UNIT 9 CONTENT PRODUCTION FOR

TELEVISION
Structure
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Learning Outcomes
9.2 Production for Television
9.2.1 Basic Principles
9.2.2 Three Stages of Television Production

9.3 Producing News Programmes

9.3.1 Producing a News Package
9.3.2 Producing a News Bulletin
9.3.3 Producing a News Feature or News Documentary

9.4 Important Elements of TV News Programmes

9.4.1 Objectivity
9.4.2 Visuals
9.4.3 Audio
9.4.4 Anchor

9.5 Production Team

9.6 Let Us Sum Up
9.7 Further Readings
9.8 Key Words
9.9 Check Your Progress: Possible Answers

9.0 INTRODUCTION
Content production for television can easily be described as the most important
aspect of the television industry. Unless the quality of the produced content is
good, you can not expect your viewers to be glued to your TV channel. In order
to leave an impact on the viewers, the television content must be interesting,
informative, attractive and unique, and these qualities can be ensured at the
production level. Therefore, it is quite essential to have a qualified and creative
production team. We all know that TV channels carry a variety of content from
entertainment to education, but in this Unit our discussion will be focused on the
television content related to news and current affairs only.

9.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES

After going through this Unit, you should be able to:
describe the basic principles of television content production;
discuss the main stages of TV production;
explain the production process of different news programmes; and
describe the role of different people involved in the content production in
a TV news channel. 111
Television Journalism
9.2 PRODUCTION FOR TELEVISION
Television is an audio-visual medium that incorporates visual and audio elements.
A number of activities are required for production of television content like-
recording and creation of visual elements (videos, photographs and graphics),
recording of the audio elements, script writing, audio-visual editing, etc. In this
section, we shall discuss these activities.

9.2.1 Basic Principles

It is always said that content is king, whether it is about news or other genres.
Unless you produce quality television content for your viewers, you can not
expect to succeed in the long run. So far as news content for television is
concerned, they may be of various types and that again depends upon the nature
of the news programmes. For example, a typical TV news channel produces
news bulletins, debate-discussion shows, documentaries on current affairs, feature
shows, interviews, etc. While the basic principles of television content creation
always remain the same, you need to work with a different approach for different
formats.

Every TV production, whether it is a news bulletin, debate-discussion or a

documentary, must go through the three fundamental stages before its completion.
These stages are:

1. Pre-production

2. Production

3. Post-production

Many a times, these stages may take very long (sometimes even weeks or
months) to reach the desired level of completion. It also depends on the type,
duration, complication and intricacy of the content that needs to be created. But,
a daily news bulletin or talk show will have to be completed in a few hours or
a single day by following these stages. However, a good and efficient production
team will usually execute each of these three phases at least to some degree
before finalising the product. For example, if you have to produce a live show,
you require a lot of planning for the initial two phases but you do not have the
liberty to go through the third phase. Though, the ‘live’ editing with the help of
switchers may be considered as post-production stage but it goes on simultaneously
along with production.

9.2.2 Three Stages of Television Production

The whole process of television production may be categorized mainly in three
stages. These stages are the following:

i) Pre-production

Pre-production covers all the activities conducted before the actual production.
From conceptualization to all other preparations for actual production fall in this
stage only. Even though some people consider Conceptualization or Formulation
as a separate stage, it is generally considered to be a part of pre-production only.
112 The process of pre-production actually starts with Conceptualization.
Conceptualization: As the name suggests, conceptualization involves most of the Content Production for
thinking work and is done on paper. In this stage, you start with generating ideas Television
for your desired content. When you have certain ideas ready, you and your
teammates discuss about the feasibility, effectiveness and workability of those
ideas. The length of this process will depend on the format as well as nature of
the show. If you are working on a daily news bulletin, you just think about the
selection of the news pieces according to their importance and their treatment in
your bulletin. But if you are working on a talk show, you may require thinking
about the relevant issues to be discussed, availability of the experts on the issue,
the audience to be present in the studio, etc. If needed, you need to seek some
additional information through internet research, old interviews or talking to some
domain experts. Once your idea is finalized, you start working on it. During this
phase only, you can also decide whether your content will be telecast ‘live’ or
recorded. You can then proceed to the next step of content creation.
Pre-production also includes arrangement of the desired support staff who will be
required during the content creation. These staff may include script writers, editors,
studio directors, production assistants, camerapersons, audio operators, lighting
directors, graphics designers, etc. It is clear from the above description that the
number of persons involved in pre-production stage of a programme will vary
according to the nature of the content.

If you have decided to telecast your programme ‘live’, you need to check the
technical aspects well in advance. If you are going to create content which can
be recorded and broadcast later, things will be in better control as you can make
changes if things do not go as expected.
ii) Production
The production stage can be called the real tangible work on the ground. It
involves most of the crew members and can be exciting as well as exhausting.
This stage sees your idea or concept converting into a product. Many creative
activities i.e. video recording, audio recording, performance etc. are done in this
phase only. As far as writing is concerned, in some cases, it is part of pre-
production and in some cases it may be a part of production stage. Just take few
examples, if we talk about fiction (film production, serials, etc.), script writing is
part of pre-production. In production we execute the script, but in the case of
documentary films, pre-shoot scripts are written again after shooting because
documentary is recording of reality. During shoot (production) we may get many
new ideas, facts and angles which need to be incorporated in the script. So here,
final script writing becomes part of the production stage. The same thing is
applicable to the news stories also. Scripts of news stories are written after
recording of the footages and bytes, so here also writing may be considered as
a part of production stage.

If the show is not going ‘live’, production stage of news programmes may be little
relaxed. Various shots are recorded, reviewed and re-recorded according to the
requirements of the programme. But in a ‘live’ show, there is no time for reviewing
and re-recording. Your attempt should be to create the content as flawless as it
can be. In the case of non-live shows, it is necessary to maintain a log of must
have shots and sequences, and any other necessary information that will enable
the video editors to locate and identify during post-production. Without this log,
your precious hours will be wasted trying to find certain key information or the
best shots of the show.
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Television Journalism iii) Post-production Stage
It is only in the post-production stage that the desired content takes the final
shape. As this is the final stage, here the producer gets the opportunity to give the
finishing touches to the content. It is also only here that you can expect to get the
fruits of all the hard work and long hours put in by the crew. Usually, the non-
live programmes take many hours of post-production, but news stories can not
take longer post-production due to the immediacy factor.
The main component of post-production is the editing which is done by video
editors. Video editors have to follow the script of the show, but they have liberty
to enhance the impact of the show. Therefore, many a times the decisions to
select the best shots, to add filler sequences or change the sequence of certain
shots are left to them. Sometimes, they need to insert some graphic elements
which are created by graphic artists of the channel. These graphic elements may
include animations, credits, or other computer-generated contents. Once all the
requirements are completed and the editing is done, the programme becomes
ready for telecast.
Check Your Progress 1
Note: Use the space provided below for your answers.
Compare your answers with those given at the end of this Unit.
1. What are the three phases of television production?
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2. How long does it take to complete all the three phases of production in the
context of television news?
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9.3 PRODUCING NEWS PROGRAMMES

You must remember that production of news programmes is quite different from
the other television genres. For TV news programmes, usually the team is fixed
and that team remains available to gather and compile the required content. In
most of the cases, the production schedule of a news program is not more than
a single day. Therefore, the environment of TV news production is quite hurried
and intense. ‘Live’ programmes need more care and quick action. Without careful
planning and execution, it can go horribly wrong. Now we are going to understand
the exact nature and ways of work in a TV news organisation for production of
114 the content.
9.3.1 Producing a News Package Content Production for
Television
In previous units, you must have read about the news packages or news stories
many times. A news package is a special way to present news to the audience.
Normally a news package has a story, some characters and some facts. News
reporters spend considerable time in researching stories, collecting visuals,
interviewing characters, and then writing the scripts according to the gathered
information. All news packages follow a basic structure which makes them easy
to understand. These packages may be of various durations but usually packages
run from 90 seconds to two minutes in length. In special cases, the duration may
be longer as well.
In fact, news packages are considered to be the backbone of any news show.
That is why making news package is one of the most important tasks of the
reporters and other employees. When the assignment desk of the news channel
assigns a particular news story to the reporter, the process of making a news
package begins. The reporter needs to follow the news, collect the latest
information, visuals (video or stills) and bytes (or interviews) of the concerned
parties and then write a script describing the event or issue.
No doubt, TV reporting needs much more than its print counterpart. In order to
file a story or report, a TV reporter has to go through a long process. While going
for reporting, s/he accompanies a cameraperson. The cameraperson shoots the
visuals and reactions of the concerned persons. The responsibility of the reporter
is to help him/her in capturing the best visuals and ask the relevant questions to
the concerned persons for the news story.
But the responsibility of the TV reporter does not end here. After going back to
the office, s/he has to file the report according to the visuals and bytes collected
by him/her. Many a times, the reporter may take the help of graphics department,
if any information is required to be shown in the form of graphics. When the news
report is completed, the producer checks the script filed by the reporter. When
it is cleared by the producer, the reporter has to sit with video editors to edit the
final story. Here the script has to be voiceovered by the reporter or voice-over
artist. And then visuals, graphics and bytes are laid over the VO (voice-over) to
give it a shape of edited package. The edited news stories or packages are then
used by the producer for his or her bulletin or show.
The most important thing to note here is that a television reporter has to follow
the visuals of the event. This is not required for a print reporter. Moreover, a TV
reporter has to be quick as s/he has to deliver the news as soon as possible. The
print reporters, however, enjoy the greater time and flexibility. As the newspaper
will be printed at night and delivered to the doorstep of the consumer only the
next morning, newspaper reporter can file his/her story with comparative ease.
But the TV reporter has to be quick and on the rub as his/her organization needs
to play that news story the same day itself. So, for being a successful TV reporter,
pace and accuracy both are the prerequisites.

9.3.2 Producing a News Bulletin

In a typical TV news channel, the person who owns the responsibility of producing
a programme is called the producer. The producer of a news bulletin has to
produce his/her bulletin before its deadline. If the bulletin has to go ‘live’, s/he will
have to prepare all the contents required for the news bulletin beforehand.
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Television Journalism First of all, the producer decides the news stories which are to be included in the
bulletin. After that, s/he decides the order of the news stories in the bulletin and
prepares a run-order or rundown. In the rundown, it is mentioned before every
news story that what will be its treatment and how much time is to be given. In
fact, mere seeing a well-prepared run-order, you can visualise the look of the
bulletin to be aired. That is why rundown is also called bulletin on paper.
Once the producer makes the rundown of a bulletin, s/he distributes the
responsibility of producing the content among his/her associates and other
teammates. S/he has to see whether any script is to be written, which news stories
are already made in the system and which are to arrive later, what graphics
elements are required, etc. In a ‘live’ news bulletin, the producer has to make
provisions for ‘breaking news’ scenario also, therefore, s/he needs to make rundown
in such a way that the important and must have elements get enough time to be
aired. This decision needs dynamism and quick thinking. A good producer always
remains alert about the flow of news.
Once elements of the rundown are completed, the producer is ready to go live
with the show. As the timing of any news bulletin is fixed, the producer needs to
ensure that enough news materials are ready with him/her so that the duration of
the bulletin does not fall short. When the bulletin is being rolled, the producer
needs to prompt the anchor of the show regularly about the elements being added
or dropped from the news show. Usually, the news anchor reads an introduction
(or anchor link) ‘live’, then the pre-recorded story is shown. As the show is ‘live’,
there is no scope for post-production, unless there is repeat telecast of the
bulletin. If there are some errors which need to be fixed, it should be done before
the repeat telecast of the same show.
Structure of a news bulletin: Generally news bulletins start with headlines. Most
important story of the day is given priority and is given more time than the other
news items. It depends on the discretion of the producer that how much time s/
he wants to give to a particular news story. If s/he wants to present a news item
in big way, s/he demands from the assignment team to arrange for some domain
experts who can elaborate the importance and various aspects of the news. For
example, an item of national or international interest is considered most important.
Normally soft stories find place at the end of the bulletin.

9.3.3 Producing a News Feature or News Documentary

Features and news documentaries are longer formats. They need more visuals,
more interviews, more information, more creativity and also more research. You
must have watched documentaries on television news channels. These
documentaries may be based on the political, social, cultural and other relevant
issues. Documentaries need attractive presentation and fine scripting. Obviously,
such programmes can not be effective unless there is strong research back up
before scripting. Such shows or programmes also need a lot of brainstorming,
efforts and hard work to be executed in a perfect manner.
But in this era of fierce competition amongst various news channels, many a times
such programmes lack serious and extensive research and hence they appear
hollow and do not leave any impact on the viewers. As sound research is required
in the cases of TV features and documentaries, usually there is a section dedicated
to research in TV news channels. The staff of this section are primarily entrusted
116 with the task of providing backgrounders on important issues, events or
personalities. The staff of this section are also responsible for monitoring of various Content Production for
Television
news channels. They also provide important news elements from newspapers,
websites and other sources to the input and output teams.
Usually the research section provides backgrounders and other information to the
producer and script writer. On the basis of this information, the producer and
script writer give shape to the programme and prepare the script. During this
process, many persons are interviewed who understand the relevant issue and
possess the deep knowledge of the same. These persons are interviewed by
reporters who form the input team. If you want to understand the production part
of any programme in a simple manner, see the following:

Conceptualisation of the show (Producer) Research (Research

Section) Other important information or interviews (Reporters)
Script writing (Script Writer) Editing (Video Editor)

It is a normal practice for programmes based on any specific issue to be made

within tight timelines in television news channels. For this, the required information
is provided by the research section to the producers and script writers. Quite
often it happens that the producers and script writers do not know much about
the topic/issue and therefore, they prepare the content based on the provided
research only. As a result, the prepared content may lack focus and sometimes
contains factual mistakes as well.
Ideally, the producer should identify the domain experts and interview them
according to the need of the programme. If it is not possible, then the reporters
should be included in the programming team so that s/he is completely aware of
the requirements of the feature or documentary to be produced.
You must remember that for producing a good news feature or documentary
extensive research is necessary. Additionally, if the producer and script writer
are themselves involved in the research, it is even better as it will enable them to
produce a quality programme. But in the process of programme development,
especially in Indian TV news channels, the deadlines are so stiff that generally the
producer and script writer do not have enough time to get involved in research.
Another issue that may crop up while producing television news features or
documentaries is that the production team may lack subject expert producer or
script writer. In TV news channels, producers and script writers are supposed to
be the proverbial ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. Such a label is, however,
not considered a bad thing in today’s news world. In fact, if you are also one of
them, it will help you to evolve as a good producer and script writer in TV news
channels.

Activity 1
Watch a documentary on any television news channel and write down its
strengths and weaknesses.

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Television Journalism Check Your Progress 2
Note: Use the space provided below for your answers.
Compare your answers with those given at the end of this Unit.
1. What is called ‘bulletin on paper’ and why?
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2. What are the processes involved in the production of a television news
documentary?
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9.4 IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF TV NEWS

PROGRAMMES
In this section, we shall discuss a few important elements of television news
programmes. These elements play crucial role to make any television news
programme effective and attractive.

9.4.1 Objectivity
While watching a programme, the viewers should not feel that the reporter is
biased or the story is favouring any one side. The news story must appear to be
neutral. Remember that the responsibility of a reporter is to present the facts of
the news, not to justify any particular side or party of the news. For example, if
a reporter has covered a crime event, s/he should not only cover the versions
of the victim and accused, s/he must also try to cover the versions of the investigating
agency and eyewitnesses, even though there may be a need for the reporter to
invest more time and labour to collect all these information.

9.4.2 Visuals
Television is an audio-visual medium where visuals play very crucial role. The
viewers are always on the look out for engaging and interesting stuff on the TV
screen. So the news stories should have a ‘pull factor’, and that ‘pull factor’ can
come from the visuals most of the time. Viewers watch visuals first on the screen
and if they are eye-catchy, there are higher chances that they may stop to view
that channel. Hence, as a television reporter, you must be able to think visually.
In many cases, visuals can tell the entire news story by themselves. Therefore,
visuals should be a vital integral part of the production instead of an
afterthought. You must have heard the proverb, “a picture is worth a
thousand words.” This is absolutely true because effective visuals can help in
telling a story with more clarity and impact.
The term visuals should not be mistakenly identified with only videographed content.
Graphics (maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations), animations and still photographs
118 can also be used as visuals. Most television news programmes use graphics to
enhance their impact. The main point to note is that in television it is important to Content Production for
Television
present information visually as much as possible. Viewers remember visual
information longer than the spoken or written words. Without visuals, you lose the
force of this powerful medium.

9.4.3 Audio
Television is an audio-visual medium. Although visuals are quite important for TV
but a television news cannot be completed only with visuals. The audio plays an
important role too. It is necessary for a TV reporter to write good voice-overs.
That is why a reporter has to develop the skills of visual sense as well as the art
of using words effectively. Often it is seen that while writing the script, the reporter
finds it difficult to write to match the visuals. Therefore, you should try to start the
practice of writing according to visuals from the very beginning.

9.4.4 Anchor
As explained earlier, there are various types of news shows and programmes and
each one is presented in a different manner and prepared in a different style. But
the most common type of news programme is the news bulletin which is produced
and presented daily. In such news bulletins, the news anchors or news readers
read the anchor links of the packages and those packages are played after that.
Sometimes there are news commentators invited as panellists who take the news
of the day, relate it to events of the past as well as try to project some probable
future scenarios while analyzing it. In such cases, the speaker may often put a
great deal of his/her personality into the presentation, so such news programmes
take a less formal shape. Being face of the news bulletin, it is the anchor’s
responsibility to present the bulletin in an attractive and eye-catchy way. His or
her delivery should be easy to understand as well as impactful and must catch the
attention of the viewers. The anchor should be able to sense what will appeal to
majority of the viewers. The anchor must not allow any news item to cause
unnecessary alarm or anxiety among the viewers.

9.5 PRODUCTION TEAM

Many people contribute to the production of news content in a television news
channel. These include persons involved in the assignment team who are responsible
for finding potential news stories. In a news channel, the assignment editors assign
specific stories to reporters to pursue. But as far as production is concerned, the
role of the television producer is greater. S/he is a person who oversees all
aspects of the television programme. Some producers take more of an executive
role, in that they conceive new programmes and after approval from the superior
authority, they hand it over to the show or bulletin producers. These show or
bulletin producers are more involved with the day-to-day workings, participating
in activities such as script writing, making rundown and producing bulletin and
other news shows.
Apart from the producers, the role of various technical crew members cannot be
ignored in a news channel set up. These persons work diligently and contribute
to the smooth running of the news bulletin and other shows. Without their help,
you cannot expect your work to be completed. They include the studio director,
set designer, graphics artist, cameraperson, vision mixer, audio engineer, video
editor and others. 119
Television Journalism Check Your Progress 3
Note: Use the space provided below for your answers.
Compare your answers with those given at the end of this Unit.
1. What is the role of producer in a TV news channel?
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2. What are visuals in the context of television news channels ?
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9.6 LET US SUM UP

Content production for a television news channel is an exhausting task and it
demands efforts of many people. Whatever is the format and structure of the
news show, there is a need to plan all the shows in advance and prepare accordingly.
From conceptualisation to the execution, there are many stages of production
which involve a lot of people from editorial and technical side to complete the job.
So, basically a news bulletin or news documentary is product of a team work.
Usually, in a television news channel, the role of producer becomes very important
as s/he is the person who handles all major aspects of the content production.

9.7 FURTHER READINGS

Padgaonkar, L., & Singh, S. (Eds.). (2012). Making News, Breaking News.
Westland.
Schroeder, A. (2009). Writing and producing television news: from newsroom to
air. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zettl, H. (2011). Television production handbook. Cengage Learning.

9.8 KEY WORDS

News Package : A television news story which contains anchor link,
voice-overs, bytes and PTC is called a news package.
Assignment : A department of television news channel responsible for
content gathering. It is also called Input.
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 Content Production for
9.9 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: POSSIBLE Television
ANSWERS
Check Your Progress 1
1. The three phases of the television production are: pre-production, production
and post-production.
2. The time taken to complete all the three phases of the television production
will depend on nature of the content. For example, a live news bulletin may
take a few hours whereas a documentary may take weeks or months
depending on the complexity of the subject and the budget allocated for it.
Check Your Progress 2
1. A well-made rundown or run-order is called ‘bulletin on paper’. This is
because of the reason that when you see the rundown, you get the feel of
the show instantly. A good rundown neither falls short of duration nor exceeds
it.
2. The processes involved in the production of a television news documentary
can be described as follows:
a. Conceptualisation of the programme
b. Research
c. Shoot
d. Final script writing
e. Editing
Check Your Progress 3
1. The role of television producer is of larger importance. S/he is a person who
oversees all aspects of a television programme. Some producers take more
of an executive role, in that they conceive new programmes and after approval
from the superior authority, they hand it over to the show or bulletin producers.
These show or bulletin producers are more involved with the day-to-day
workings, participating in activities such as script writing, making rundown
and producing bulletin and other news shows.
2. The term visuals should not be mistaken by only videographed content.
Graphics (maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations), animations and still
photographs can also be used as visuals.

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