B. NEWS UNIT - LIVE NEWS ITEM ANALYSIS

• WHAT I WATCHED
• WHO WAS IN IT
• HOW THEY DID IT
• HOW THE STORY WAS BEING HANDLED
• HOW IT RELATES TO WHAT WE ARE DOING AS OUT LIVE PIECE

South East London Today - 06/11/2019 Lunch Time News

South East Today - Lunchtime News: 06/11/2019 (s.d.) In: BBC At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000b3bd/south-east-today-lunchtime-news-06112019 (Accessed on 6 November 2019)





What was the Story?
The story was about the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh opening a care home facility supporting the veterans of the armed forces and their families.

Who was in it?
The presenter and Broadcast Journalist Claudia Sermbezis.

Analysis

Story

The story is of relevance as we are nearing remembrance day, this is what is also known as a 'Peg' a peg is a piece of news that is of relevance to what events are happening at that time of the year or have happened.

Another example is 'seasonal' news:
"Seasonal news includes Christmas shopping, January sales. snowstorms, summer heatwaves and tourist season" (Stewart, Boyd, Alexandra, 2008:22)

This is also a human interest piece:
"A human interest story may be defined as an extraordinary thing that has happened to an ordinary person. Soft news is lightweight material which people like to gossip about, such as who's won a lottery or discovered a long lost Rembrandt in a garden shed. It is the unusual, ironic or offbeat; the sort of story that people like to talk about." (Stewart, Boyd, Alexandra, 2008:22)

What is appealing about this report is that it is important to people around the U.K if not the world. It is also relatable to veterans and their family to get positive press, but what is obvious about this live news story did not focus on the veterans or families at all, it's urgency 'top' story was to focus on the fact that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had attended the event and how she had planted a capsule, in which was to be opened in a hundred years time.

The Positives about the story and why?

If in fact, the Queen (Our Monarch) did not open this facility the importance of the event would have gone unnoticed by the press and as we as a country support our veterans it would seem like the issue of care has not been taken seriously.

Why was the Queen the top story and not the care home

The monarchy has had a great deal of broadcast on the BBC since the channel broadcast lives on the Queen's coronation on 06/02/1952, this was to humanise the monarchy and bring a closeness to the United Kingdom.

The strategies have worked from when the Queen did her first live tv broadcast on her 21st birthday from Cape town. Within this speech, she made it clear that any cultural difference within her United Kingdom did not matter and that she intended to serve her country in the way that she has been taught to do so, it is also a reflection on the 'live news' as it is today. 

She states in her speech that she too grew up in the terrible times of WWII, this has set the future to today's broadcast as she continues to do as she promised for her country and the veterans whom, at the time was her age. 

So seeing a public figure doing duty for the country is always positive especially as it has been the top headline on every news channel all night.

The Negatives about the story and why?

The story is a human interest piece because ...

• It is about something that everyone can relate to.
• It's about real people.
• it hits an emotional spot in the hearts of a nation.
• it is motivational.
• it has a sympathetic view.

Stating the points of it being a human interest story it deflects on the real issues about 'real voices' being heard, where are the people who set the care home up? who organized the Queen coming along and the press to be involved?

Although it is refreshing to step away from the newlywed royals and their new babies and seeing the Queen doing something meaningful for the country, it also makes us think about why the queen was the main focus and not the cause.

This is mainly down to what needs to be 'headline news' and is a strategy that is used to promote an issue that cant be highlighted in any other way.

As an audience, they will be less interested in the likes of Gemma Collins (From TOWIE) opening the care home as they would the Queen, this is because the Queen holds power and has a reputation to upkeep. 

It is a structural implement that good journalist, provide and deliver the top story on the day.

Yet how many of us know the deeper story of the how it happened when it happened, who it's happening to and where it has happened? and is it important? 

Within the broadcasting world, the only thing that is important is to get what is relevant and get it out fast, so this story would have been too long to provide us with all the information about the who, why and what because of the time that they had, the main story is about the most important (as they see it) person being at the event, this is the biggest negative yet also the biggest positive for the charity it is promoting.

" Most people would agree that news coverage should bear some relation to the importance of an event, but the definition of importance will vary depending on who we are and how we view the world" (Lewis, 2015:131)

TONE

• Presenter.

"In the hot seat of the TV studio, with flooding adrenalin and wildly beating heart, the newsreader might find it difficult to remember that real people are sitting the other side of the screen anxious to hear what he or she has to say" (Stewart, Boyd, Alexandra, 2008:177)

Charlotte Wright,  Started the headline news with a slight smile on her face as she was about to hand over to the 'Live' coverage of the opening of the care home.

The camera started as a wide shot and slowly came in closer as she explained the story in more depth, bring a camera close up indicates 'feelings' for a subject or a story, she also speaks in a tone that suggests that the story is light and not morbid.

What worked well about our engagement with the presenter is that she was forthcoming, charming and likeable, this also meshed in the visual element of the screen behind her of Claudia, this involves the audience at the same time as the presenter making us present and in real-time (as it is happing).

Claudia introduces the live piece with a smile on her face automatically implicating that this is a light piece of news yet important because of the costume.

"The camera must cease to be a single staring eye in a metal face, and become an acquaintance or friend. You would not talk 'at' a friend, so you should not talk 'at' a camera" (Stewart, Boyd, Alexandra, 2008:178)

• Technical.

At the start of the live Claudia is placed in front of a large outdoor gazebo with 3 (purposely placed) Guest behind in smart attire, this is representing that this is, in fact, a formal occasion and the use of people in such images suggests that this is a very important event (if you had the audio off on your tv you could easily determine what kind of news piece this was).

On observation, there were only 2 live recordings and that was after the fact as the programme was made up of pre-recorded GV's.

All that was of significant importance but the importance of the structure is below.

Pre-recorded

The first pre-recorded image (below) was of impact because it shows compassion and care from our monarchy to 'real' people, making it relatable to the audience, this had to be an image to begin the story with because it connects to us as an audience with someone with high power.

The second pre-recorded image was of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh stepping out together, united, this is a symbol of relationships and the strength of our monarchy, it has been historical written that the Duke should always walk 2 steps behind the queen, this is certainly an image that times are changing. 

The third pre-record was of children gathering together united as a symbol of our future, the reason for the children being last (yet the pre-record was fast) is for relevancy within the live.

Live

The first 'live' image introduces Claudia. In the background, we can see who was there. These people were placed in a position before the shoot to establish what sort of event it was, the graphics explain who she is and where she is which is important to the viewer as this particular piece of news is from South London. 

It is not on purpose that these people where put in the background as colors matter within a news piece and within any production, as it is a BBC broadcast has a brand with the color RED,  it is a clever observation that you see in all the frames that someone is wearing red. 

"Movement, relevant background and something worth saying makes the best live reporting" 

(Boyd, 2008:323)

 

The second live piece was a 'pan' to the left-hand side and down to some dirt in the ground, taking us  to a historical bit of news (or breaking news piece) that the Queen has buried some letters in a time capital that will be opened in 100 years, but also in the background observe the lady in red.

there was always something within this live recording that symbolized the colour of the BBC branding.


Influences that is has had to develop our 'live' segment

• Story

Our story also has a 'Peg' as within news articles and on social media, Veganism is becoming more popular and getting towards Christmas, the festive season, people are thinking about foods, with the amount of advertising that there in today on Television.

Our piece is also a human interest story: 

"Events are more likely to be included if they can be illustrated in terms of individuals" (Casey, B. 2008:186)

• Structure

Our 'live' segment will be introduced as a light piece by the presenter before going over to jack, who will establish where he is before we see what he is doing.

On the day we filmed it differently so we didn't have cutaways, the structure (above) seemed to have worked better within the time frame, this was watched after the fact of this research, so research first before structuring needs to be the way forward with a 'live' piece, this cuts down the time and gives us more interesting items to watch that are relevant to what the presenter is saying.

• Reporter

The reporter delivered the relevant information over in an upbeat excited tone, as did Jack in the 'Live' piece, he also looked smart by wearing a suit, just as we observed in this BBC, news item.
Jack also presented the live piece as a PTC, it connects the audience with what is happening.

Bibliography.
Boyd, A. Stewart, P, Alexandra, R. (2008) Broadcast Journalism: Techniques of Radio & Television News. (Sixth Edition) Oxford: Focal Press. pp22-178-323.

Casey, B. Lewis, J. (2008) Television studies: The Key Concepts (Second Edition) Oxon: Routledge. pp 131-186.