I HATE small-market TV!

[Seaners2004 0]

Hi.

 

I just wanted to let you know that I am new here.

 

But, I want to rant now.

 

I HATE small-market TV. It almost makes me ashamed to live in the market (which happens to be Erie, Pennsylvania). I honestly believe I was born in the wrong market as a local news fan. I can't move while living under my parents roof, either. I know I can watch larger-market stuff online, but it's not the same. And the "end of traditional television" only adds insult to injury. I SO wish I can move somewhere else. Screw my hometown/market. I have always wanted to pursue a movie career in Los Angeles anyway.

 

WHY can't WSEE, WICU and WJET be as good as they were 15-20 years ago?

[ProButtonPusher 230]

Ashamed? Really?

 

Small markets have their issues, it's true. But for the most part, every reporter in a small market is fresh out of college, every production person is trying to get experience.

 

I think it depends on the market, too. Sometimes there are really well managed small market stations. Other times they're ran on the cheep side with very little attention to news content or production value. People on here hate me for saying this, but, I am a weekend director in a small market, and I think we put out a great product. Do we have all the resources they have in a major market? No way - but we make due with what we have and we produce a great newscast. Plus I'm getting an awesome amount of experience.

 

Don't just stamp every small market as awful.

[Weeters 1919]

Large markets have their fair share of mistakes too.

 

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[lazynetjunkie 34]

Large markets have their fair share of mistakes too.

 

 

Nothing beats this.. hahaha..

 

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He clearly doesn't need a microphone as we can hear him just fine. hahahaha...

 

 

 

Of all the stations in Chicago, WLS seems to have the most bloopers. Makes you wonder if all the bloopers is what makes ABC 7 News Chicago's #1 News. Bloopers are all a part of the fun of being a TV station. It drives me nuts when stations just try waaayy to hard to prevent them from happening.

 

 

 

I myself don't really care for small market stations but I think it's more because I never really got a chance to appreciate "small market TV". I've lived most of my life in the Chicago market and used to spend summers in the Orlando market which really has a larger market feel that some markets larger than Orlando. When I do travel around, it's mostly to large market cities. I very seldom ever watch small market news and when I do, it does really seem weird, sometimes alien.

 

The feeling I get with small market stations, especially with on-air talent, is that they're just trying too hard. Talent just seems like their trying to act like your stereotypical news anchor/reporter. I know that's one of the biggest mistakes that new fresh out of college talent make. Management in large markets look for talent that is relaxed and comfortable. You don't always have to sit straight up and stiff at the anchor desk. Get comfortable, get relaxed, have normal body movements, talk with the normal tone variations , and don't "act". But I guess this is stuff that is hard for newbie talent that still learn in school that you have to "act" like your stereotypical news anchor/reporter. That's probably the biggest complaint I've heard from management at the stations I've been to when they receive talent demo tapes/DVDs. Alot of newer talent out there still "try too hard" and "act". My tip to newbie talent is not to do it. Unfortunately, alot of talent don't follow that advise and end up staying at small market stations..

 

I came close to accepting a position at a small market station (Rockford, IL) a few years back but I didn't accept it. I've never done any work at/with a small market station either so I really don't know what it's like to work a small market station. Everything I've done was in the Chicago market and once in the Orlando market a few years back for a very short time.

[NewsJunkie247 1]

I think I can offer a little bit of insight when it comes to small-market TV. Ever since I have been a news fan, I have spent most of my time in the Johnstown/Altoona, PA market (we also get Pittsburgh stations), and most of my summers have been in the NYC area. In some instances, WNBC has more mistakes than WJAC (NBC) and WTAJ (CBS) in PA. I have been to both local stations and the people there are nice and just trying to put a decent newscast on the air. Unfortunately, in these economic times, they just can't afford some of the things that stations in large markets can like elaborate sets and in some cases, upgrading to HD. I can say, however, that sometimes I think local stations can get better reportes or just have their reporters practice more and get more comfortable in front of the camera. All network reporters and anchors (and those in large markets) started in a small town, so today's small market reporters will most likely be tomorrow's network news anchors. Now, I realize that there are some that say stations were better years ago, but all in all everybody has to give the benefit of the doubt to small market stations because they just simply don't have the great resources to make their newscasts look like the network.

[fox2 191]

dude, big market TV ain't that exemplary either.

[24994J 5585]

Nothing beats this.. hahaha..

 

[yt]plboBPJWFDs[/yt]

 

 

He clearly doesn't need a microphone as we can hear him just fine. hahahaha...

 

 

 

Of all the stations in Chicago, WLS seems to have the most bloopers. Makes you wonder if all the bloopers is what makes ABC 7 News Chicago's #1 News. Bloopers are all a part of the fun of being a TV station. It drives me nuts when stations just try waaayy to hard to prevent them from happening.

 

 

 

I myself don't really care for small market stations but I think it's more because I never really got a chance to appreciate "small market TV". I've lived most of my life in the Chicago market and used to spend summers in the Orlando market which really has a larger market feel that some markets larger than Orlando. When I do travel around, it's mostly to large market cities. I very seldom ever watch small market news and when I do, it does really seem weird, sometimes alien.

 

The feeling I get with small market stations, especially with on-air talent, is that they're just trying too hard. Talent just seems like their trying to act like your stereotypical news anchor/reporter. I know that's one of the biggest mistakes that new fresh out of college talent make. Management in large markets look for talent that is relaxed and comfortable. You don't always have to sit straight up and stiff at the anchor desk. Get comfortable, get relaxed, have normal body movements, talk with the normal tone variations , and don't "act". But I guess this is stuff that is hard for newbie talent that still learn in school that you have to "act" like your stereotypical news anchor/reporter. That's probably the biggest complaint I've heard from management at the stations I've been to when they receive talent demo tapes/DVDs. Alot of newer talent out there still "try too hard" and "act". My tip to newbie talent is not to do it. Unfortunately, alot of talent don't follow that advise and end up staying at small market stations..

 

I came close to accepting a position at a small market station (Rockford, IL) a few years back but I didn't accept it. I've never done any work at/with a small market station either so I really don't know what it's like to work a small market station. Everything I've done was in the Chicago market and once in the Orlando market a few years back for a very short time.

 

Mistakes and bloopers tend to bring out the anchors true personalities, which brings them down to a more human level with their viewers. For example, Ron Magers showed his humorous side while Andy Shaw looked like a big jerk. No one is perfect.

[newsguy22 59]

For the most part, smaller towns/markets are where people go to get their first jobs, learn and make mistakes. And there are tons of markets smaller than the one you speak of... some of which have a very decent product.

 

People are paid less (more inexperienced) in those markets, because those stations don't bring in as much revenue than larger market stations.

 

Does it suck for the viewer? Perhaps. But it comes with the turf when you live in a small town... along with many other "luxuries" residents miss out on.

 

Also, good luck with your acting career.

[stevieboy247 42]

Mistakes and bloopers tend to bring out the anchors true personalities, which brings them down to a more human level with their viewers. For example, Ron Magers showed his humorous side while Andy Shaw looked like a big jerk. No one is perfect.

 

I agree on that. Nobody is perfect, especially when it comes to anchors and reporters having a meltdown either on or off the air.

 

Take a look at these for example.

 

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[WXmanTim 88]

From working (right now) in a small market (#192), I really believe it comes down to station and news management and resources made available. We shoot on a absolutely crappy and out-dated Mini-DV with a couple of ancient DVC-Pro cameras, but we put out - in my opinion - a great product. We have a live production truck (unfortunately its not ENG capable, no editing bays, etc) that we use a semi-regular basis, our reporters occasionally travel out-of-state to cover a locally relevant story.

 

As recent as a few years ago, our station was mostly a joke. The (recently departed) news director, who had worked in competitive small-to-mid-sized markets (including at our competition as on-air talent), brought a very high degree of professionalism to the station that wasn't (always) there in the past (I make dubs of our news coverage as needed and have gone through our aircheck archives and watched shows from 3 and 4 years ago).

[fl19ga114sc105 3]

I thought I chime in here seeing as I have worked in small, mid, and large market TV. Small market TV all depends on what markets it touches around it. For example Augusta, Georgia is probably one of if not the best small markets that could compete and win head to head against mid and large market stations, the reason why is that on one side it touches Top 10 Atlanta and on the other side it touches top 40 Greenville/ Spartanburg. The market leader station has had anchors and reporters there for 10 to 20 years. Likewise an extreme and total failure of mid size market is Jacksonville, Florida where there big 4 networks are in the hands of only 2 owners because of how duopolies don't work correctly there (Orlando has 3 duopolies and 4 independent news rooms that proves duopolies can be done correctly) add to that Jacksonville, is a market that historically has and still does have terrible newspaper that dates back to at least the 1890s (yes EIGHTEEN NINETIES) plus it's a city run from the pulpit of a mega church that give the market more of a christian theocracy feel than a actual town and I would bet with you dollar for dollar Erie, PA is light years ahead if Jacksonville, Florida in news, culture, and being a decent city for anything any time of the day at any point in the history of man kind.