Other career avenues in TV Industry/Journalism

Aakash passed out RTV in 1999. He is currently working as Sr. News Editor (Head, Guest Desk) in CNN-IBN. He did M. Phil on Comparative study of Prime time news (Special ref to Aaj Tak and NDTV 24X 7) & Pursuing Ph.D. on Comparative study of Indian News Channels (special ref. to NDTV 24X7, CNN-IBN and Times Now).

Given that anchors and reporters make around two per cent of the total employees of a TV channel, where are the 98 per cent of those who graduate from journalism schools? Where is the engine that derives news operations daily and keeping 24 X 7 news channels going? What happens in back room operations that run a channel round the clock?

Apart from general perspective that new media is all about on air reporters and anchors, there is a vast scope for avenues that are not known to the mass.

TV Media is modulus in nature. Small elements are put together to form one news show.

The dept responsible for putting together program is called “Production”. Then there is “Graphic” without which any new show is incomplete. There are cameramen and video journalists whose contribution outside and inside the channel is unparallel.

The Editorial Team or “The Assignment” which bridges the output (Responsible for putting out information on air) and Input (that comes from field agents, reporters and video journalists), managing internal and external resources to the best of the channels suitability.



The Man in 'show' business: A profile story on Aakash by Hindustan Times on 13th May, 2012.



For Sake of better understanding lets divide a news room operation in two -- Input and Output

INPUT

A camera man sends his footage through “OB van” or outdoor broadcast van which is then received by “Feed Room”, the input is also “ingested” though tapes in the news room. Ingesting also involves putting tape footage in the system to be available for the rest of the operations.

The OB van is operated by an OB engineer and his assistant while Feed Room hasproducers gearing it. The footage once received is sent to “Desk” for Chunking, Desk is also responsible for copy- checking scripts for news stories sent by the reporters. Depending on requirement, the footage is sent On AIR. Footage’s requirement is decided by the Editorial Team and facilitated by “the Assignment”.

Assignment is solely responsible for taking calls on which reporter is to be assigned to a particular place, given the importance of the story he/she is pitching and what resources they should be assigned. For Eg, is the story important enough to send an OB van, or it deserve one camera person or two at different location. TheChunks made by “Desk” are put into a news story which is done by Video Editors through the day based on Scripts of the stories provided by reporters and the desk.

OUTPUT

Then comes “Rundown” which decides which story is to go on air at what time. A rundown producer collaborates with assignment and Editor-In-Chief and Executive Editors to get the priorities right. There is an entire production department which puts various on-air elements (graphic videos and tickers) together.

The Ticker Dept is responsible for the line, running at the bottom of the TV screen, which flashes urgent news. Accuracy is its forte. The studio operations with studio camera and settings bring the ambiance that is seen on Air in studios. From set design to lighting to give a perfect feel is their responsibility.

Guest Coordination is involved with conducting studio discussions on the biggest stories of the day and has now become backbone of every channel that operates. It’s job is to figure out who would be suitable to put the debate into perspective, getting them on board and making arrangements to get them to studio or get them linked in from locations that they are at, even if he/she is at remote location. 90 percent of Prime Time programes are geared by studio discussions on all channels. These Group Discussions are seen on all channels across languages. All this is put together by producers into one whole program!!

There are other departments that are extensively manned and are both important for input and output.

Logistics takes care of all physical production inventories and resources starting with production budgeting, cameras, OB units and other equipments like microphone, artificial sets, lights, outstation travel etc. Even the movement and allotment of these resources are under their aegis.

The Master Control Room (MCR) houses equipment that is too noisy or runs too hot for the Production control room (PCR). It also makes sure that coax cable and other wire lengths and installation requirements keep within manageable lengths, since most high-quality wiring runs only between devices in this room. It is the place where the on-air signal is controlled. It may include controls to payouts television programs and television commercials, switch local or television network feeds, record satellite feeds and monitor the transmitter(s), or these items may be in an adjacent equipment rack room.

The term "Studio" usually refers to a place where a particular local program is originated. If the program is broadcast live, the signal goes from the PCR to MCR and then out to the transmitter.

Production Control Room (PCR) is the place in a television studio where the composition of the program takes place technically putting together the rundown with on air element like anchor links, graphics advertisements ticker etc.

Media Archives and Research is like a library department which extensively houses all the tapes and print material that are deemed important for archiving. The tapes may have footage or an entire show which may have any historic significance in future. This is maintained to give the TV channel a heads up in future researching. All the programs need extensive background information which is provided by Research department on day to day basis along with forward planning about scheduled events which again keeps channel ahead of competition.

Many Thanks,

Aakash