Interview Tips on Television Reporting

How to look your best
on television
Introduction

These tips are a few fundamental reminders to which you can briefly
refer before meeting media people.
Quick Tips
Before the Interview Begins
The person being interviewed should review:
• A brief description of the story and what the reporter wants.
• The name of the reporter.
• The call letters of the station or name of the newspaper the reporter
represents.
• The time of the broadcast or day the story will appear in print.
• If it is a crisis situation, you must understand what information may
be given to reporters and what should not be released.
Check the setting:
• Is it an attractive, non-distracting background?
• Is it an area where there won't be interruptions, e.g. people walking
through the interview or extraneous sound?
• Is the lighting adequate?
Check the appearance of the person being interviewed:
• Does the person appear neat and professional?
• For a man, is his tie straight and jacket buttoned?
• Hair neatly groomed?
• If the interview is seated, men should cross their legs at the knee, not
at the ankle. Women should cross their ankles, knees together.
A spokesperson should take a few moments to collect his or her
thoughts. If you have rushed to the interview, make sure you have time to go
over the content.
Remember, if something is distracting to your eye, your distraction
will be multiplied by the camera lens. The time to change things is before the
interview is shot, not afterwards!
Check for background sounds that may not be noticeable normally,
but will be distracting during editing. The most common examples of this are
air conditioners or radios. You become accustomed to their noise, but they
may stand out on tape.

General Strategies
Set your goals.
What do you want the interview to be about, and what do you want to avoid?
What do you hope to accomplish in the interview?
Understand clearly what the story is.
The reporter should be able to explain in one sentence the story that he or she
is working on.
Be prepared for predictable questions. But, don't be surprised by
anything that is asked.
Questions often range from the relevant to the irrelevant. Reporters may
accept someone else's perception and agenda and pose questions based on
those assumptions.
If you are being interviewed about a controversy, the reporter may slip you a
question that is designed to trip you up.
Listen to the question.
What did the reporter ask? Answer the question asked.
If a reporter incorporates misinformation in a question, politely correct him or
her and then answer the question.
Insert and assert.
Don't be afraid to insert key information or to assert yourself and your
organization's position.
Appear calm, confident, and caring.
Medical professionals should be serious, but warm and caring. The
information they are discussing is critical to the well being of all of us.
Be positive, if possible.
Viewers may be unnecessarily turned off by the hard truth of these situations.
Be focused.
Direct and focus your message. Give examples, such as: three things people
should do; two signs of a problem; or three most common cures.
Be concise.
Give a good soundbite. Make your answers short, simple, and to the point.
Concise answers have a much better chance of making the air than do longwinded
explanations.

Communicate to the mass audience just as you would to an individual.
In the end, television is one-to-one communication. You are not addressing
your colleagues, trustees, or patients with long experience with a disease.
Be prepared to demonstrate what you're discussing.
For instance, show how to do the Heimlich maneuver on the interviewer, if
appropriate. Or, present an object, model, drawing, or photograph that is
relevant.
Assist the news crew in gaining video of the subject.
This could be the opportunity to photograph someone or something. It could
be still photographs or moving video. Television must have pictures of the
subject discussed.
Consider arranging access to a patient.
Television news executives want to see typical people, people similar to those
who are watching the broadcast. In an average news story, you see the person
with the problem first. And then the medical professional explains to us what
we need to know to understand the issue.
Privately arrange to videotape the news program.
You have a record of your appearance and have a chance to judge for
yourself how you did. It's hard to get a frank reaction from most
acquaintances. They usually want to be polite and withhold negative
comments --- the information you need the most.
Reinforce your content on paper.
Give the newsperson a business card with name and title. You may choose to
provide a concise one-paragraph biography. Consider offering a brochure that
explains the disease. Or, photocopy two or three pages from a book or
magazine explaining what you've discussed.

Taped Interviews In Office
This interview will be recorded on videotape and edited for later
broadcast. Brief excerpts may air as part of a large story.
The typical edited television news story begins with video of one
person who has a problem. This personalizes the abstract issue and makes it
easier to understand. Once the subject is defined, then graphics and an expert
further explain it and may offer advice.
Generally, only one or two :10 second interview excerpts will be used.
The shorter and more direct your sentences are, the easier it is to fit you into
the format. The easier you are to edit, the greater the chances you will be
included this time and the next.
Setting should be clearly medical.
A physician, nurse, or hospital official should be seen in a medical setting.
There could be equipment or even patients in the background. Conference
rooms tend to be too sterile, too formal. The persons featured might as well
be sitting in a motel or office building. However, an office can be acceptable.
Lighting must make you look your best.
Lighting is critical. Offer the news crew a well-lighted spot if possible.
Don't sit or stand with a window behind you; you will be backlit. Your facial
features will be darker than the brighter fight behind you.
Speak to the reporter and ignore the camera.
Concentrate on having your conversation with the reporter, and forget the
location of the lens.
If it is a photographer alone, he may ask you to answer his questions or make
a statement directly to the lens.
Don't fold your arms. If standing, don't cross your legs.
Crossed arms appear defensive. Crossed legs while standing appear less than
authoritative.
If sitting, pick a sturdy chair.
Avoid soft, overstuffed seats in which you sink and have to hunch forward.
Don't rock or move. In the tight focus of the camera, the movement may
appear so extreme the tape is unusable.

Avoid "as I said earlier."
This may ruin a potential soundbite. The phrase sticks out in the middle of an
edited quote. The reporter may ask the same basic question two or three
times. It's not that he or she didn't understand the first time. An experienced
broadcaster may be listening for a good bite or hoping to hear a better one.
The camera microphone is almost always hot.
The microphone mounted on the camera is usually recording. It picks up
sound regardless of whether the main microphone is activated. That
background audio may be heard on the air when the tape is played.
Give the reporter a telephone number where he or she can reach you.
Questions may come up between the interview and air time, particularly if the
story is a complex one.
Schedule your taped interview early enough in the day so there is enough
time to edit the report properly.
How far must the news crew travel? What show is it for? For the early
evening news, the best time may be between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Live From Your Office
An interview airs live with the signal fed back to the station via
microwave or satellite transmission.
The guest is on longer and featured more prominently than in a taped
piece. It is a chance to have a greater impact.
You may be interviewed by a reporter there with you or asked to
answer questions from an anchor in the studio.
You are on the air during the anchor lead-in.
This is a time when you are simply waiting to talk, listening to the anchor's
introduction. You should not be so intense you appear to be frowning,
however.
Depending on the station's format, you also may be seen for several seconds
after your last answer.
You are wired to a live television station.
The video or audio can be punched up by mistake at any time before or after
your formal interview segment. If the crew has connected a monitor or
television set, do not look at it while you are on.
If there is no reporter in the office with you, speak directly to the
camera.
You are speaking to the anchor and viewer.
Be prepared for extraneous noises that may surprise you in your
earpiece.
You should be able to hear the program on the air by listening in an earpiece
the technicians will provide. This audio is commonly called IFB or cue.
Producers may interrupt or push the wrong button while trying to
communicate with other people.
If the control room technicians don't set it up properly, on a satellite feed it is
possible to hear yourself repeated after you speak. It is hard to concentrate
when you suddenly hear yourself again two seconds later. In a case like this,
try to keep your answers short and concentrate on what you are saying.
Despite the frustration, try not to let it show on air that you have a problem.
Prevent potential distractions or disruptions.
Your beeper should be turned off. The phones should be blocked from
ringing. Visitors should not be able to walk in on you.

Parking requirements.
Microwave signals are most commonly transmitted from a van with a mast.
This signal must be fed to a receiving dish located on a high point. It is then
relayed to the television station.
The van should be parked where the mast can reach the receiving dish. While
signals can be bounced off buildings, they do not go through buildings, hills,
or other obstacles.
The satellite truck is even larger and takes more space than a common
microwave van.
A second consideration for van placement is length of the cable run from the
truck to the interview location. The longer the run, the longer and harder it is
for the technicians to set up. The shortest run is an interview on the sidewalk
next to the truck.
Occasionally, a small portable unit will be used to project the signal from a
floor high above the truck to the truck, and then the signal will be retransmitted
to the receiving base.

Live In Studio
A guest on the news set is in direct contact with the anchors.
At times, you may be seated in the newsroom. In that case, your
setting is similar to a live interview from the office. You are dependent on the
earpiece IFB to respond.
Concentrate on the interviewers.
Don't be distracted by movements of other people in the studio.
Technicians may be communicating about what's coming up during the rest
of the program. Air talent or other guests may be arriving to go on when you
are finished.
Don't look at the monitors.
The television sets spread around the studio are distracting. They are placed
off to the side. When you look to check your image, the camera may show
you turning away, not paying attention to the conversation.
Talk to the anchors, not the camera.
You are having a conversation with the anchors. The camerapersons and
director will make it television.
When you are finished and off the air, remember the microphone is still
connected.
In the release of being finished, it's easy to stand up, still be wired, and appear
awkward. It's not critical, but something to avoid.

Dictionary of Terms
Air check
An audio or video copy of an actual broadcast.
ADI
Area of Dominant Influence. The geographic boundaries of a television
market. The term was coined by a ratings company. The geographic area that
a station serves is also called the DMA, or the Designated Market Area.
B-roll
Pictures of the story or event. When stations used film to shoot news stories,
the A-roll was the narration track and the interview section. The B-roll was
the film chain with the pictures on it.
Today, B-roll usually means cover video or support video.
Beat
A specific subject area assigned to one reporter. Police beat, education beat,
medical beat, etc.
Beta
A type of videotape.
Block
Segments of a newscast. The A-block refers to the first section of a television
news program, where the most important stories are placed. The B-block is
the second block, and is often where feature stories, or stories which appeal to
specific segments of the audience, are run.
Break
The commercial portion of a news program.
Cable television
A television distribution system are transmitted via cable rather than over the
air. The viewers are subscribers who pay for the service.
Cellular telephones
These are just like the car telephones people use when driving. Broadcasters
also use them at spot news stories to phone in the latest details. It's not
unusual today for a station to take a live report via a cellular telephone.
Cutaways
Tight shots that can be used in editing for smoother transitions to avoid jump
cuts. The cutaways also can convey the emotion of the moment. People
watching an event. Someone crying.

Dish
A microwave transmitter or receiver.
Editing
The electronic process by which scenes are selected from a videotape shot in
the field. In the final edited piece, all the individual shots will flow from one
to the next, and the audio track will match the pictures.
Film
Film was the staple of television news operations until the 1970s when
videotape was introduced. Film is rarely used today in TV news.
IFB
Interruptible feedback line. This is the air audio of the program being
broadcast live. A reporter or live guest can hear the IFB through a small
earpiece. The IFB is important when a guest is being interviewed live by an
anchor in the studio.
However, not only can you hear the program audio, but you can also often
hear instructions being, given by a producer back at the studio, and it can be
confusing at times.
Jump Cut
A sequence where the action is visibly interrupted and the picture "jumps"
ahead. Cutaways are used to avoid jump cuts.
Ku-band
A frequency in the 12 to 14 gigahertz range. It is part of the K-band and is
used by radio and TV stations for satellite transmissions.
The ku signals can be received by a relatively small dish, and portable units
are mounted on TV news trucks called satellite trucks. The trucks are referred
to as Ku-trucks or SNV's, satellite news vehicles.
Live Shot
In the live shot, what the person is saying is going over the air
instantaneously. The transmission may be by microwave or satellite.
Live Shot With Taped Insert
These are called a variety of names, including a "Sony sandwich,"
"doughnut," or "wrap-around." The idea is the reporter will introduce the
story live from the scene, pitch to a pre-taped and pre-edited segment, and
end with a live tag from the scene.
This allows the reporter to use material that was shot earlier in the day while
still giving viewers the latest information live.

Man on the Street or MOS
This is the term used for a series of interviews with average people. It derives
its name from the way the interviews are gathered: people are stopped on the
street and asked questions.
It is used to show the range of opinion on a given issue. However, it is a
sample of public opinion in a non-scientific fashion.
Microwave Truck
The vehicle used most frequently for broadcasts from remote locations.
The signal is carried by cable to a microwave unit in the truck and fed to a
receiver at the station. Sometimes the technicians will shoot their signal from
the truck to a fixed receiver in another location, which then beams it back to
the station for broadcast over the air.
Package
The term given to a story that will be reported and narrated as a selfcontained
unit within the newscast. A reporter and photographer are sent to
cover the story and interview experts. The finished piece will run anywhere
from 1:15 to 1:30. If it is an in-depth segment, or "cover story," it may run 3
or 4 minutes.
Satellite Truck
The newest in technology, and if a big event breaks in your area, you could
find several satellite trucks parked outside the hospital. Satellite technology is
usually used when: the story is some distance away from the television
station; it is difficult to get a microwave signal out of a location; or the story
is going to be broadcast to television stations around the country.
The signal is uplinked (sent up) to a transponder on a satellite 22,000 miles
away and then beamed back to earth and received on another satellite dish.
Satellite time
To report via satellite, a station must book time on a satellite in space. The
drawback to using a satellite report versus microwave is satellite time is
expensive.
Soundbite
A portion of an interview edited for broadcast.
Standup
The portion of a story that a reporter does on-camera. In a standup, the
reporter speaks directly to the camera and is seen full-screen, as opposed to
only the reporter's voice being heard.

Transponder
The unit on the satellite that receives the signal from earth, translates it into a
new frequency, amplifies it, and sends it back to earth.
Two-shot
A picture of the person being interviewed and the reporter doing the
interview. The two-shot is usually used to set up the interview. It may be shot
from over the reporter's shoulder or over the interviewee's shoulder.
Videotape
There are a number of formats that local broadcasters use, including DVC
and Beta, to name a few.
Voiceover
Only the announcer's voice is heard over pictures of the event or story. If a
crew is coming to shoot a voiceover, typically they are not looking for an
interview and are only interested in getting pictures. Also, it usually means
the story will get less air time than a reporter package. Possibly as little as :15
or :20 seconds. Regardless of the setup, you should always be prepared to
offer a person from an interview that can provide a soundbite if they ask for
it.

What It Really Means
It's easy to get tripped up when you think you are giving out
information under certain conditions which are understood by all. Here are
some commonly used terms, and what they are generally accepted to mean.
However, even journalists will argue among themselves what these
terms mean, and they will split hairs trying to find a way to use what they
want to use. Many a public official has been embarrassed by information and
quotes he or she thought was off-the-record.
Off-the-Record
Information given to a reporter with the understanding it is not to be used in
any way, shape, or form.
However, in our opinion, there is no such thing as off-the-record. It's simple.
If you want something kept off-the-record, then don't tell reporters and
editors.
If it is important to tell the reporter the information, then say, "This is off-therecord,
and it may not be used in any form."
Background Information
This is information given with the purpose of helping a reporter understand a
story. It is designed to give depth to a reporter's coverage and to flesh out the
details in the story.
The understanding is the information may be used. You may or may not be
quoted as the source, depending on whether or not the background
information is for attribution.
Not for attribution
Material that is "not for attribution" is information that can be used verbatim
but not attributed to you by name.

Television Station Organization
General Manager
The top manager at a television station. Oversees news, sales, promotion,
programing, engineering, and all other services at the station.
News Director
The head of the entire news department. He or she is responsible for the
budget, staff, and editorial direction of the news operation.
If you have a complaint, or a serious problem involving the way a story was
covered, talk it over with the reporter. If you are still unhappy, the News
Director is the person to call. In rare situations where you still don't get
satisfaction, then call the General Manager.
Assistant News Director
The second in command of the television newsroom. At many stations, the
Assistant News Director is responsible for the daily operations.
Executive Producer
The news executive in charge of the content of the news shows. Usually,
producers and reporters, although not anchors, report to the EP.
Operations Manager
The news executive in charge of the operational end of covering the news and
supervising photographers, editors, and equipment.
Assignment Editor
The person in charge of scheduling TV crews and making story assignments.
If you have a news release, this is the person to whom you should send it.
May also be called an assignment manager or news manager.
Producer
Responsible for organizing, writing and overseeing a news show.
Reporter
Gathers the facts for a story, writes the story, and when time permits,
supervises the editing of the story.
Photographer
Operates the camera and takes pictures in the field.

Editor
Edits the field tape, deciding which shots will make air. Sometimes the
photographer edits the tape he or she shot. But, in larger markets, an editor
works from a script written by a reporter or producer, and matches the
pictures to the text of the story.
Anchor
The studio talent who introduces the stories on air. Some anchors write the
copy they read, but many read stories written for them by others. Often
anchors are former reporters. In some markets, anchors actually cover stories
between shows.
Associate Producer
Assists the producer. This title is often given to a writer on a show.
Field Producer
A producer sent out to a location to help supervise a shoot, either live or
taped.
Desk Assistant
A young person, often a student, who helps out on the assignment desk.
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