Broadcast journalism

While the glamour quotient of broadcast journalism is primarily drawing youngsters to take it up as a preferred careers choice, the sphere demands much more than just a pleasant face and a good voice! It is an arena where the pressure of deadlines is more severe and the need for visuals and bytes is more essentials than even in print journalism. The fields are an extremely competitive and challenging one that is experiencing a boom currently. What works to be advantage of broadcast journalism keen on taking the plunge, an internship at a TV news channels prior to starting work, may prove a useful alternative.

Qualities

Some essential pre-requisites necessary for joining this sphere are having a nose for news, a good command over the languages, ability to write tight scripts, intelligence, enthusiasm, presence of mind and aggressiveness. Besides these being able to coordinate news, visuals and scripts effectively is extremely essential for a television journalist stamina, willingness to work for long hours, self confidence, determination, a photogenic face on camera, a good clear voice, resilience, risk taking ability and general awareness are other essential traits.

Qualification and training

With broadcast media becoming a fast and emerging sector, that uses rapidly advancing technology, the sphere prefers specialists or at least trained journalists. It is thus advisable to enter it after completing one’s graduation or post Graduation in the subject of journalism and mass communication. Equally essential during the course of training and thereafter, is also to keep oneself updated on the latest technology being used in broadcast media, since the medium is essentially ‘technology’ driven.’ Although one becomes a television correspondent without any prior experience in it, is certainly preferred by most broadcast news channels. If this appears to be too time taking for students of broadcast journalism keen on taking the plunge, an internship at a TV news channel prior to stating work, may prove a useful alternative.

Jobs profile and career prospects

The most important goal of a television correspondent is to get the information fast, convert it in to a sharp, well sound and new clips… complete with sound and effectively to viewers through the news channel. The job is a multidimensional one. When in sight of news, most television journalists work through the day or/night to complete a host of activities. These range from collecting information by persuing news tips/leads, examining documents to verify facts, observing news scenes as they happen, interviewing people, taking notes and shooting videos with the cameraman. This is followed by organizing the material, determining what constitutes the central point of the news clips… all within a given time frame. Like print journalists television reporters also report on a variety of issues. These include news on subjects of international, national, regional and local importance and vary from subjects like politics, sectors of the economy, and events of the day, sports and lifestyle to entertainment.

Pros and cons

Veterans believe that the biggest advantage that broadcast journalism offers its practitioners is that it allows them to communicate through visuals a lot of things that newspapers cannot. In addition television journalism also gives greater scope for creativity; it is a quicker medium of news and is certainly more paying than print journalism. However as a career it also has its own drawbacks. Among these, is the fact that it may also get extremely pressurizing due to quick deadlines, along with erratic work schedule, long irregular hours and constant travelling? Many opine that it is also a tougher area of journalism, as here news cannot be made without accompanying visuals which may be possible to get of one is not at the scene of news as it breaks or is unable to reach soon after.