion. The overly dramatic, in-your-face performance of many American newscasters would look horribly out of place to the British. The Brits, with that wonderful accent, can almost make a war seem genteel.
Their newscasts seem to reflect their society; polite, classy and not terribly sensational. (They apparently leave that to their hilarious tabloids, which had a field day with the Michael Jackson story.) Bottom line, we could use a little of that class over here, both on TV and in our society. This was illustrated on our flight home, in which several people were dressed in flip-flops and gym shorts. It was as if someone had put wings on a discount store.
I also met a lot of people on the trip, and when they found out I worked in the news business, most wanted to know why the product is so biased one way or the other. And sadly, most admitted that they didn't watch local news at all anymore.
In an effort to push the envelope and one-up the competition by crossing the lines of both good taste and ethics, we have alienated the people who ultimately pay our salaries... the viewers.
Keep that in mind the next time you write a line like, "It's a parent's worst nightmare!" or "You may find the next video disturbing!" I've always found it helpful to think, "What would my mother think if she saw me doing this?" (Might be a Catholic guilt thing.)
If any business needs an injection of class, it's television news. You can do your part.
And of course, I checked out the British newscasts.
Put them side by side with any newscast in this country, and you're struck by the class shown by the British. While co-anchors do engage in chit-chat going into breaks, they don't present news in an over-the-top fashion. The overly dramatic, in-your-face performance of many American newscasters would look horribly out of place to the British. The Brits, with that wonderful accent, can almost make a war seem genteel.
Their newscasts seem to reflect their society; polite, classy and not terribly sensational. (They apparently leave that to their hilarious tabloids, which had a field day with the Michael Jackson story.) Bottom line, we could use a little of that class over here, both on TV and in our society. This was illustrated on our flight home, in which several people were dressed in flip-flops and gym shorts. It was as if someone had put wings on a discount store.
I also met a lot of people on the trip, and when they found out I worked in the news business, most wanted to know why the product is so biased one way or the other. And sadly, most admitted that they didn't watch local news at all anymore.
In an effort to push the envelope and one-up the competition by crossing the lines of both good taste and ethics, we have alienated the people who ultimately pay our salaries... the viewers.
Keep that in mind the next time you write a line like, "It's a parent's worst nightmare!" or "You may find the next video disturbing!" I've always found it helpful to think, "What would my mother think if she saw me doing this?" (Might be a Catholic guilt thing.)
If any business needs an injection of class, it's television news. You can do your part.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The market size myth
If you've ever seen the Gene Hackman movie "Hoosiers" about a small town basketball team, you've gotten a subtle message about television news markets.
Toward the end of the film Hackman takes his team to the state championship. The day before the game he walks them around the court, takes out a tape measure and shows them that the basket is still ten feet high and a foul shot is still fifteen feet. It is the same, whether you're playing in a backyard or on the world's biggest stage.
The same holds true for television news. A package is a package, whether it is done in market 210 or at the network. In each case you still need good video, nat sound, strong writing and creative editing. Along with solid reporting skills, of course.
So it makes me shake my head when so many young people think they have to start in a tiny market, or can only jump a certain number of markets for their second job. I'm not sure if college professors are telling kids they have to start really small, or if it is simply a myth that is so old it has become reality to some.
The truth: plenty of people have gotten their first jobs in New York or at the network. If you're talented, the sky's the limit. You have absolutely nothing to lose by sending your tape to any station. Limiting yourself to markets 100-210 can only set you back two years if you truly have talent. You may eventually end up in a small market for your first job, but you may not.
The same applies for a second job. If you can turn a package with the best of them, once again, take your best shot.
The rules of broadcast journalism don't change from market to market. I've seen great products in tiny markets and horrible ones in large markets. The business is getting younger, as veterans see the handwriting on the wall and bail out.
When someone tells you you have to start small, don't believe it. When you're told that maybe you can make it to market 50 in your second job, fuhgeddaboudit. I've heard so many people talk as though market 50 is some sort of utopia; trust me, many times it isn't much better than market 150.
Talent knows no age or experience. If you've got it, aim high.
Toward the end of the film Hackman takes his team to the state championship. The day before the game he walks them around the court, takes out a tape measure and shows them that the basket is still ten feet high and a foul shot is still fifteen feet. It is the same, whether you're playing in a backyard or on the world's biggest stage.
The same holds true for television news. A package is a package, whether it is done in market 210 or at the network. In each case you still need good video, nat sound, strong writing and creative editing. Along with solid reporting skills, of course.
So it makes me shake my head when so many young people think they have to start in a tiny market, or can only jump a certain number of markets for their second job. I'm not sure if college professors are telling kids they have to start really small, or if it is simply a myth that is so old it has become reality to some.
The truth: plenty of people have gotten their first jobs in New York or at the network. If you're talented, the sky's the limit. You have absolutely nothing to lose by sending your tape to any station. Limiting yourself to markets 100-210 can only set you back two years if you truly have talent. You may eventually end up in a small market for your first job, but you may not.
The same applies for a second job. If you can turn a package with the best of them, once again, take your best shot.
The rules of broadcast journalism don't change from market to market. I've seen great products in tiny markets and horrible ones in large markets. The business is getting younger, as veterans see the handwriting on the wall and bail out.
When someone tells you you have to start small, don't believe it. When you're told that maybe you can make it to market 50 in your second job, fuhgeddaboudit. I've heard so many people talk as though market 50 is some sort of utopia; trust me, many times it isn't much better than market 150.
Talent knows no age or experience. If you've got it, aim high.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Writing exercise
(Reposted by request)
Okay, I thought I'd share a few exercises that will help you stretch your creative abilities a little and make your writing a little more interesting.
Assignment one: Take five of our most recent package scripts. Then I want you to re-write them, but you are not allowed to use the words "is" "are" or "was."
Sounds easy until you try it.
Example: George Bush is a conservative President, and he is supported by the religious right.
Re-written: George Bush represents a conservative viewpoint, his views echoed by evangelicals.
By the time you're done with five scripts you'll start to see your copy in a different light. It will sound smarter and flow better. If you want to take this even deeper, refrain from using any form of the verb, "to be."
Assignment two: You've heard of writing into your sound bites? I want you to write out of a piece of nat sound. Same deal, take your last five packages. (If you don't use nat sound, you'd better start.)
Example: Nat sound of train roaring thru town. "Citizens of Anytown have been living along these tracks for years. But now regular train service in the middle of the night is keeping them up."
Re-written: Nat sound of train roaring thru town. "Imagine hearing THAT at three AM every morning. It's no wonder the residents of Anytown are cranky when it comes to the subject of the new middle of the night train schedule.
Sound is just as important as pictures and copy. Weaving it seamlessly into your script will help your packages move more smoothly, and add another element.
Good luck. There will be a test later.
Okay, I thought I'd share a few exercises that will help you stretch your creative abilities a little and make your writing a little more interesting.
Assignment one: Take five of our most recent package scripts. Then I want you to re-write them, but you are not allowed to use the words "is" "are" or "was."
Sounds easy until you try it.
Example: George Bush is a conservative President, and he is supported by the religious right.
Re-written: George Bush represents a conservative viewpoint, his views echoed by evangelicals.
By the time you're done with five scripts you'll start to see your copy in a different light. It will sound smarter and flow better. If you want to take this even deeper, refrain from using any form of the verb, "to be."
Assignment two: You've heard of writing into your sound bites? I want you to write out of a piece of nat sound. Same deal, take your last five packages. (If you don't use nat sound, you'd better start.)
Example: Nat sound of train roaring thru town. "Citizens of Anytown have been living along these tracks for years. But now regular train service in the middle of the night is keeping them up."
Re-written: Nat sound of train roaring thru town. "Imagine hearing THAT at three AM every morning. It's no wonder the residents of Anytown are cranky when it comes to the subject of the new middle of the night train schedule.
Sound is just as important as pictures and copy. Weaving it seamlessly into your script will help your packages move more smoothly, and add another element.
Good luck. There will be a test later.
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