News on the News

(HAMMOND, LA) — The lights quickly turn on filling the studio with light as bright as day. The cameras are patiently sitting on tripods, waiting to be turned on. An old script is left behind on the desk and the teleprompter is black with nothing on it. Silence fills the room, it’s almost deafening.

This is the new reality of news. It is different. In a “new normal” world with social distancing guidelines, limitations on the number of workers and strict sanitation rules — it is extremely different.

At the Southeastern Channel, there is usually a crew full of workers, every camera has someone behind it, the teleprompter has someone scrolling through, the floor manager is directing hand signals to the broadcasters, and the constant busy flow of production keeps everyone on their toes.

After the novel coronavirus outbreak, production had to implement new guidelines to keep those working in the industry safe. This has made reporting the news and the flow of production more difficult than ever before.

Student worker and director at the Southeastern Channel, Richie Cruz, said he is personally in favor of the changes in production.

“Working at the channel is definitely different this year. We have so many new rules and guidelines that we have to follow, but if it keeps everyone safe, I’m all for it,” he said.

It takes a lot more time to create production and there are a lot more rules that have to be followed when creating stories and reporting.

Along with news reporting, sports reporters have really been hit hard with the “new normal” of production. John Sartori, Southeastern Channel alumni and current play-by-play announcer for VSN-LA feels that social distancing is “the biggest problem right now.”

With sports being canceled, games having limitations and social distancing guidelines standing strong in effect it is harder to access sports than in the past, he said. There are significantly fewer reporters allowed to attend events, which has in return, put a lot more workload on one person to try and do a three-person job.

For the future of production, this may be a big game changer and could possibly leave production completely different than ever before. Sartori has noticed the industry shifting towards more remote broadcasting.

“It’s a shame personally,” he said.

He can already see how different things are becoming and will continue to become. This could result in more people working from home and not required to attend events in person, or even set foot in the production studio.

The changes in production have gone beyond the newsroom and press box, even into the classroom of John Harrison, the St. Tammany Parish School Board TV station’s video specialist and intern mentor. Harrison said he has had a “complete shift” as to how he used to teach these high school broadcasters going from an everyday schedule to hybrid.

“With our hybrid schedule students are coming every other day. And when some students are exposed and can’t come to class, it really makes a variety of how much knowledge they get and how much they get to use it,” he said.

The students used to all stay on or near to the same path of learning, but now it is a brand-new way of teaching these broadcasters.

With people speaking out from behind the cameras in the news industry it is obvious: the difference in production now and the coronavirus still spreading dangerously. And it is safe to say some of these changes in production of the News will be here for a long time, if they don’t become permanent. As of spring 2020 to the present, production will remain socially distanced and limited to the bare minimum, which is impacting the whole country.