Doing TV

[Captain Obvious]

"Those TV people have it easy," said most print journalists.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

"Those TV people have it easy," said most print journalists.

There's no question that doing TV will give you a new respect for those who do it every day.

 

[Azrael]

Truth is you won't know what specific advice you need until you've done it.

It'll go by like a car crash, very fast, but in slow motion. Afterward you won't remember a lot of it.

Breathe.

Listen to what the other panelists are saying.

Breathe.

 

[Bob Cook]

"Those TV people have it easy," said most print journalists.

There's no question that doing TV will give you a new respect for those who do it every day.

For one thing, the ability to speak extemporaneously without frequent use of "ah," "um" and "ya know."

 

[Lugnuts]

I hate public speaking, too and made a career of this... It's a different animal... And live TV is so much better than taped for many reasons... Not the least of which is, it's easier.

Find out for me how many cameras will be used in studio. I can better advise you on a couple of simple, simple tricks if I know that.

What you want to do the vast majority of the time is look at the person who is speaking. You almost never go wrong by doing that.

When to look directly into the camera?

1. The opening shot. Look upbeat and authoritative right into the camera. Glance at the host as he makes introductions.

2. When YOU are speaking.

Look at some studio shows like NBA on TNT. Look at the body language of the analysts. You'll learn a ton from that. Watch how the analysts easily transition from a wide shot with the host to a single shot on a different camera.

In terms of what you say... Less is more. I wouldn't research as much as report. One single small piece of information that nobody else has can come across as a grand slam in TV.

And finally... The GOLDEN RULE... Always assume your mic is hot, even during breaks!!!!

 

[Buck]

The best advice I ever got for TV (or radio appearances) was: no matter what they ask, say what you want to say. Heck, that's pretty much want every political pundit does.

That doesn't mean you ignore the question. But you should have some note in your head about what you want to talk about. That's key especially if you get stuck with a lousy interviewer or a question you can't make heads or tails of.

It depends why you're on the show.
As a spokesman for an organization that is in the news for something, good or bad, you should have your talking points and hit them consistently regardless of the question.
But you shouldn't ignore the question. The key is not being responsive but appearing responsive.

On the other hand, if you're a sports reporter being asked what you think about Steph Curry not making the all-star game, go for it. Plug your org. and your work and say what you think.

 

[Ace]

Sounds like Luggy learned the Golden Rule the hard way!

 

[Mizzougrad96]

"Those TV people have it easy," said most print journalists.

There's no question that doing TV will give you a new respect for those who do it every day.

For one thing, the ability to speak extemporaneously without frequent use of "ah," "um" and "ya know."

It's always interesting when you see writers become regulars on ESPN. Most get pretty good pretty quickly, but if you look at some of the early clips of these people, they can be bad on a train wreck level.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I hate public speaking, too and made a career of this... It's a different animal... And live TV is so much better than taped for many reasons... Not the least of which is, it's easier.

Find out for me how many cameras will be used in studio. I can better advise you on a couple of simple, simple tricks if I know that.

What you want to do the vast majority of the time is look at the person who is speaking. You almost never go wrong by doing that.

When to look directly into the camera?

1. The opening shot. Look upbeat and authoritative right into the camera. Glance at the host as he makes introductions.

2. When YOU are speaking.

Look at some studio shows like NBA on TNT. Look at the body language of the analysts. You'll learn a ton from that. Watch how the analysts easily transition from a wide shot with the host to a single shot on a different camera.

In terms of what you say... Less is more. I wouldn't research as much as report. One single small piece of information that nobody else has can come across as a grand slam in TV.

And finally... The GOLDEN RULE... Always assume your mic is hot, even during breaks!!!!

Outstanding advice.

 

[spikechiquet]

I just agreed to do a TV gig in the near future. I'm a print journalist who's never so much as done radio, and this will be a live half-hour studio show with an incredibly large viewership. Just me, the host and one other guy.
So, any practical advice? Obviously I'm going to do some exhaustive research, but what beyond that? I hate public speaking in general, so this is a huge mental challenge for me (which is why I agreed to do it, honestly).

I worked in TV for 10+ years until 2006. So I am confused on what you are doing. Is this going to be a pre-game show for a live sports event, a 30 minute panel discussion or something like PTI/Around The Horn?
That would help me dole out advice since I disagree with looking at the camera unless you are in a 1-shot. If this is just a Q&A with the host, focus on the people in the room.
Plus, the best person to ask about talking to the camera would be the host of the show. He'll tell you what to expect.
But yeah...stay away from cursing the second you put the mic on. And don't go to the bathroom after it's on either. I have been in a studio where the host had to to take a dump right before the show...and yes, we could hear the whole damn thing in our IFBs since they forgot to turn his mic off and it made for a rather funny situation when he came back.
I believe the line was: "Struggled with that one, huh Scot?"

 

[Lugnuts]

Sounds like Luggy learned the Golden Rule the hard way!

It wasn't as bad as Rick Reilly "hey, Stu, plug that I had this on Twitter"... Or Kyra Phillips on CNN during a President Bush address to the nation "my sister-in-law is a control freak!".. But once I was recording some voice tracks in the field.... Cameraman kept rolling between takes for some reason... I said something not horrible but not nice. Producer was going thru the tapes in the truck a few hours later... And everybody heard what I had to say.

I spent the rest of the day apologizing.

 

[jackfinarelli]

Minimize the times you interrupt someone else on the program - unless the objective of the program is to turn this event into a "shout-fest". Interrupting is rude and viewers/listeners often get a very negative opinion of people who are rude.

Break a leg...

 

[Fly]

Make sure to wear a shirt that accentuates your guns.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Sounds like Luggy learned the Golden Rule the hard way!

It wasn't as bad as Rick Reilly "hey, Stu, plug that I had this on Twitter"... Or Kyra Phillips on CNN during a President Bush address to the nation "my sister-in-law is a control freak!".. But once I was recording some voice tracks in the field.... Cameraman kept rolling between takes for some reason... I said something not horrible but not nice. Producer was going thru the tapes in the truck a few hours later... And everybody heard what I had to say.

I spent the rest of the day apologizing.

"I am NOT showing Lynch my ti....is this thing on?"

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I've never understood why PTI goes back to the show briefly during the commercial breaks when TK and Wilbon are chatting about something random. I don't know why they would do that or why TK and Wilbon would let them do that. It looks like a recipe for disaster, even though it's not shot live.

 

[Buck]

Make sure to wear a shirt that accentuates your guns.

In a related note, what was up with Vanessa Bayer on SNL's 'Fox and Friends' skit.
Talk about a gun show.

 

[Ace]

Make sure to wear a shirt that accentuates your guns.

In a related note, what was up with Vanessa Bayer on SNL's 'Fox and Friends' skit.
Talk about a gun show.

Just what do you think the "friends" stands for in Fox and Friends? They can get any host to crack on Obama or government waste.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Giggity,

The best advice I ever got when I first started doing tv was: treat it like a big date. There are some real similarities. You're out to impress the host, the producers, the audience -- just like you'd be out to impress a date.

Dress nicely. If your hair looks bad or your clothing is weird/off, people will focus on that instead of what you say. Go in a style you feel comfortable with, but make sure it looks good. If you're male, make sure you give yourself a good shave or are neatly trimmed.

Be yourself. There's lots of good advice here about what you should do, but, if you're going to be successful, the best way is to be true to who you are. If you're not funny, do not try and be funny. There is nothing more painful that someone trying to be funny on TV. I can speak to that from personal experience. They've invited you there for a reason, stick to those reasons.

Be prepared. Know the general tone of the discussion in advance and be ready to make certain points. Say to yourself: "This is the number one point I want to make" and then make it. "This is the number two point I want to make" and then make it, and so on. Remember: like a good article, it's never a bad thing if you have stuff left over.

Don't panic if someone disagrees with you or (in a debate format) challenges you. Don't lose composure. If you are prepared and have done your research, you'll be fine. You can just come back with what you know. Weak people do not get invited back. The best are those who have done their prep and back up arguments with facts. You are being invited on because you have something to add. Be prepared to do that.

The final thing I'd say is don't get caught up in the "enormity" of TV. We have a great saying if someone gets nervous: "There are 7 billion people in the world and 99.99 per cent of them won't be watching." That's always good for a laugh and loosens up the guests.

Good luck and PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[JR]

Giggity, I don't want to sound like a sycophant but EF is one of the most recognized TV sports guys in Canada. He's the ultimate pro.

He manages to handle both Glenn Healy and PJ Stock on Hockey Night in Canada and his head hasn't exploded yet. :)

And yes, don't try and be funny if you're not.

And EF didn't say it outright but do your homework.

 

[ColdCat]

The camera that's "hot" will be the one with the red light on top.

also, don't fidgit in your chair but feel free to gesticulate when you talk.

I always found it helped to calm me down to think that this particular show has lousy ratings so no one is watching anyway (even if that wasn't the case), That way if I screwed up, I would be convinced no one saw it and it would be OK. (of course when I tried this during my radio career it became somewhat disconcerting when people would mention they had listened to my show)