All-around journalists

Cherubs explore broadcast techniques

By Linda Brozyna

Linda Brozyna and Eryn Rogers use teleprompters to deliver a newscast while in the news room at Louis Hall.

Most high schools that I know of don’t have their own television stations. Most of my fellow cherubs are editors of their high school newspapers or yearbooks, write for their local papers, have blogs or have some experience with radio.

I write for my school paper and will be the editor of the yearbook at Lake Zurich High School, Ill. My broadcast experience? Slim. The cherub instructors wanted to change this.

From day one, instructors stressed the importance of being an “all-around” journalist, and having skills in print, broadcast, photography, audio and blogging. The media is changing and, as future journalists, we have to be able to adapt.

Some cherubs were skeptical about broadcast and nervous about being in front of the camera. I decided to be an optimist and was ready to dip my toe in the broadcast pool.

Medill professor Ava Greenwell and instructor Sarahmaria Gomez started with the basics of broadcast during a lab entitled, “Reporting for Television.” We learned the rules of TV writing and voice-overs, practiced timing a story package and perfected our broadcast etiquette.

In Broadcast Labs I, II and III, Greenwell and Gomez helped us develop our on-camera skills and allowed us to use Northwestern’s broadcast equipment in Louis Hall.

During the fourth week of the program, cherubs choose an elective workshop in an area that interests them. I chose the “TV News Editing” workshop.

Gomez and Greenwell taught us how to use the direct Associated Press news wire to write television-ready stories. We put ourselves in the shoes of news anchors, used the teleprompters for the first time and did our best impressions of Peter Jennings, Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.

Print journalists have the opportunity to write, edit and revise. But broadcast journalists have one chance to produce a live story. I laughed at my accidental stutters and became comfortable in the news room.

This summer has allowed me to broaden my experience with different types of media and I am more confident in front of the camera. I realized being a news anchor is much more than having good hair. It’s about having a commanding presence while delivering the news. And never forgetting to pin your bangs out of your face.