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Kondor Ponders:
TV Or Not TV?
By Mike Kondor
The best thing I can say about
television news reporting is that it is
considered by some to be more glamor
ous and prestigious than the average
nine-to-five job.
But when "television people" sit
around and talk, the inevitable question
comes up: "Is it really worth it?" The
usual answer is: "I still haven't decided."
I had an opportunity to find out if it
was "worth it" as I progressed through
my internship at WHTM-TV, Channel 27
in Harrisburg.
My typical day at the station began
with "rounds calls," which are phone
calls to state policebarracks and police/
. _ _ -
TV-WHTM, Channel
Buying a
( - affirms Digesi Ness Service
The photography boom is upon us.
Amateur photographers abound and the
medium has gained new acceptance as a
serious art form. And as interest in
photography has increased, so has the number
of cameras and options available for consumer
purchases. There are so many different
features at different costs that beginning
photography enthusiast could get lost.
The first consideration is one of conve
nience. If you are the type who just wants an
occasional snapshot of some family event.
then chances are the instamatic camera with
rotating flash cubes is the one or you. Or
perhaps the kind of camera that pops a finish
ed picture out in just a few minutes is more to
your liking. Although these products are the
ultimate in convenience, they may take a lot of
the fun out of learning about photographic
techniques. In addition, they are unnecessarily
expensive and can present problems if you
want duplicate photos. A simple box camera
is certainly sufficient to provide weekend shut
terbugs with all the equipment they need to
cover a fmaily outing, but if you want the
challenge and excitement that the art of
photography has to offer, you will probably
have to spring for more expensive, com
plicated gear.
A 35mm camera is a good choice for the
beginning photographer. It is relatively inex
pensive to buy this type of film, is easy to
enlarge, and can present opportunities for
huge savings on film at a later date (by buying
in bulk).
The consumer should look for a camera that
takes interchangeable lenses, such as the wide
angle and telephoto lenses, in addition to the
determine if anything newsworthy had
occurred overnight.
I learned to coax information out of
obstinate police officials, to scribble
information down while holding a phone,
and to hear a muffled voice while holding
a phone, and to hear a muffled voice
while listening to a police scanner, a
radio, and several live conversations
going on simultaneously in the back
ground.
Once I compiled all the pertinent
information, I had an opportunity to
write some of the stories for the 8:25
a.m. newscast.
Another duty in preparation for the
newscast was the editing of videotapes
from the previous day's 11 p.m. news
cast. I learned to edit a 100-second tape
camera
standard lens. Of course, you don't have to
buy all of the lenses at once and can add them
to your collection as your expertise increases.
Also, look for a camera with a shutter speed
of from between 1-250th and one-tenth of a se
cond. There are several cameras on the market
now with a much wider range of shutter
speeds, but such options are of very little use
to you until you are nearly a professional
photographer and can fully benefit.
Perhaps the biggest bargain to keep in mind
is the value of the used camera. Americans, in
particular, tend to favor products that are
new, even flashy, over something that is old,
but in photography, that can lead to wasted
money. As cameras have improved so
dramatically over the last decade, the prices
for fine used cameras have dropped con
siderably. Secondhand 'stores, flea markets
and want ads are good places to look for such
bargains. If you have a friend more
knowledgable than yourself, ask for advice
before buying. Keep in mind that the most
valuable part of the camera is usually the lens,
and if you have any doubts about its condi
tion, it is very simple to have a reliable photo
shop examine it.
Finally, you should try to keep your invest
ment low until you are certian that you are
serious about photography. The equipment
can be extremely expensive, and in the hands
of a rank amateur, it can be completely
wasted. Careful shopping can usually result in
a good, solid, functional camera with all the
necessary features to allow you to sharpen and
hone your skills.
Thursday, November 20,1980
gist of the report. At Channel 27; if you
can't operate the videotape editors, you
aren't worth a plugged nickel to the
station.
In the studio, I set up the camera and
monitor and I operated the teleprompter
during the newscast. Occasionally, I had
to give the time cues to the anchorman
as he proceeded through his report.
After the newscast, we prepared for
the "News-briefs" (two one-minute re
ports taped right in the newsroom). I
learned to pretend that I was actually
doing something while sitting in the
background during the anchorman's re
port.
Once the newsbriefs were taped, the
tape had to be taken to the editing room
to have the standard ten-second intro
duction and five-second close added to
each "brief." - The final product had to be
exactly one minute long.
The real fun, however, began when it
was time to "go out on a story" with one
of the photographers and a reporter.
You name it, we covered it. From events
as dull as a legislative committee meet
ing to events as frenzied as George
Bush's whirlwind tour of downtown
Lancaster, we were there.
I suppose that I learned the most
while "out on assignment." I learned that
you have only one chance to get the
"shot" you want -- if you miss it, it's gone
forever. You have to anticipate what
your subject is going to say and what he
is going to do. You have to imagine how
the final story is going to be told. You
have to have visual material that will
match the words that the reporter is
going to use to describe the event. The
absence of that visual material will ruin
the reporter's story, no matter how well
it is told.
On the other hand, I learned that the
reporter should have at least some idea
of how the story is going to be told
"going in," so that the photographer
doesn't end up taping the entire event
word for word -- a pratice that wastes
tapes and battery power.
In other words, the reporter and
photographer have to work together.
Each must be aware of what the other is
doing.
I observed that, in comparison with a
television reporter, a radio or newspaper
reporter has it easy. While a newspaper
reporter has only a pad and pencil to
carry around, and a radio reporter has,
at most, a small tape recorder, a
television reporter has to be accompan
ied by a photographer and 75 to 100
pounds of electronic equipment valued at
over $45 thousand.
And what's more, if just one tiny
little part of all that equipment is
missing or malfunctioning, chances are
that the reporter will lose the story.
Another important fact one learns
about television reporting is that a
television camera isn't immediately
"ready to go." It requires one to ten
minutes of set-up time, depending on the
nature and location of the event.
Take a committee meeting or a
hearing, for example. While the news
paper reporter has only to open his pad
and pull out his pencil, the television
crew has to find a location in the room to
get a good shot; set up and level a tripod
for the camera; place the camera on the
tripod; connect the camera to the video
tape recording unit; connect the camera
to the power supply (either battery or
AC); set up lights; "white balance" the
camera (the process of focusing on a
white piece of paper to adjust the color
balance of the camera); record some
"col.' bars" on the tape (an in-camera
process necessary for an unknown reas
on); and finally, find the person of
interest, focus on him, and begin taping.
And that's the sequence for just one
event. When you consider that you may
have three or four events like that in
separate locations all over town, you can
start to appreciate the hassles of tele
vision news.
I wasn't surprised, then, when I
observed throughout my travels that
many television reporters are chain
smokers, sufferers of chronic stomach
disorders, or both.
One wonders a little, though, when
he realizes that the average salary for
this tedious, high-pressure, nerve
wracking job is usually less than $l2
thousand a year.
While I admit that I had fun on my
internship, I still haven't decided at this
point.
Is it really worth it?
C.C. Reader