Must you bring story ideas?? Top 30's reply

[<floridaphotog>]

New requirement at work....everyone - reporters, producers, photographers, editors etc. will be individually called out in the news meeting and asked for their story ideas. Wondering how many other photogs in top 30's are required to do this? The meetings start at 2pm and last for a long time already. Some of us photogs are already getting nervous. It seems the pressure is causing management to do a lot of new things...

[Buck]

Just bring in a newspaper and get your stories out of it like our assignment desk does.

All kidding aside, you shouldn't be nervous about it. You should be thrilled they are actually asking your opinion. Our station could care less if the photogs were in the meetings.

Now's your chance to have some input and you don't have a reason to bitch about lame stories.

[ November 12, 2004, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: Buck ]

[thru-the-lens]

Our meeting starts at 1:30. If you are in the newsroom you are expected to gather around the producers as we go through the assignment list of the days activities.

Everyone from the news secretary, to the tape editors, to the anchors and photographers are encouraged to speak up with story ideas.

If someone is working on a story and you know of a possible idea or sidebar pitch it. We are lucky in that assignment desk and upper management listen to any ideas we have. The story may not run that day but if it worthy they will give the story a chance to run sometime at a later date. Not every story pitched will ever air but its a start.

Don't look at this as a negative. Before I bought the house I use to get alot of story ideas from the laundry mat (thanks to station logo shirts being washed). People would tell me useful stuff about goings on around town.

Just tap into any magazines or cable networks you view and pitch ideas that you mine from them. Try to find a way to localize them. That's really what they are looking for is more local stories.

thru-the-lens.

[satpimp]

Requireing everybody to bring ideas everyday is a bit much, and is going to lead everyone down the 24 hour cable cycle of "fill the hole and feed the beast"

I think it's great to encourage diverse input. The whole sidebar addition comment should be a point well taken. Pre production meetings should be just that. Figure out the angles and different routes a story will take. Generally photogs and techs will have ideas to better flesh out a story as reporters often run to officialdom for sound out of neccesity and time.

To live up to the mandate just ask yourself what issue is pissing you off today. That can be seemingly dry stories like property taxes, land development, or the new lawn sprinkler ordinance. If it has your hackles up chances are there are many others in your area having the same response/issue. You live their too. They want your ideas they need to respect your contributions as a member of the community they/you serve.

A lot of the time the best way to titlate the viewer is by being a gadfly. Make em think and talk! Yelling back at the tv sometimes isn't a bad thing.

[Marlboro Man]

I have worked for stations that encourage everybody (employees) to give story ideas.
Sadly, the Sales Department takes advantage of it.

[<floridaphotog>]

Lately we've been receiving grades on how well the reporters/anchors have done on pitching their ideas. Mind you, we photogoraphers also pitch ideas from time to time, but not all of us on every day. What seems a bit much is when they start yelling that people aren't coming in with enough ideas. They are sending everyone back to their desks to come up with better stuff. I guess it would be one thing if nobody was truly pitching stuff, but in some cases they are and they just don't like what they pitch. It just seems that morale is now being effected. We go in at 2pm and we sometimes don't go home until after midnight....with no dinner break, we often go home eat and relax. I just haven't been able to squeeze more out of my day to get story ideas. Getting them from the paper won't work since as someone pointed out - that is thoroughly gone through in the morning by the desk. Urrrgh

[Scannerhound]

Try this.
http://assignmenteditor.com

[David R. Busse]

Originally posted by &lt;floridaphotog&gt;:
Lately we've been receiving grades on how well the reporters/anchors have done on pitching their ideas. Mind you, we photogoraphers also pitch ideas from time to time, but not all of us on every day. What seems a bit much is when they start yelling that people aren't coming in with enough ideas. They are sending everyone back to their desks to come up with better stuff. I guess it would be one thing if nobody was truly pitching stuff, but in some cases they are and they just don't like what they pitch. It just seems that morale is now being effected. We go in at 2pm and we sometimes don't go home until after midnight....with no dinner break, we often go home eat and relax. I just haven't been able to squeeze more out of my day to get story ideas. Getting them from the paper won't work since as someone pointed out - that is thoroughly gone through in the morning by the desk. Urrrgh I'll wager I could come up with ten ideas in your market just thumbing through the phone book.

This is a reflection of the depths to which TV news has descended....a photographer complains about being asked for story ideas and reporters are told to "return to their desks" to find stories. Where the hell is the natural curiosity about the world that supposedly drove many of us into journalism?

Um, aren't we, as photographers and reporters, by the very nature of our field work, the best-qualified to be out there "in touch with the community" finding stories?

Be glad you work at a station where photographers are considered part of the idea-generating process. That indicates there's hope...

I almost became a news director once. Had I walked into this kind of situation, there would have been an attitude adjustment period and a mass firing of all who didn't buy into the teamwork concept.

[<Al Czervik>]

Don't forget...as photographers, try to pitch stories that are visual and fun to shoot.

This is what I do. Forget about budget/school board/land grant stories. Leave that stuff to the reporters. Better yet, leave it to the NEWSPAPERS.

This is a golden opportunity to "write your own ticket." Pitch stuff that YOU would want to shoot. Pitch 'em features...stories that allow you to travel.

Management may not like your ideas, but at least you'll be pitching in. Pretty soon they'll take notice that you're the one who's pitching the "fun" or "visual" stories--and the top reporters will want to work with you.

[Salty Dog]

Not top 30, but the roundtable-idea-from-everyone-even-the-phojos morning meeting is standard in our shop.

It's a good thing...more ideas, phojo respect, better stories.

[SAwood]

I will echo the sentiment that if the station, for whatever reason, looks to the photogs for ideas, it's not a bad thing. So, really, I can't say anything that hasn't been said already in this thread.

Also, there are some good by-products of attending the meeetings and making your opinions known to the management beasts. Show intrest in the process, and you might be rewarded. I was rewarded just the other week. We were overstaffed by one photog at night. I'm sitting in the meeting, all the stories are covered, everyone assigned, except for me. The night manager looks over and asks if I had any ideas for nat packs!!! Holy crap! Well, after only a few minutes, we all agree on a story, and I have the whole day to myself to shoot and edit this thing!!

It all stems from being seen and being heard. they all know my stance on the stories we do, as well as the stories that I want to do. Just keep grinding away through those meetings, and something good will come of it.


carry on.

[riley]

As to story ideas, it can be a great opportunity for us to pitch in. Would you like the opportunity to pitch something visual???... as opposed to a series of soundbites? At our shop we attend when possible,
but are not required. It is a mixed bag- too many people make meetings go too long, and then we all scramble because time is short.

[riley]

Here's a story idea to take to your meeting.

A Leaf Blower proposed ban in Minnesota. For those of us here in the midwest- unthinkable!

http://www.startribune.com/stories/465/5083738.html

[Shootblue]

Use these categories to broaden your scope in generating story ideas

1. Business & Commerce
2. Transportation
3. Social Relationships
4. Environment
5. Education
6. Technology
7. Recreation
8. Government & Politics
9. Ethics & Religion
10. Arts & Aesthetics
11. Physical Health
12. Psychological Health
13. Basic Needs
14. Defense
15. Economics
16. Law & Justice
17. Communication
18. Miscellaneous

[<Turd Fergusen>]

Yah, I'll take Recreation for $200.

[<Whoolz>]

That's "Therapists" ...

[Curves Ahead]

SHOOTBLUE...
good info.! ;)

[<Mark>]

What an honor it is to be asked for your ideas. This is awesome.

Listen to the radio stations that provide news coverage for story ideas while driving into work. There is always a really good AM station that has all the days news events. Ask your neighbors for ideas, your church, your community, schools, read your small town papers, state magazines, -- get involved. Be curious. When you engage with your community, the community engages back with you. Have fun. It could be a billion times worse. Go be the frickin' champion of story ideas!!! I challenge you.

[Sore Shoulder]

Originally posted by Scannerhound:
Try this.
http://assignmenteditor.com That's good but I really like this one:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2

And you can always use the "I was gonna suggest what Bill said."

[Videodoc]

Hopefully they aren't making you come up with one every day. I can easily do a couple a week, but having to come up with some everyday puts pressure on the situation and I think it becomes counter-productive.
Look outside the newsroom. What are your friends and family up to, upset about, happy about. Anyone with kids always has something thats irking them - daycare, school system etc. That's still my best source.
Press your bosses to make the next step and develop the stories. It's one thing to have good ideas, but if the implementation of the idea sucks, then it's a waste of time. While you're at the meeting, brainstorm on how to put the stories together and make them better. Don't just hand a good idea to a lazy person with no direction. This is the part that inspires me more then coming up with ideas.

[WarBird Dude]

Shootblue,

How could you forget WEATHER?

Very shortly we will begin our yearly informational breakdown of that quaint little annoyance we call snow.

Of course people have never seen snow/wind/rain/fog/and yes... even sunshine....

We must inform the masses about the dangers of each.

WarBird

[FTOJRLST]

If they don't use your story on any given day make sure to throw it out again every day until they use it or tell you there is no way in hell that it will ever see the light of day.

Also make sure to point out if your story idea(s) are in a newspaper. For some reason a newspaper story legitimizes even the lamest story idea.

[<acme video>]

shoot blue,

there are two things that people will sit-up and watch.

Anything with sex
And anything with cute little animals

(and in Texas it's a combo of the two)

that's the reality of life. anything else is just filler.

[Tippster]

How cool! Suggest some fun, visual stories that would only work as a NAT Sound piece, or other stuff that only you're interested in. What a great opening to finally have some input (doubtful,) but you may actually get to shoot some of those stories that we've all filed in the dusty corners of our mind.

One of mine would be a piece on a HS buddy of mine that I used to work with 20 years ago in a Ski Shop here in DC. He's still there, and NOT a manager!