ABSTRACT
All television reporters are now expected to go live. That means a combination of several things that must be sorted out fast: preparing the known information as quickly as possible is the priority – find out what has happened, where and when and get as many details as possible plus a decent quote from someone at the location that helps to explain the story. You can get more details later and add these to your first live report. On a breaking story you may well go live several times. Also check the location for problems such as the weather or any hazardous interruptions (which includes people, animals or props) and then think about what needs a bit of a performance, such as showing something or moving on location. You are live, in vision, talking, or talking and walking at the same time, and
hopefully having a good reason for doing so. You might be ‘live’ for no particular reason other than the fact that it is a journalistic device. You may be a live commentator in news or sport, or as part of a live two-way with the base studio. There are four basic kinds of live in vision reporting, but be aware that the names given to these vary a lot in different newsrooms and in different countries. In some places the live piece is called a Rant or even an Action Rant. These are generic names. • The Two-way, also known as the Down The Line (DTL), when the reporter at
the scene responds to some questions from the studio presenter. • The Live link or throwmeans the presenter hands over to the reporter at the scene
and the reporter is often linking into a report he or she did earlier and may also
do live interviews at the scene. ‘Joe Black is there now.’ might be the link into the live reporter. The reporter then carries the entire story without any presenter intervention.
