To demand and keep viewer attention, any newscast has to be a compelling emotional experience.

The best anchors understand this, are alert to the emotional shifts in the program, and are as adept at managing emotion as they are at managing content. They see and hear what viewers are seeing and hearing, and manage their delivery in a way that seems to say, I know exactly how this is affecting you.

This week’s tip features WSB anchor Monica Pearson managing the live lead and tag of a story about a little girl who has fallen down a well. The reporter is Alan Wang, now weekend anchor at KGO-TV, in San Francisco.

This is also a particularly good example of a performance-enhancing format for live shots, because of the way that the structure demands reactions and response from the talent.

Follow the flow — and the related performances — from beginning to end.

• The segment starts with a compelling bite, challenging the anchor to react off the top. And you can hear her reacting from the first word, when we hear her voice over the first video. It’s one of the reasons viewers feel so in sync with her. She’ll watch and listen, then react in a way that has them thinking, “That’s just what I was feeling.”
• The anchor transfers the spirit of the bite to the toss to the reporter. Instead of just reading, she improvises a toss based on her reaction to the bite. The change in copy forces the reporter to listen carefully to what she is saying. Suddenly, there is the possibility of real give-and-take between the talent and with it a sense of unpredictability.
• The reporter matches her emotional energy, as well as responding to her question. Monica delivers her question in a way that challenges him to meet and match her emotionally. As a result, following her emotional lead, his reporter lead is lively and animated.
• The reporter’s tag is as energized and animated as his lead. He does not let the energy flag, but sets the stage for the anchor’s final adlibbed reaction and comment. And hats off to the photographer, whose “performance” is as spontaneous and energetic as the reporter’s. His work is a s critical to the success of this as the work of the guy who’s in front of the camera.
• Monica’s tag is perfect. It’s perfect because it speaks directly to the emotional experience of the viewer. You can almost hear Atlanta laughing along and agreeing with her. And again, she challenges the reporter to meet her energy and respond to her comment.

No wonder — and no mistake — that Monica is one of the best researching local anchors of all time.

If you have additional questions or thoughts about any of this, please contact us. We’d love your input!

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