-^ Producer. Typically responsible for putting together a
single newscast. He or she determines the story place-
ment within a newscast and the amount of time to
allow for each news story, weather and sports. The
producer may write the news the anchors will read
on the air and may also be responsible for timing the
show. The best producers are those who have worked
as reporters or photographers. However, field experi-
ence is not always a requirement, especially at smaller
stations.
-^ Reporter. Responsible for covering local stories within a
community. Reporters work with news photographers
in gathering information and conducting interviews for
one or more stories. Reporters then write stories and edit
footage for broadcasts. Reporters are also responsible for
live reporting and occasionally serve as fill-in anchors
when the main anchor is unavailable. Reporters may
be responsible for a specific beat (such as education or
health) but may also cover a wide variety of stories out-
side their assigned areas.
-^ Photographer/Editor. A key position in a television news
operation. A photographer/editor is responsible for
shooting all the local footage that the news station
broadcasts. In some cases, the photographer acts as the
reporter to gather information. The photographer/edi-
tor is also responsible for technical aspects of the on-
air product, such as editing footage and running live
shots.
-^ Anchor. Responsible for reading the newscast on the air.
Anchors work on the front lines in a news organiza-
tion and are the people the public most identifies with.
An anchor may help write some of the newscast. The
anchor participates in community events and frequently
speaks to the public. An anchor’s performance may help
determine news ratings.
BROADCAST NEWS 447
How do you think this reporter
contributes to her community? What
are the responsibilities that go along
with being a local celebrity?WASHINGTON, D.C., May
1946—A government freeze
on the construction of new
television stations and a halt in
the production of television sets
during World War II slowed the
momentum of the developing
television industry. The number
of stations broadcasting drop ped
from the 18 licensed on July 1,
1941, to six by the end of the war.
The rush resumed in May
1946, however, when Dumont
offered television receivers for
sale. RCA and Philco quickly fol-
lowed. Twenty-seven companies
were manufacturing television
sets by the mid-1950s.
Early marketing efforts were
made uncertain by high cost, lack
of regulations and manufactur-
ing standards, and the specula-
tion that color sets would soon
make black-and-white sets obso-
lete. Even so, in one year, 1948,
the number of stations on the
air jumped from 17 to 48, and
the audience multiplied by 4,000
percent.
Five- to seven-inch receivers
sold for $375 to $500 in 1948,
plus $45 to $300 for installation.
Prices dropped by almost half in
the early 1950s.
The first color programming
was telecast in 1953, but it was
not until December 1966 that
more color television sets were
sold than black-and-white sets.
Improved studio cameras with
enhanced color quality, defini-
tion and resolution, plus the
Christmas season, stimulated the
year-end sales.
By 1967, about 16 percent of
homes had color sets.