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!
The
Coaching Company offers a day of free coaching to stations that
have never used our services. If you work for a station that would
benefit from the industry's best training, ask your News Director
to look for the information
on free coaching on TCC's homepage.
Or, contact Barry Nash
at any time to learn more. Just be sure to put Talent Coaching
in the subject line of your message.
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