Coverage of the MSU campus shooting

[Herm]

Here is a pretty good synopsis of how bad CBS was. They are on the freshman squad they to play varsity opponents.

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/msu-sho ... e-32420449

Wow! That sucks.
Mistakes obviously happen, but if it happens repeatedly it’s not a mistake… it’s neglect.
Who runs commercial breaks during the coverage of a mass shooting?

[SixPlusOne]

And as for the mistakes.. I dont care how new they are. The people running the show are veterans. They should know how to put on a newscast. Unless they hired kids behind the scenes.

You're leaving out one element that has yet to be discussed. The control room of today is a scaled down version of just 10 years ago. There used to be a TD to switch the show with a director calling the shots and an audio person present. Also the cameras used to be manned. Playback of edited stories used to have staff to load and play selected stories. There was an operator to type in all requested chyron (character generator) names and locations. I remember those days at WIXIE. That all changed in 2010.

That brings us to the current time. There is a TD and a Director and that's it. The Director programs each and every step of the way for the upcoming news broadcast including all camera shots which included camera movements in advance to where they'll soon be needed. The programming includes which news clips are to be aired and in what order and what block. The computer has to know what chyrons are needed and when. The computer has to be told which audio fader to crack and when and what type of switcher transition and when. The computer also has to start the news clips as programmed at the right time.

The TD has to oversee the visual progression including adjusting the audio as necessary, advancing the programming schedule as you progress through the show and touch up the camera shots should they not be quite right.

I learned to do the TD position before automation and after it arrived and we were told it would be a reality. You can get used to it when things go smoothly. You learn in time to handle a slight change in direction if you need to get around the computer program. In time as with anything or any job you develop short-cuts to get you out of a crisis. With all of that said most news shows you find yourself on edge because if a big story breaks anything can happen. Handling remotes can be smooth or hectic and in time everybody will develop a mindset which will enable him or her to handle anything that comes up.

I've been there and I know what it's like. With regards to the critics of CBS-Detroit and their news broadcast I wonder how many of them have ever worked in live commercial television. I'd like to see how they do. I would watch them with popcorn in hand. As I stated in a previous post it will take time to smooth out this operation. Not all circumstances that can happen can be rehearsed prior to a starting date as some have suggested. They will get smooth as they can given the automation that have to work with but with the automation they will have some limitations especially when it comes to abrupt changes. The management would rather take all these risks to their own broadcast just to save even more money by eliminating even more staff.

Finally, the critics should cool their jets for a time and that includes that hot dog who wrote that article. Circle Seven who has left our forum gave a balance from being critical to being fair. We need more of that here in this forum.

[HD74]

THIS!
You have to work within the limitations of the automation whether you like it or not.
One correction 6+1, there is no longer a TD, it's a one person act.

[MWmetalhead]

There is zero excuse...ZERO...for failing to report the story until 11p that night.

I also disagree that something like this situation could not have been rehearsed in some fashion before the news operation was launched. That defies common sense.

This was a pass-fail test. They failed that night. The following day, I will say coverage was generally decent from 7a onward, aside from the technical issues that arose early that evening. One reporter who I will not name did a somewhat half-assed live report that Tuesday morning, but otherwise, the content was pretty appropriate.

Hopefully this was a learning experience for all involved, especially the ND and the behind the scenes crew. I do suspect the station will do a much better job handling the next major news event.

[Herm]

THIS!
You have to work within the limitations of the automation whether you like it or not.
One correction 6+1, there is no longer a TD, it's a one person act.

Channel 7 still uses a Director and a TD.