Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Radio being made

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  • Sacha,

    It was marvellous. I can see many more people ditching tv bulletins altogether.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    I won't be ditching tv bulletins. They are two completely different things. I might listen to Checkpoint for news and analysis, but I'll keep watching the TVs bulletins because I want to see the news as well.

    Nasty lapel mics need to go.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    I listened to a crackly radio in heavy rain in a rental car. John's voice was very hard to hear at times as he is quite softly spoken which doesn't matter when you are watching TV and can turn it up (incidentally also a problem with Andrew Little). RNZ has weak, narrow frequencies around many parts of the country - so I hope he develops a clearer radio voice (like Mary Wilson has) to cut through the static.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie,

    You are right about the Nadene Lomu interview. It was the first thing I heard when I tuned in at 5.20 or thereabouts, and my reaction was 'woah... this isn't the Checkpoint I'm used to'. No hustle and bustle. I'm not sure if it was considered a good 'get' for a debut episode or what, but it seemed a bit odd many weeks later.

    Everything else was bang on (lapels excepted) - I had to laugh after the financial markets report, John's effusive thanking of the person who'd just popped by to say that the kiwi dollar was down against the yen or whatever, very cute.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • James Littlewood*,

    Mike King's "Nutter's Club" is a good reference for a radio-on-TV presentation style. I felt Checkpoint's set felt like a bit of a scrub up, without going full blown TV studio set. Would rather one or the other.

    Totally agree: I love seeing the moving parts. More of that please.

    And yes - without for a moment belittling the heroic battles faced by Nadine Lomu - the extensive human interest story felt like an unnecessary departure from the hard news promise of the Checkpoint brand.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • James Littlewood*, in reply to Sacha,

    ditching tv bulletins

    Ancient history. My daughter came home from intermediate school the other day with a quizzical look on her face. "Dad, can I watch" - thoughtful pause - "TV?" Clearly, there'd been some playground water fountain chat. Poor thing. She's grown up without any knowledge of appointment ad viewing.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    Still good radio, and great to have JC back on air. But I didn't get much from the pics - in fact I felt they detracted at times. Watching good professional journalists look awkward to be on camera was distracting.
    Technically, livestreaming from multiple cameras and multiple sources is 'cheap and easy' now. Adding value is another thing entirely.
    I'm curious whether more shows will go out in this format/style. On one level, having invested in the capacity, it makes sense. 9-noon and the weekend morning interview programmes are studio talk-fests.
    But remembering watching eg Kim Hill interviewing, I don't know if that's a good idea either. KH is amazing to watch - her face races with ideas and emotions, her body-language fast and twitchy. But it also distracts from the joy of the talk - which is surely the real treasure.
    One of the biggest things that keeps radio alive is the ability to enjoy it while doing something else. RNZ needs to hang onto that hard.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    Adding value is another thing entirely.

    SO MUCH *THIS*. For the most part, watching TV news isn't about watching the presenters or the reporters or the newsreaders, it's about the pictures captured out in the field. The rest could all be done with radio only. The TV news channels have only had to focus on the reporters and presenters (and what they're wearing) to get through the gaps between the interesting pics, and to stamp on their own brand.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    KH is amazing to watch – her face races with ideas and emotions, her body-language fast and twitchy. But it also distracts from the joy of the talk – which is surely the real treasure.

    I think she and the viewers found her TV appearances difficult for that reason.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • James Littlewood*,

    TV news always feels so enslaved to the image, though. The presenter or journo says "police officer" or "rain" or "DHB" and we see footage of cops, rain and hospitals: usually generic, often irrelevant, more often distracting than enlightening.

    Campbell on Checkpoint, on radio, has an opportunity to only cut to pictures if there are any worth showing. And - as every other RNZ presenter always does - let the audience know when there are good pictures there to be looked at.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 410 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to James Littlewood*,

    Campbell on Checkpoint, on radio, has an opportunity to only cut to pictures if there are any worth showing. And – as every other RNZ presenter always does – let the audience know when there are good pictures there to be looked at.

    There's a middle-ground medium there, and they did a bit of it yesterday – you can illustrate audio for people looking, without detracting from the experience of the listener.

    Reporters will want to get good at sending pictures, and producers at processing them. And broadcasting schools better at teaching this stuff.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I would watch this, if I was around at the time - 5pm I'm normally leaving work and walking home. Some sort of delayed start function would be good - does this exist?

    I'd think this sort of mixed media is a way forward and will be another nail in the coffin of broadcast TV. Most of a TV news programme has to be the presenters preening, interspersed with B-reel and this only gets more so as budgets for news gathering decline.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Reporters will want to get good at sending pictures

    I know reporters who don’t want to get good at photography and video :)

    And broadcasting schools better at teaching this stuff.

    At Canterbury university, the TV component of the journalism diploma has been a bit old-school. But 2015 it was all about shooting – and editing – on whatever students had/could lay their hands on.
    You can get great images on a phone (and rubbish on a high-end dslr!) Mostly they did very well – shooting, writing, and editing. The weakest link (imho) was most often the audio. But even that was surprisingly good sometimes, considering it came from cheap camera/phone mics used thoughtlessly.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Reporters will want to get good at sending pictures,

    and not have to worry about constructing a verbal description.

    A picture may be worth a thousand words...but that is what radio is (was?) about...words that make pictures.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Alec Morgan,

    Campbell back live on air–like the sun coming out–

    will usually just listen to “Checkpoint” but on launch watched it via ipad and airplay to appleTV and big screen, channel 50 did not work either for me yet, a few clunks but it looks like a winner, certain media tops and Nat HQ may not be impressed

    Tokerau Beach • Since Nov 2006 • 124 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    A picture may be worth a thousand words

    Sometimes the words are more valuable, and the pictures, as James Littlewood says, are

    generic, often irrelevant, more often distracting than enlightening

    — as sent up mercilessly in this clip from ABC’s The Hamster Wheel (Season 2, Episode 4, 17 October 2012):

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • StepD'oh,

    I liked it overall, but they need to fix some snags.

    Fully agree with the Tie mics, they don’t add enough ‘body’ to the voices, I couldn’t hear it a lot of the time when I was cycling home, the previous pure radio bulletins I’m usually okay with. A desk mike wouldn’t mess with the picture too much, hell letterman has had one on his for years.

    It’s actually something the Paul Henry show does quite well, makes the TV show sound pretty good too.

    They do the same thing in Norway, this is unapologetically a radio show with pictures, but is quite good: https://tv.nrk.no/serie/dagsnytt-atten-tv

    Did anyone else get the slight picture jump on channel 50? It was really distracting.

    Hamiltron • Since Dec 2006 • 3 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to linger,

    sent up mercilessly in this clip

    Thank you...and I'm comforted to know that anything remotely decent that surfaces on telly will eventually pop up here on PA.

    For a good example of the ability of a good radio broadcaster's ability to verbally paint can be found by listening to a rugby game on Radio Sport.

    A good announcer can put you right in the middle of the scrum...make you feel every tackle.

    And what do we remember of the Americas Cup we won?

    And that Lomu...Oh! Lomu! try?

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    And that Lomu…Oh! Lomu! try?

    To be fair, that was a TV commentary. It came out that way because Keith Quinn's clipboard fell off his knee at the crucial moment.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • BlairMacca,

    i've done a few retunes of both my freeview (satellite) decoders and can only pick up the radio (without pictures)
    Howver can cast Youtube to roku on the TV, which is quite nice

    Wellington • Since Apr 2007 • 208 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    But remembering watching eg Kim Hill interviewing, I don't know if that's a good idea either. KH is amazing to watch - her face races with ideas and emotions, her body-language fast and twitchy.

    It's fascinating being interviewed by her. You really have to focus on what it is you want to say. ;-)

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Biobbs, in reply to linger,

    A picture may be worth a thousand words

    Sometimes the words are more valuable, and the pictures, as James Littlewood says, are

    generic, often irrelevant, more often distracting than enlightening

    — as sent up mercilessly in this clip from ABC’s The Hamster Wheel (Season 2, Episode 4, 17 October 2012)

    And such criticism isn't new. Remember the Lord Privy Seal?

    The River Mouth, Denmark • Since Jan 2011 • 114 posts Report Reply

  • izogi, in reply to James Littlewood*,

    TV news always feels so enslaved to the image, though.

    Sometimes I also have an impression that modern TV news is also semi-prioritised by the criteria of "stuff we have pictures of", or (these days) "stuff we can get a person to stand outside".

    Hopefully Checkpoint, even if it does some great things with pictures, manages to stick to the regular radio requirements of only needing to describe things. Somehow it seems like a lower artificial barrier for entry to the nightly news bulletin.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Hulse, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    The YouTube live stream has the ability to rewind. If you got home at 6 you can move the scroll bar back one hours and start watching from the beginning. We will also post the whole show on YT afterwards. And video/audio on the Checkpoint page of rnz.co.nz

    Wellington • Since Jul 2011 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth,

    I missed it all, because everyone watching the radio broke the RNZ web site, so I couldn't stream the audio to the kitchen radio (as I have to, to get decent sound quality, because we live the wrong side of a hill). But tonight was good.

    Bucolic in the backblocks… • Since Jan 2008 • 269 posts Report Reply

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