I suspect you’re also familiar with Boyd Huppert of KARE-TV in Minneapolis. His “Land of 10,000 Stories” is especially excellent. Your readers might enjoy watching a few of them even though they feature Minnesotans. https://www.kare11.com/landof10000stories
This is a fascinating piece for me. I’m a retired English/ Language Arts instructor whose career included decades of teaching composition. The journalism minor I picked up in college (and which was not part of my teaching assignment) was a print- focused program with no background in broadcast. You present an intriguing and clear contrast between print and broadcast writing. Thank you.
I was an IRIS volunteer from 1987-'89. As you know, in broadcasting, we sometimes make pronunciation notes on names, to make sure they are spoken correctly. Well, with the Dsm Register, of course, they don't write pronouncers. I remember one of our older volunteers pronounced a military COUP as "Military COOP." Lol. And yes, there is way too much verbage in stories for print :)
Thanks for the Journalistic Writing 101 course, Dave. As always, you provide something to think about. My only journalism course was photography, so missed out on the subtleties that you described so well. I was the tech for IRIS nearly since it was founded by Larry McKeever until about 2008 when I was traveling too much to be of help to them. I'm happy to hear that you lend your voice to them.
Dave, coincidentally (not ironically as too many writers use the word incorrectly) in my weekly vlog I touch on communication in the third segment of this latest edition.
I post the link here not to promote it. I produce this stricly for own entertainment and try to keep my views somewhat humorous. Again, I'm not seeking followers.
Recalling the times that I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to hear a wonderful author speak at a conference workshop! This outstanding writer was an average presenter....... Thanks for shedding some light on that phenomenon 🙏
Dave: Very informative. Thanks for providing those observations. I am not a journalist by training or experience but am a reader, viewer and listener. As a viewer of TV, I find there are many times when TV people perform as if they were doing radio and furnish a whole lot more comment than needed, really diminishing the emotion of the moment. Sometimes less can be a lot more. I don't remember for sure, (I'll bet you do) but I believe it was Red Barber or Mel Allen who was doing a major league baseball game in the late season, in a Series game or Division champs race when someone hit a home run in the last of the ninth and won the game. The sportscaster in a very few words simply told what had happened, then held the microphone out of the booth window as the home crowd went wild, saying nothing for a minute or two while the drama of the moment and the response of the crowd created a bigger moment than he ever could have. Basketball sportscasters being is the most likely of doing that, I think.
For someone who began writing for newspapers, took a brief turn into TV, and then spent decades in radio, your essay hit close to home. It seems to me the styles have evolved (and may keep changing). Newspapers no longer strictly adhere to the "inverted pyramid" style (only a few of us remember a galley of lead type, fit into a chase, a printer trimming off the last paragraph to make it fit), as technology changed how a page goes together. I didn't know what I was doing when I wrote for TV in the 70's, but I'm sure it has changed. BTW, Dick Gilbert probably remembers lead type, and I think Art Cullen's prose is lyrical, poetic.
So interesting to hear the ins and outs of radio and TV writing. These are things the casual observer would never notice, but now, I will start noticing them!
I get so mad when I watch or read a story when a major question I have isn't answered! Drives me insane. And it's SO prevalent online--click-bait headlines grab you in but often don't answer the question that you had when you read the headline--because that would have required TRUE reporting!
Well told!
I suspect you’re also familiar with Boyd Huppert of KARE-TV in Minneapolis. His “Land of 10,000 Stories” is especially excellent. Your readers might enjoy watching a few of them even though they feature Minnesotans. https://www.kare11.com/landof10000stories
This is a fascinating piece for me. I’m a retired English/ Language Arts instructor whose career included decades of teaching composition. The journalism minor I picked up in college (and which was not part of my teaching assignment) was a print- focused program with no background in broadcast. You present an intriguing and clear contrast between print and broadcast writing. Thank you.
I was an IRIS volunteer from 1987-'89. As you know, in broadcasting, we sometimes make pronunciation notes on names, to make sure they are spoken correctly. Well, with the Dsm Register, of course, they don't write pronouncers. I remember one of our older volunteers pronounced a military COUP as "Military COOP." Lol. And yes, there is way too much verbage in stories for print :)
Thanks, Dave. My style is to rip off other people’s style. Like Michael Gartner, probably the best writer in Iowa (present company excepted).
Thanks! This is a topic I never thought about, but it makes so much sense!
Thanks for the Journalistic Writing 101 course, Dave. As always, you provide something to think about. My only journalism course was photography, so missed out on the subtleties that you described so well. I was the tech for IRIS nearly since it was founded by Larry McKeever until about 2008 when I was traveling too much to be of help to them. I'm happy to hear that you lend your voice to them.
Thanks! We always had the Supreme Court to tell us when we messed up!
Dave, coincidentally (not ironically as too many writers use the word incorrectly) in my weekly vlog I touch on communication in the third segment of this latest edition.
I post the link here not to promote it. I produce this stricly for own entertainment and try to keep my views somewhat humorous. Again, I'm not seeking followers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOa12TWqbH0
Never having written a word for television, your column was informative.
Recalling the times that I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to hear a wonderful author speak at a conference workshop! This outstanding writer was an average presenter....... Thanks for shedding some light on that phenomenon 🙏
Dave: Very informative. Thanks for providing those observations. I am not a journalist by training or experience but am a reader, viewer and listener. As a viewer of TV, I find there are many times when TV people perform as if they were doing radio and furnish a whole lot more comment than needed, really diminishing the emotion of the moment. Sometimes less can be a lot more. I don't remember for sure, (I'll bet you do) but I believe it was Red Barber or Mel Allen who was doing a major league baseball game in the late season, in a Series game or Division champs race when someone hit a home run in the last of the ninth and won the game. The sportscaster in a very few words simply told what had happened, then held the microphone out of the booth window as the home crowd went wild, saying nothing for a minute or two while the drama of the moment and the response of the crowd created a bigger moment than he ever could have. Basketball sportscasters being is the most likely of doing that, I think.
Thanks for bringing up the subject.
Fascinating, Dave. Thanks!~
For someone who began writing for newspapers, took a brief turn into TV, and then spent decades in radio, your essay hit close to home. It seems to me the styles have evolved (and may keep changing). Newspapers no longer strictly adhere to the "inverted pyramid" style (only a few of us remember a galley of lead type, fit into a chase, a printer trimming off the last paragraph to make it fit), as technology changed how a page goes together. I didn't know what I was doing when I wrote for TV in the 70's, but I'm sure it has changed. BTW, Dick Gilbert probably remembers lead type, and I think Art Cullen's prose is lyrical, poetic.
So interesting to hear the ins and outs of radio and TV writing. These are things the casual observer would never notice, but now, I will start noticing them!
I get so mad when I watch or read a story when a major question I have isn't answered! Drives me insane. And it's SO prevalent online--click-bait headlines grab you in but often don't answer the question that you had when you read the headline--because that would have required TRUE reporting!
Thanks for the insights, Dave!