It takes a group of professionals to produce a television news program. A team of producers is responsible for organizing the entire show from financing to scheduling; however, the most recognized TV news jobs tend to be those in front of the camera, such as newscasters and reporters. Technical positions, such as camera operators and film editors, physically manufacture the final news program.
TV news jobs in production typically involve a wide variety of job duties. The production team is generally responsible for the creation and completion of a news program and supervises the activity of the news anchors, reporters, camera operators, and other staff members. An executive producer oversees the production team, secures financing for the program, and typically makes final decisions on advertising, content, and segment length. Line producers monitor news programs to ensure they stay on schedule and don’t exceed the budget set by the executive producer. They may also determine the importance or popularity of news stories in order to put them into ordered segments.
News reporters travel to locations of breaking news stories, conduct interviews, and gather pertinent details that are compiled into reports by news writers. The completed reports are then given to news anchors. News anchors, also known as news analysts or newscasters, usually work in a studio and present the news reports to the viewing public. A reporter may appear on camera to provide additional information during a new anchor’s broadcast segment.
Most news programs are intended to be objective, but a news commentator’s job is to offer his or her opinions on current events. Many other on-camera TV news jobs are focused on specialized areas of news. Weathercasters may examine national and local weather satellites and then report the findings, while sportscasters present local and national sports-related news.
Many integral TV news jobs take place behind the scenes. Camera operators are responsible for using and maintaining the recording equipment for TV news segments. They may work in the studio and film the news anchors with cameras on tripods, or accompany reporters on location with handheld cameras.
Film and video editors compile the final version of a news story that the viewing public sees. Reporters may gather hours of interviews and footage for a news story that the executive producer wants cut down to a short news segment, often consisting of less than five minutes. The film and video editors review the footage, look for the best shots or interview quotes, and cut out the unneeded footage. They then decide how to organize the segment, such as when to show shots of the reporter and when to cut to interviews or still shots.