Information is power – television news broadcasting

In a fast-paced environment where a single event can have a huge impact globally in a matter of split-second it helps to stay tuned to television news broadcasting. After all, the world is getting smaller. Any development in the United States creates a rippling effect and bound to affect several countries in Asia, Europe, and other continents. Information is key in preparing us in any situation. Television news broadcasting provides us just that.

Television news broadcasting today has reached unprecedented heights since the Second World War, with the help of technological advancement, of course. Media agencies such as the Cable News Channel, British Broadcasting Channel, Reuters, Agence France Presse, etc. provide millions of people with news 24/7 from any part of the world, which may be detrimental or beneficial to world populations.

Television news broadcasting is basically one aspect of media functions. It can be local, nationwide, or international depending on the coverage of the television news agency. Moreover, the length of news programs varies, but typically are 30-minute or 60-minute long. Most television news channels broadcast news bulletins or updates of grave importance in between other TV shows that usually last for 2-5 minutes.

Television news broadcasting can be live or pre-recorded. Live feeds commonly originate from isolated locations to give updates within a news program or as a news bulletin. A satellite dish on a vehicle transmits signals through microwave radio to a television news headquarter. A reporter reads in front of a camera or talks about a news story in the background while a video clip is played.

Pre-recorded news items are those that happened earlier on the same day the television news broadcast was aired on a particular time slot. They are a combination of video clips and information presented by a news reporter. News anchors read the stories displayed on a teleprompter (a special monitor facing the anchor where a copy of the news story is displayed). Television news broadcasting include such coverage as sports, police reports, weather forecasts, entertainment, political scene, etc.

Since television news broadcasting has a mass impact, news reporters must carefully write their news stories in a language and style that is understandable and interesting to majority of the people. Hence, news reporters need to carefully select a news story that will appeal to their viewers such as featuring prominent personalities, proximity of a news story to their audience, and other significant materials with social, economic, and political impacts. Aside from news writing, television news broadcasting also cover newsgathering, news editing where a senior reporter or news editor verifies information from a news story, and news presentation.