Handling newscasts and breaks with the new clocks. MEGS trainer Tanya Ott offers some ideas.

By Tanya Ott

Now that we know what NPR is doing with its newscasts in the New World Order, we have to figure out how we handle ours.     

Each station is different – different size, different resources, different news philosophy.  So every station will have its own way of handling news in the new clocks.  In our “Clocks… Clocks… Clocks” presentation at the PRPD conference, Michigan Radio PD Tamar Charney,  MEGS  founder Scott Williams and I suggested the following structure for Morning Edition, which has much more dramatic changes than All Things Considered.

  

Morning Edition

1:00 – 4:00 NPR Newscast

4:00 – 7:30 Station Newscast

18:00 – 19:00 Forward promote, followed by other station “business” including program vertical or horizontal promotion and underwriting (see tips on stacking here)

19:00 – 20:30 NPR Headlines

20:30 – 22:00 Station Headlines and weather

41:00 – 42:00 Forward promote, station business

42:00 – 43:30 NPR Headlines

43:30 – 45:00 Station Headlines with weather

45:35 – 49:35 Feature

59:00 - :00 Forward promote, station business, and legal ID

The top of the hour newscast is very straightforward.  Stations with more journalists can easily fill the 3+ minute station newscast.  Stations with fewer journalists, or those stepping back from spot news for strategic reasons, can scale commit to fill 6:00 – 7:30 with local news.  (But remember, MEGS suggests not calling it “local” on the air.  Many listeners equate that with local commercial TV news.) 

The 20:30 and 43:30 breaks are also fairly straightforward.   Stations can take the full 1:30 for newscast (we suggest following NPR’s lead).   For stations who can’t or don’t want to fill a full 1:30, the most recent clock revision provides for an imbedded promo for the first 30-seconds of that break.  Keep in mind, though, that it could sound odd to go from an NPR newscast, to a promo, and then back to station headlines.   You might consider doing your newscast for the first minute, then playing the program promo yourself for the last 30-seconds for a smoother flow.  

By far, the trickiest break in the new Morning Edition clock is the bottom of the hour.  There’s a 3:30 hole.  

Do you keep the return or dump it?

Do you do a station newscast or headlines?

Do you put a SuperSpot in that space? 

How do you fit “station business” around any news content you might choose to include?

Even stations that started planning their clocks months ago are struggling with that break and continue to make tweaks.   If you haven’t heard them yet, check out the early audio samples prepared by Michigan Radio.  And props to NPR for a visually cool player!

One final thought:  When we presented our PRPD session, I was asked how to do an effective newscast in less than 2 minutes.  My response?  “There’s a lot of fat on the bones of current newscasts.  Use these clocks as a training tool to tighten up your writing of your staff.”   

My comment elicited some gasps, some nods, and several tweets.  But I stand by it.  Next week I’ll share some tips for embracing (and employing!) the mantra I learned from WBHM Program Director Michael Krall:  “Fewest, Most Powerful Words.”

TANYA OTT is the Vice President of Radio for Georgia Public Broadcasting and a consultant and trainer with the Morning Edition Grad School (MEGS).