It’s really been quite hard for me to maintain a train of thought these last few months of pregnancy. That’s obvious by my lack of blogging, and the fact that I’ve mentioned this before! To handle family, home, work and the rest of life I didn’t force myself to write other than necessary tasks. I did, however, need to write out the below Social Media Outline for any Journalist.
This need was for myself as I needed to formalize a basic goal plan of what I want to achieve in my own ca... Continue reading ...
Denver 555-555-55555 Granting an on air t.v. interview about alien abductions. An abductee requesting an interview. How does this work? Can someone contact me to explain the process. 555-555-5555 and ask for John Doe over at No Name Modeling & Talent Agency”
Yes, the above is indeed a news tip/request that the station received last week via email. To protect the identity of the tipster, I changed the name and a few other details. All of my changes are in italics.
“Do you know the difference between a deer and an elk?” CLICK.
As my thought of “did we air a picture and get it wrong?” was forming the caller hung up. I have no idea why he called. He sounded upset. He didn’t sound like he was prank-calling. With the phone silent against my ear I went ahead and did a search of the rundowns just to check for any possible mistake we could have made. There had been no pictures or stories of deer or elk for days.
I have repeatedly mentioned this in my posts: I take calls weekly from viewers upset because they don't have easy access to a computer, let a lone the Internet. They are upset because our newscasts direct them to our website for further information on the stories. The calls are mostly from elderly folks, but increasingly the calls are from younger people. Due to their economic situations, the computer or the Internet, was an expense they could no longer afford.
Two more news collaborations have been completed. Each utilized Ustream, but in different ways. The first was Monday where we invited local artists Laurie Maves and Nemo to watch an investigative story by Brian Maass that looked at an art gallery in Aspen accused of plagiarizing art work. They met Assistant News Director Kristine Strain, watched the story and asked some questions.
We invited law enforcement officers and community members to come to the station to watch our story on Distracted Drivers BEFORE it aired Friday night. After they watched the story the panel reviewed and discussed the story amongst themselves and on their personal social networks. The discussion was broadcast live on Ustream allowing more participation from those who watched.
This is one of the news collaboration projects of which I’ve been writing. Those on the panel became supplem...
When I say news collaboration out loud in the newsroom I get looks of confusion, uncertainty, and doubt as the response. When I say news collaboration through social media the looks tell me I’m crazy. Recently I’ve been trying a new tactic.
I’ve found it easier to explain why I chose to work with social media as a journalist by discussing it in marketing terms. I’m not sure why this is. I’ve said it before; rarely do we in the newsroom get in on the marketing plans for the ...
Friday Dr.
Robert Forto posted a blog that shared his thoughts, insight and
personal story in reaction to watching a story that aired that night. We
invited him to come to the station the day before the story was on the
news. We asked him take the story to his social networks, website,
and/or blog in any way he felt appropriate. We did not ask for any
editorial control in any way he chose to share his reaction and opinion
on the story.
CBS4 News is not new to using
social media. The station has been at it for well over a year. (Hey
it’s longer than some, shorter than others, but more aggressive than
other local media outlets.) I think though that I’m the only one who
uses the actual term “news collaboration.”
As you probably know I believe in collaborative news
projects. News is not dying. People are information hounds who will
search out the information they want. The traditional news model is
changing because of this. We must find ways to be relevant.
A
coworker said today that the one benefit television news still has is
the immediacy of live video along with the human contact. Notice she
tagged on human contact. Twitter, facebook, YouTube, etc. may beat news
crews to the scene and start sha...
I’ve been on the news desk for almost 10 years at CBS4 News. By now it’s routine and instinctive on how to cover big breaking news events. First it’s the adrenaline and the rush of semi-controlled chaos as I work to confirm information, move news crews, keep the newsroom informed of every development, etc. Eventually my silent thoughts of “is this really happening?” creep in and are later followed up by the emotions and thoughts everyone at home watching the event unfold have ha... Continue reading ...
It seems though I may have programmed the producers too well. I’ve written how I proudly wear the Dream Killer Tiara as I often have to tell producers they can’t have desired live shots because logistically they’re just not possible. Everyone knows though that I, and the others on the news desk, work hard to make all the requests come true.
So I was quite surprised yesterday when a producer cancelled a live shot without even talking to me about a way to make it happen. "You’ve go...
Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, December 12, 2009,
In :
Assignment News Desk
“I’m in Longmont. Have you received any calls on lights in the sky? My wife and I and two or three others saw this light that looked like a shooting start until it split into two and then crisscrossed each other until the lights faded out!”
The caller went on to explain more about the lights. He said Longmont Police had said the lights were from pyrotechnic skydivers but that he didn’t believe it. I told him that I couldn’t confirm that but there was a group of pyrotechnic sky...
Posted by Misty Montano on Thursday, November 5, 2009,
In :
Assignment News Desk
Monday night (Nov. 2) after 6 p.m. I heard a call to respond to a stabbing in Jefferson County. Several agencies were called to send crews, including K-9, set up a perimeter to search for suspects. Immediately my new antennas went up and I was on alert. I had few crews – let me rephrase – NO crews, available to send to just check out the scene. I needed information and I needed logistic plans A – D.
I waited a few minutes to give dispatchers enough time to do their jobs before I bothered...
Posted by Misty Montano on Saturday, September 26, 2009,
In :
Assignment News Desk
I understand how difficult it is to be a PIO or PR rep during breaking news or a developing situation. (For rest of post I will use PIO-Public Information Officer-to refer to all media reps.) I relate to your job as I compare it to that of my own as an assignment editor.I only know what is happening by what I’m told by news crews on scene, witnesses or PIOs; or by what I hear on the scanners.
Producers, writers, editors, managers, reporters, photographers constantly ask me for more det...
"I NEED ALL THE INTERNS IN THIS NEWSROOM TO ANSWER THE PHONES!!!!"
I'd cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice and shouted out into the newsroom in a very stern voice.
I didn't even think. I just yelled. The entire newsroom went quiet. Then a couple of the producers chimed in, "Please. Please help answer the phones."
The phones were ringing constantly and the afternoon storms were just starting to cause havoc. My coworker on the desk and I were working to gather information and...
I started this blog over a week ago and every time I sit down to write it, I can't seem to get out what I want to say. This block has left me feeling like there's nothing else I can blog about until I get this out. So please, if ramble and take tangents, remember it's my way of trying to connect the dots. I'd love your feedback and ideas.
I agree Lacey, it's been too long since I blogged.
Last week was a horrible week for journalism in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News closed. There were lay offs... Continue reading ...
Sometimes breaking news is only covered because of timing and resources. Shootings, bank robberies, fights, chases, searches, stand offs, auto/pedestrian accidents, etc happen regularly on a daily basis. There is simply no way to cover everything that happens. Plus, this may be cold but true, who really cares about all of this? Incidents happen and resolve without injuries or without road closings, school lockdowns, evacuation. Sometimes there are injured victims, sometimes there are road clo... Continue reading ...
There really is no better look to describe my feelings about my job than my profile pic - taken of me on my wedding day as a pin stuck me in the process of fixing a strap on my dress. Anticipation. Excitement. Pain. Emotions a bride can experience on her wedding day. Emotions I live through on the job. At the end of the work day though, the job isn't going to be sweeping me away for a honeymoon.
The honeymoon in my career ended just a short three months after I...
*I have combined my two media blogs to make On the News Desk the permanent home for both. All future posts will be here. You can click above link to access & search previous blogs.
Misty Montano
Evolving Journalist
I am an assignment editor at CBS4 News in Denver and a journalist using social media. Daily and breaking news coverage changes moment by moment, often leaving me surprised at how we actually get a newscast on the air! Social media has and is changing the world of journalism.
When young kids come for a tour at the station I tell them, to think of me as they would think of their teachers. Internally I'm thinking, "you have no idea how similar a newsroom is to the classroom!" This is my blog on the craziness and adventures of the newsroom and my thoughts on media using social media.
I am an assignment editor at CBS4 News in Denver and a journalist using social media. Daily and breaking news coverage changes moment by moment, often leaving me surprised at how we actually get a newscast on the air! Social media has and is changing the world of journalism.
When young kids come for a tour at the station I tell them, to think of me as they would think of their teachers. Internally I'm thinking, "you have no idea how similar a newsroom is to the classroom!" This is my blog on the craziness and adventures of the newsroom and my thoughts on media using social media.
