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advergame
A video or computer game designed to be an advertisement.
advertainment
Mixing ads with entertainment to help counter commercial-skipping.
anticipointment
What viewers experience when you fall short of
their expectations after over-promoting a story or show.
backdoor
pilot
A one-time special or TV movie that has the potential
to become a series if it scores well in the ratings.
bigfooted
When a reporter's work is handed off to an anchor
or more senior reporter for presentation on-air. Happens on big
stories. "I can't believe I got bigfooted by that loser!"
bingo
When an aircraft reaches the point of having to
return to refuel. "We're 10 minutes from bingo," radioed
the chopper pilot to the assignment desk.
black
hole
A blank space in a story. Usually an editing mistake.
"Yikes, your story just ran with a two-second black hole!"
brady
bunch
When a bunch of live reporters are shown on the
screen at the same time when introducing a big story.
bug
A station or network's logo in the bottom corner
of the screen.
clicks
Points of time in a show when ratings are counted.
At +20 minutes, for example, a show's second quarter-hour ratings
are earned. That's why most TV newscasts air their five-day forecast
at +20 minutes or shortly thereafter. "Damn, weather's running
short and I'm going to miss my click!" Also, "Did
you hit your clicks?"
COFDM
A digital microwave technology that enables live
vans/transmitters to get signals out of obstructed areas, even broadcasting
live while moving.
cherry
pick (v)
To record a satellite video feed that's booked
for someone else. Usually (but not always) done with permission.
"Hey, do you mind if we cherry pick your tornado feed?"
clean
feed
A video feed without lower-third graphics or bugs.
Cable networks always request a clean feed from local affiliates
live with breaking news. (Antonym: dirty)
clusterfuck
A huge, elbow-throwing gaggle of photographers.
Or just any media circus.
competitive
Not alone on a story. "We're competitive on
this shooting."
contemporize
Spicing up the presentation of a newscast or show.
content
bending
Integrating advertising in a TV show to the extent
it begins to influence the show's content. Examples: product
placement and guests that pay to be on TV.
core
A story that airs inside a correspondent's live
shot. In local news, it's usually called an insert.
crashing
Scrambling to make deadline. (Also crunching)
cratering
About to miss a deadline in grand fashion. (Also a career
moment)
demos
Ratings demographics. "They won in households,
but we killed them in demos."
door
knock
Knocking on someone's door unannounced to get an interview.
"Go do a door knock on the victim's mother."
double
box
An effect with two boxes of video side-by-side. Often
used with live shots. (Also called a two box.) For three boxes,
it's a triple box. For four, a quad box. "The reporter wasn't
ready in the double box."
double
clutch
When reporters or anchors start to say something, pause
and start over again. Usually because of a botched cue.
double
punch
When a photographer accidentally hits the record button
twice, so when you think you're
rolling, you're not, and vice-versa. "You double punched
for half the story!"
drop
(v)
To remove a story or segment from a show. (Also
drop in -- adding shots to stories fed in from the field.
"We need to drop in some aerials.")
effort
(v)
To attempt to get something. "We're efforting
some aerials."
evergreen
A story that can be aired anytime, usually on light
news days.
float
To pull a story from a newscast rundown while keeping
it ready to drop in at a moment's notice. "We're floating
your story until your tape is ready."
full
lid
When the White House has no more events, media
avails or statements to release for the day. "The White
House has issued a full lid for the night." Also, travel
lid and photo lid.
gaggle
The daily, off-camera briefing held by the White
House press secretary for regular White House reporters and correspondents.
Google
(v)
To run something or someone through Google,
the first step in researching anything. "Did you Google
him yet?"
HFR
Hold For Release (pronounced H-F-R or "heifer")
"Make sure we HFR that tape so it doesn't get recycled."
or "That story is HFR'd until tomorrow."
hiccup
A slight pause in live news coverage to allow stations
to seamlessly join or break away.
hole
A geographic location where microwave live vans
have trouble "getting out" a live shot. (Note a black
hole is a blank space in a story.)
IFB
The audio loop used by anchors and reporters to
hear on-air programming and producer cues. Also refers to the actual
earpiece. "Hey, can you turn down my IFB?"
in the gate
What's cued up, ready to feed. "You should see
a 5 in the gate."
infotainment
Combining information with entertainment in a show with
little news value.
ingest
Filing raw or feed video into a server. "Quick,
ingest that tape!"
insert
A package that airs inside a reporter live shot. In network
news, it's sometimes called a core.
internitude
The intern mindset that they know everything about
TV and menial tasks are beneath them. "Can you believe the
internitude on that kid who wants to shoot a standup with me in
the middle of breaking news?"
JIP
(v)
To join in progress. "We're running long,
but we can jip 'Extra' if we have to."
kick
(v)
To end a newscast with something. "Let's
kick with the waterskiing squirrel." (Also a kicker)
light
Under time in a broadcast. "We're running
over a minute light." (Antonym: heavy or over)
look
live (n)
A taped reporter stand-up that's designed to give
the impression it's a live shot.
media
burn
Overexposure to TV, movies or video games so you
still see the action after closing your eyes. "Man, I'm
suffering from some serious media burn after playing Xbox all night."
meter
strategy
Timing and programming a show or newscast (including
placement of the commercial breaks) to maximize ratings potential.
(See clicks above).
money
shot
The critical shot in a big story that will air
in every tease for days.
newsheimer's
A common newsroom condition of not being able to
remember the story you covered two days ago.
newsmare
A TV news nightmare. The two most common: when you
can't get on the air, or you're on the air but can't do anything.
on
spec
Calling or shooting something on pure speculation,
without any guarantee. "We're heading to the neighborhood
on spec."
overnights
(n)
Daily ratings reports from Nielsen. Named because
they're available the next morning.
package
A news story tracked by a reporter. "Do
you think there's enough on this story for a package?" (Also
spot)
pacing
The visual velocity of a TV show. Shows with good
pacing move quickly and help keep the viewer's attention. "We
need to pace up the noon newscast. It's dreadful!"
Pebble
Beach
The spot (covered in pebbles) where correspondents
go live in front of the White House.
pimp
(n) or (v)
Self-promotion inside a newscast, especially the
station's website. "Pimp the web poll coming out of the
package." (Also plug)
pool
(n) or (v)
Having a single reporter, photographer or
satellite truck cover a story for distribution to the rest of the
networks/stations that qualify. "The governor is pooling
his visit to the wildfire."
preemptnition
The feeling you have when you realize the story that
you've worked on for over a week is about to get bumped from the
show.
quick
turn
A story with little time to prepare, usually assigned
an hour or two before air. "This is the third night in a
row I've had a quick turn!"
ROFR
Right of First Refusal (pronounced "rofer").
Holding satellite trucks or freelancers protectively without booking
them outright. If you "ROFR" a sat truck, for example,
you earn the right to book it first. If another client asks for
the same truck, you're given the first option of either booking
it or giving it up.
RON
Remain Overnight. Usually a written abbreviation
when referring to network news crews.
rebase
(v)
To move a base of operations. Used most often to
refer to a network news crew returning to a home bureau. "Bill
will rebase in Los Angeles tomorrow."
rerack
Rewind. Applies to tapes, not digital clips. "Rerack
that tape, pronto!"
SOT
Sound on tape. A sound bite. Pronounced "sawt."
simulblogging
Play-by-play blogging of an ongoing event (usually
airing on TV.)
slot
A story's slated position for air. "You
missed your slot!"
snipe
(n)
A promotional animation that rolls in along the
bottom of the screen during a TV show. (For example: "Coming
Up: Law & Order" with the animated NBC peacock.)
snoop
(v)
To listen in on someone's intercom or audio source.
"Hey, who's snooping me?"
sojo
A solo journalist. TV reporters who also shoot,
edit and even do their own live shots. (Also backpack journalist
and one-man-band).
speeding
Rolling or recording. "We're speeding on
the feed" or "We're at speed."
spot
Usually a commercial or promotion. In network news,
a spot is a tracked story. "David Gregory is doing a spot
on the tax cut."
spray
To shoot (videotape) something fast. "Spray
the scene and feed it back ASAP!" said the assignment editor
to the annoyed photographer.
stand-up
When a reporter appears on camera in a story (not
live). Sometimes called a "stand-upper" in network circles.
sticks
A camera tripod. Also, sticks up: a live
microwave truck with its mast deployed.
stunting
Shifting a TV schedule at the last-minute to offer
an improved lineup against the competition. Changes may include
new start times that overlap the competition's shows -- or renaming
the back-half of a newscast to remove it from ratings consideration.
Talking
Head
A popular model of videophones (from 7E
Communications) used by reporters in the field.
tease
(n) or (v)
A promo. To promote something.
thumbsucker
A reporter live shot without any tape or full-screen
graphics. "Just do a quick thumbsucker!"
TiVo
worthy
A TV show worth the hard disc space on your TiVo.
"West Wing is certainly TiVo worthy."
track
(v) or (n)
To record the voice for a taped story. "Hurry
up and track that story so I can start editing."
trash
up
To embellish a boring story with nifty effects and
snappy video editing. "Don't worry, we'll just trash it
up."
trickplay
What PVR viewers do when they pause, replay or slow-mo
live TV. "TiVo counted 40 trickplays during the game."
VO
Video that rolls over an anchor read. Stands for
"voice over." (As opposed to a SOT, which is a sound bite.)
"Can't believe they broke down my story to a VO."
verbate
(v)
To transcribe from audio to text. "I need
you to verbate that sound bite and drop it in my script."
viewser
A cross between a viewer and a user: A TV viewer who
goes online.
vlogging
Blogging with video clips instead of text.
wall-to-wall
Live on the air with extensive, uninterrupted coverage
of a breaking news story. "They're wall-to-wall on this
plane crash."
white
balance
When a camera adjusts the color based on the lighting
situation. If a photographer forgets to white balance (by pointing
at something white and flicking a switch), video can turn out blue
or green.
wildfeeds
Network satellite feeds (usually of TV shows that
have yet to air) intercepted by curious viewers with satellite dishes.
"Anyone catch the wildfeed on next week's Buffy?"
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