Chapter 3: Producing

• Producers are no longer a servant role

  • Can get your name out there now

Working on Other People’s Pieces

• might call interviewees, pre interview, arrange travel, set up interview, record them, identify sound, cut tape, mix pieces or all of it

• an extra set of hands

Having a Good Ear

• have huge responsibility and a craving to pitch

• brings an idea to fruition

• “how do we make this listenable”

• recognize when a piece isn’t working (even when everything was done right)

• must work fast, adapt to unpredictable situations and make people sound good

Producer Roles and Levels

• first classed by seniority (production assistant, assistant producer, associate producer, producer I, producer II, producer III, senior producer)

  • higher the authority, more they can edit and make stylistic decisions

• "Production is not just about making audio pretty. Production has editorial impact.”

• Desk producer

  • national, international, Washington, business, science, culture, education or investigations

  • works with reporters assigned to stories

  • offers production assistance and editorial support

    • brainstorming stories and can take on legwork

  • often comes along w field reporter if a story requires production assistance, acting as a field producer

• field producer

  • gathers the news with the reporter

  • typically temporary and based on a specific assignment

  • plan trips, books and records interviews, brainstorms, makes sure team is fed, communicates w shows

• show producer

  • coming up with story ideas

  • books and records guest

  • cuts story together and works to get it on the air w the editor

  • plans and moves around segments

  • director in control room during the show

• line producer

  • heads show production staff

  • leads pitch meetings and makes decisions on proposed story ideas

  • in charge of the daily show, making assignments

  • rearranges the board and makes sure stories within segments are paired well together

  • make sure show has varied selection

  • works w hosts directly

  • makes real time decisions if a segment needs to be busted or moved

  • last set of ears before story airs

• update producer

  • takes over from the line producer after the shows first two hour feed

  • incorporates major news breaks into subsequent feeds

  • may need to fill in with other production roles depending on staff

• podcast producer

  • idea guy

  • figures out how to turn it into a 30 minute episode

  • podcasts have smaller staff, so producers have more editorial duties and creative freedom

  • less likely to do field reporting

Producer as “travel agent, mom, journalist”

• you’re everything, but first and foremost you’re a journalist

• often propose angles, who to interview and how to structure a story

• extra eye on things

Producer as Logistics Expert

• need to set up base

• looked at flood patterns and topographical maps when booking hotel for hurricane reporting

• think about basic necessities to do journalism

• breaking news is urgent, but doesn’t have to be panicky

• pack anything and everything

Field Producing: On the Road With a Host or Reporter

• producers typically handle the recording and mixing

• a reporter usually wants a producers questions

• do the recording so that the reporter can really concentrate on questions

• be in the background and do the things they don’t have time for

• roll w different working styles

• Unless the piece is very rich in ambi most field producers on fast-moving news stories will send all the audio elements to be mixed by a show producer

• there’s no heroism in taking it all on yourself

• producers can go these wild goose chases bc ur time isn’t as valuable as reporter

  • but your job isn’t less important