Out of town assignments

[Chicago2008 20]

Good afternoon, 

How do TV stations handle things when a reporter goes out of town for an assignment? For example when NBC stations send there people to cover the Olympics. Thanks. 

[Recovering Producer 218]

For your planned events like Super Bowl/Olympics: The network broadcasting the event will offer their stations access to a live/standup location, transmission facilities, high-speed internet, feeds of the event, and workspace for a cost. A friend of mine at an NBC affiliate told me the overall cost NBC is charging stations for this in Paris for the 2024 games is in the tens of thousands of dollars per person. Anyone else going may have access for a fee with a credential to a media workspace from the organizers, but not much more. 

 

Same for your political conventions/debates/inaugurations minus the network exclusivity part. 

 

Anything else: Pack your bags, grab your LiveU/TVU/DeJero, and either get the crew to the airport or get on the road and hope for the best.

[Chicago2008 20]

26 minutes ago, Recovering Producer said:

For your planned events like Super Bowl/Olympics: The network broadcasting the event will offer their stations access to a live/standup location, transmission facilities, high-speed internet, feeds of the event, and workspace for a cost. A friend of mine at an NBC affiliate told me the overall cost NBC is charging stations for this in Paris for the 2024 games is in the tens of thousands of dollars per person. Anyone else going may have access for a fee with a credential to a media workspace from the organizers, but not much more. 

 

Same for your political conventions/debates/inaugurations minus the network exclusivity part. 

 

Anything else: Pack your bags, grab your LiveU/TVU/DeJero, and either get the crew to the airport or get on the road and hope for the best.

What about pro sports or NCAA Division I football or basketball championships?

Edited June 24, 2024 by Chicago2008

[mre29 1519]

So, this brings up a very good question:  Unless there's a significant local angle, why on Earth would individual stations even bother sending anyone to an event instead of taking whatever packages their networks and/or station groups make available?

 

For example, I would think that only stations in the teams' main and secondary markets would be sending anyone to the Super Bowl.

 

For the Olympics, it'd depend on whether or not your station's market has multiple local athletes who are competing (or one or two high-profile athletes), then yes, definitely send someone.

 

For the political conventions and debates? Only if the presumptive nominees are from your state (though that doesn't really apply this year).

 

[C Block 1566]

8 hours ago, mre29 said:

So, this brings up a very good question:  Unless there's a significant local angle, why on Earth would individual stations even bother sending anyone to an event instead of taking whatever packages their networks and/or station groups make available?

 

The more you're able to control the coverage by using your own resources, the better the end result will be. If you're relying on a sister station or the network for coverage, then you're at best someone else's second priority, and you'll have limited say in what content they'll gather. The benefits are obvious, but whether it's worth the cost is another question.

 

Even though the story didn't have a ton of big local ties for us, we sent a crew along with one of our sister stations to the Maui wildfires last year, and I'm generally glad we did. They were able to do live shots for us and gather more content than if we'd just relied on the Honolulu stations or the network.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

13 hours ago, mre29 said:

So, this brings up a very good question:  Unless there's a significant local angle, why on Earth would individual stations even bother sending anyone to an event instead of taking whatever packages their networks and/or station groups make available?

 

For example, I would think that only stations in the teams' main and secondary markets would be sending anyone to the Super Bowl.

 

For the Olympics, it'd depend on whether or not your station's market has multiple local athletes who are competing (or one or two high-profile athletes), then yes, definitely send someone.

 

For the political conventions and debates? Only if the presumptive nominees are from your state (though that doesn't really apply this year).

 

My thoughts exactly. To me, local stations sending reporters to national stories with no market ties are a stunt move to flex their resources on the competition.

 

Personally, I don't care about seeing my local anchors at the presidential debate if none of the candidates are tied to the DMA. I'll watch the national news for that.

 

Sending local reporters to national events were more commonplace back in the day when stations had more resources, and weren't part of large station groups.In today's era of mass ownership and budget cuts, it wouldn't make sense for a Nexstar station in Vermont to send a reporter to a California wildfire since the company has stations in 200 markets including Cali, plus they can get a package from network. 

 

I understand wanting to control how the story is presented, but as @C Blocksaid is it worth the cost?

 

On the flip side I've wondered... Why do networks spend money to fly correspondents all across the country when they can just take a package from, or ask for a live shot from, one of their hundreds of local affiliates who are right next to the matter. Quality control I suppose? A fresh out of college reporter in market 100 won't turn a package of Nightly News quality?

 

 

Edited June 25, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[HanSolo 159]

Regarding costs, I tend to think the people who have access to the P&L info and are responsible on up the chain have that info and balance costs vs benefits. And they would also better know any data that indicates if there is a return on investment. 
 

Even if “flexing muscles” is a motivation, so be it. It’s a business and that’s part of the game.

 

Im sure there are close calls that go either way, and sometimes there are factors none of us know the situational specifics about. 

[Chicago2008 20]

I'm going to guess that the station handles the airline and hotel reservations? 

[Megatron81 258]

Jack Doles sports director/anchor of Wood TV sports has gone to a ton of Olympic games winter & summer and does a live shot at 6PM or a tape segment as well about the local athletes competing at the games. I'm guessing he'll be going to Paris for the games the only one he didn't do was Salt Lake City someone else from a sister TV station from LIN went to Salt Lake City in 2002 from Austin TX TV station. 

[Chicago2008 20]

I'm sure the expenses the Chicago stations incurred for the RNC in Milwaukee weren't as big as it's just up the road. Likewise I'm sure the expenses incurred by the Milwaukee TV stations won't be as big if they send people to the DNC in Chicago. Again it's just down the road. 

[C Block 1566]

7 hours ago, Chicago2008 said:

I'm sure the expenses the Chicago stations incurred for the RNC in Milwaukee weren't as big as it's just up the road. Likewise I'm sure the expenses incurred by the Milwaukee TV stations won't be as big if they send people to the DNC in Chicago. Again it's just down the road. 

 

Maybe so, maybe not. Some of the biggest costs with these conventions aren't the travel costs, it's renting space in the arena to work and do live shots. Some networks are charging their affiliates (including O&Os) thousands of dollars a day to use their workspaces.

[Chicago2008 20]

On 8/15/2024 at 12:38 AM, C Block said:

 

Maybe so, maybe not. Some of the biggest costs with these conventions aren't the travel costs, it's renting space in the arena to work and do live shots. Some networks are charging their affiliates (including O&Os) thousands of dollars a day to use their workspaces.

How would this apply to stations that are in the host City?