Professional Feature Writing Bruce Garrison(4)

Podstrony

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Today, these individuals focus on reviewing and criticizing new regular programs, major sports broadcasts, special programs, and other unusual activities of interest to local audiences.Many fulltime reviewers believe they have the responsibility to reinforce experiences in common with viewers and listeners.They also feel it is their duty to alert viewers and listeners to worthwhile events, to comment about excellence in programming, and to inform readers on developments with local stations.Opinion essays are also important contributions of television and radio reviewers.These are not limited to single programs or series, but can become more philosophical about trends, questions, and issues involving the industries and their audiences.Broadcasting Professor Peter Orlik (1988) noted this "contemplative approach" is often taken by magazines because it fits a magazine's production schedule more easily and appeals to more specialized audiences attracted to magazines.They are also different in that they tend to be longer and more thoughtful."Such think pieces and the issues they raise are seen as mooring masts to which can be anchored the shorter and more transitory personality and audience reaction columns—previews and reviews" (p.44), Orlik argues.As film reviewers depend on advance showings for much of their work, so do broadcast reviewers.These showings are usually available on videotape or at the local stations of the community where the reviewers work.Much advance viewing is done with special videotape copies of programs sent to reviewers and critics a few days or a week before the scheduled broadcast.Of course, special opportunities are provided to preview shows in New York and Los Angeles, where many television, radio, and cable networks are headquartered, during tours and special promotional events during the year.Like other commentary writers, television and radio reviewers and critics must do their homework.It means watching and listening to a large number of programs each week.For Fort Lauderdale SunSentinel television critic Jicha, a veteran journalist of nearly 30 years, it means receiving and viewing as many as 10 to 20 videotapes a day.He explains how he does his job:I'll never review a show without watching the whole thing.But I won't watch a lot of shows at all.I just have to make a decision based on whether I have any interest, or if it is a new program or a miniseries.There are a lot of people who are going to be looking to me—and I know it sounds a little pretentious—for guidance: "Is this worthy of my investment in time?" You have to tell them.Page 241But some of the programs that show up on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, or Arts & Entertainment, some of that is the best programming on television, but some of it isn't.You make a judgment at some point that people aren't going to tune in to watch certain programs.So why bother? So I don't watch a lot of the tapes I get.But the ones I do watch, I watch from beginning to end.(Jicha, 1993)Daily newspapers are the dominant outlets for broadcast and cable reviewing because of the timing of publication deadlines.For the same reason, most magazines do not get involved in broadcast and cable reviewing.Some weekly magazines, such as the newsmagazines or TV Guide, are able to do so in advance because of lead time given them by sources seeking maximum promotional value for a special program or series in a big circulation publication.Similarly, these weekly magazines review or cover the broadcast of programs after the fact if a program has strong impact or if ratings show an unusually large audience.A review or critique of a television or radio program can actually serve a dual purpose.It may also serve as an advance story, alerting viewers of the coming program.Thus, with a dual purpose, writers have to be careful not to reveal too much that would spoil viewing.Many of the nation's major television industry beat writers, reviewers, and critics collect information on a 3week press tour of Southern California each summer.The tour is grinding, with writers beginning their days at 8 or 9 a.m.and going nonstop through 12 a.m.The days are filled with previews of new fall programs, interviews with the new programs' stars, producers, and directors, and other individuals involved in the industry.It is often difficult to find time to write while on the road with such a tight schedule."It's nineteen straight days of screenings like that," says the SunSentinel's Jicha (1993), who has been taking the tours for more than a decade."And people think we are having fun.We work hard during those trips."In 1998, ABC Television brought a new program to its Thursday lineup that was called the Prey [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

bezglutenowo.pev.pl