Do your live TV reporting with the most pizzazz, and you could win a 32-inch, flat-panel television. WFTV-Channel 9 has been sponsoring such a contest since November. Newsroom managers are monitoring stories and will announce the winning reporter and photographer next month. Each victor receives a high-definition TV set. "Wouldn't you like to be in that contest?" News Director Bob Jordan said [on April 4]. "We have fun with our reporters. We reward them as they grow their skills." Live shots at the ABC affiliate have featured reporters in a sinkhole and in the middle of toll plaza traffic. The contest was the brainchild of Bob St.Charles, the station's director of marketing, Jordan said. "What we want in this case is for our reporters to be active and use the standup to better tell their stories," Jordan said. "We're not looking for performances." A standup can be an effective tool to enhance a story, said Jill Geisler, an instructor at the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists in St. Petersburg. "If it's used improperly, it can be cheap theater," she added. "I do hope that Bob Jordan reinforces with great bonuses for other important things in his newsroom: digging, writing, photojournalism, enterprise reporting."More of this article...Search Google News for more quotes by Jill Geisler...
