Mailbag: Accidents are ruining my career

Grape,

I'm in my first job and I was hoping to learn a lot, but unfortunately our News Director loves car wrecks. We often lead our newscast with a wreck, and I often have to package these.

What is your take on this? Why do so many stations do this, and how will I ever get a good tape in this place?

-Calling 911

Dear 911,

To answer the first part of your question, stations chase car wrecks, fires and crimes because it is easy. You turn on the scanner, follow the cops or firemen, and let them get the information for you. Some managers will argue that the viewers like this stuff, but the viewers are of the lowest common denominator. The abundance of crime stories, in my opinion, is a major contributing factor to the decline in local news viewership. Most of these stories affect no one. People die everyday... why is dying in a car wreck news worthy while falling down a flight of stairs not?

Years ago, before cell phones, it was easy to avoid these things. When you heard, "Base to any available unit" on the two-way radio, there would often be dead silence. No one would respond because no one wanted to cover this garbage.

Anyway, for the more pressing part of your question, you'll have to come up with enterprise ideas that are so good the ND cannot resist them. And finding stories off the beaten path (so you can't get pulled off your story for a wreck) is another good idea.

I've actually had a few clients who simply shot stories on their days off because they couldn't get away from the scanner nut on the assignment desk.


Grapevine,

Should I spend money on a fancy paper resume, or does it not even matter?

-Katie

Katie,

Well, as long as everything is neatly arranged on your resume with no typos, plain white paper is fine. Keep your resume to one page if you can, and include a separate sheet with three references (with phone numbers that actually work.)

Pictures, colored paper, wild designs and other embellishments are a waste of time and money.


Hey Grape,

I imagine you've covered a lot of politics in your day. Is there anything that is a constant?

-J.K.

Dear J.K.,

Yeah. Democrats throw the best parties and Republicans serve the best food.