Stick to your deadline

One thing you’ll quickly realise about broadcast journalism is that the deadlines are very strict.

Programmes go on air at a particular time — e.g. “The News at 6.”

Not the “News at 6.11.”

That means you need to make sure your stories are ready on time.

Have a look at this scene from the film Broadcast News. It was made in 1987 (when TV packages were still edited on tape) but some things never change.

Better than just about making it, you should assume your deadline is earlier than the start of the programme.

That’s because producers normally want to look/listen to stuff before it gets broadcast. If there’s a problem they want time to fix it. And they can’t easily watch or listen once the programme is on air.

So don’t get caught up in perfection. The best story in the world is no good if it doesn’t “make” — i.e. if it isn’t ready on time.

Activity: Next time you’re doing a writing exercise, do it to a deadline. Set yourself a target of, say, fifteen minutes and switch your phone alarm on. Your aim should be to have a script that is ready to read — even if it isn’t perfect — by the time the alarm rings. You need to get used to working to tight deadlines...