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How much of the news show is scripted?

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
km1125
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How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by km1125 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:43 am

For those that worked in the business, just how much of the local broadcasts are scripted and how closely do the anchors have to follow the script?

I know the actual stories are written and they mostly follow the teleprompter for those (which makes sense), but how much of the banter and transitional discussion is scripted? Do the anchors get "in trouble" if they venture off script?

Seems like on Fox2 they have a lot of flexibility, on 7 they have some, but on 4 they're frequently following someone else's words that make it sound very awkward. Could be just the dynamics of the different teams, but I was wondering if they are more limited by some written wording.



borderboy653659200
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by borderboy653659200 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 10:00 am

Yeah, Steve Korvette,PLEASE come back and give us the 411 about the news' being scripted or extemporaneous !!!!!!



Momo
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by Momo » Fri Jun 21, 2019 10:36 am

It''s pretty apparent that the dialogue between the anchor and the reporter covering a story is entirely scripted.



borderboy653659200
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by borderboy653659200 » Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:20 am

I know,Mono,but there's an old saying,"If it bleeds,it leads," which suggests that at least SOME news is indeed scripted,with plenty of newsworthy stories omitted to fit some station director's agenda .



SixPlusOne
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by SixPlusOne » Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:46 am

km1125 wrote:
Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:43 am
For those that worked in the business, just how much of the local broadcasts are scripted and how closely do the anchors have to follow the script? I know the actual stories are written and they mostly follow the teleprompter for those (which makes sense), but how much of the banter and transitional discussion is scripted? Do the anchors get "in trouble" if they venture off script?
At the circle seven the anchors read the script especially Diana Lewis (in that era). They only veer off the script/prompter if there is a sudden problem like the video clip they were throwing to wasn't there or wouldn't play etc. Any chit-chat after the story is there own words. This approach makes it fairly easy for the person rolling the prompter.

However when Mr. Bonds was still around he would rewrite the scripted story as it rolled on the prompter to his personal liking. This left the prompter operator in confusion at times. Because he was an excellent journalist and superb writer with more experience in the business than anyone else in the newsroom he could actually redo the story as it rolled.

Lastly the anchors would only "get in trouble" if they didn't understand the story they were reading which means they often got themselves in trouble and would stumble through a story and it showed.

To prevent this problem Mr. Bonds would read 5 newspapers a day and another 5 news magazines a day to stay ahead. It is my recollection that he did this primarily so that if he was called upon to interview someone on a moments notice he would automatically be ready with sufficient background on the subject matter.



Bobbert
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by Bobbert » Sun Jun 23, 2019 1:10 pm

SixPlusOne wrote:
Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:46 am
km1125 wrote:
Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:43 am
For those that worked in the business, just how much of the local broadcasts are scripted and how closely do the anchors have to follow the script? I know the actual stories are written and they mostly follow the teleprompter for those (which makes sense), but how much of the banter and transitional discussion is scripted? Do the anchors get "in trouble" if they venture off script?
Because he was an excellent journalist and superb writer with more experience in the business than anyone else in the newsroom he could actually redo the story as it rolled.
It's easier to make unscripted remarks when you have a lot of power. At Channel 4, a weekend weather reporter makes a careless, but unmalicious, comment about "chocolate skin" and gets fired.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New ... 046806.php

But Carmen Harlan asks a male colleague if he "got a woody" and it becomes a celebrated part of her career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C93mZ9obM7I



fuzzpower
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by fuzzpower » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:24 am

To be fair, how many copies did Bonds change simply because he was drunk?



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Herm
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by Herm » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:02 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:10 am
It’s all scripted. Even down the to fake laughter after a not funny comment.

Even down to the extemporaneously-sounding question an anchor asks a reporter in the field at the end of the report.

All fake, scripted, and predetermined. But everyone falls for it.

Oh, and pro wrestling is predetermined too, but you all still pretend that it’s not.
This is not true. There are plenty of unscripted moments in a newscast.



km1125
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by km1125 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:41 pm

Thanks for the posts! I remember Bonds but wasn't paying that much attention back then to remember how he delivered the broadcasts or interacted with others on the set.



MrTaterSalad
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by MrTaterSalad » Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:51 pm

So Bill Bonds did this on the news set when re-writing scripts and stories . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLNtRvU0CU



stopnswop2
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by stopnswop2 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:20 pm

All of it


Music is my life.

Tman
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by Tman » Tue Jun 25, 2019 12:53 am

Bill Bonds rules . Mort was good . But Bill had the balls and humor to challenge the stories true realality . Heard long ago there was a Bill interviewing Bill without the hairpiece . There was a debate wether to broadcast it . It never happened . But I woud love to see it . Bill could be very funny to relieve the stress of the job . Drunk remarkes . What a looser to count that against what he delt with . RIP Billy Bonds and thanks for the fun newcasts .



SixPlusOne
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by SixPlusOne » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:21 am

MrTaterSalad wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:51 pm
So Bill Bonds did this on the news set when re-writing scripts and stories . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLNtRvU0CU
This specific clip shows a pre-tape session to record a news promo and you can clearly see his frustration with inferior writing. This was not live on the air. Most of the news promos like this would be recorded just after a news show was over. I remember all of this because I was there at the time. If the writing was terrible as he is indicating here in this clip he would and could get very frustrated when he knows it could be written better. Yes, he had an ego and could be difficult when frustrated but he was well respected for what he could do well which included commanding an audience in large numbers.



borderboy653659200
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by borderboy653659200 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:26 am

Bonds was great,even smashed. Crim was good,but he should have been named "Grim" because of his humourlessness .



km1125
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Re: How much of the news show is scripted?

Post by km1125 » Wed Jun 26, 2019 1:18 pm

MrTaterSalad wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:51 pm
So Bill Bonds did this on the news set when re-writing scripts and stories . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLNtRvU0CU
Wow, that's hilarious! Can't blame him at all for blowing up about the script there!

Curious though.... about the 2:20 mark he makes a comment that sounds like "Doris would be saying I wanted the blue-eyed M-Fer to get fired!". Is he referencing Doris Biscoe? Did they have a contentious relationship, or was that just a joke?



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