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News is an important form of communication, it can structure our daily lives, and for many, its the window to the outside world... Throughout the modern age, news main function has always been to report the new events of the day and provide information about current events. Anchors provide commentary on the news, advocate various public events, furnish special information and generally include 'entertainment' features. In fact, news is a mainstay of American life. Producing local news, in particular, can be difficult due to limited viewing areas, smaller audience and lack of hard news stories. Informing, entertaining, and persuading a viewing audience are the staples of local news broadcasts.
The 6: 00 pm news reports on WITN (Channel 7, Cable 8) and WCTI (Channel 12, Cable 12) reflect the different ways in which news can be presented and what news will in fact WITN (Channel 7, Cable 8) is a local news broadcaster in Greenville which competes with two other stations at the same market level. Channel 7 anchors, video footage, set and graphics all intertwine well to produce an overall effective local evening news broadcast. On Thursday, January 18, 2001, the primary report was a follow-up story about the future execution of Bobby Lee Harris. The appeal of this story was limited, lack of video footage pertaining to the story and poor audio failed to communicate the story effectively.
Five 30 -second reports followed which were geared toward local interests: i. e. Ray Carruth trial, Ethanol plants proposed in local area and Craven County population growth. All stories used taped file footage and simpler voice overs. The El Salvador earthquake was the first national headline. Anchors interviewed local residents and concerned local relatives about their views on the types of aid being sent to help earthquake victims.
Overall Channel 7 presented local stories which were newsworthy and somewhat entertaining. Channels 7 s Witn's Pinpoint weather and exclusive live dollar radar provided an informative weather report and forecast. The sports report included live footage of an ECUs mens basketball game, and interviews with the coach and several players. The sports report also included various scores and outcomes from local high schools and the NFL. Following sports, a look ahead at the 6: 30 news headlines and a short weather update concluded the news report.
Overall, the anchors interacted well despite several technical errors which were beyond their control. The production set seemed a bit dull and could have used some brighter colors to attract a bit On Thursday, January 18, 2001, WCTI (Channel 12, Cabe 12) also began its 6: 00 pm news broadcast with a story on the trial of Bobby Lee Harris. An interview with the prosecutor of the case had a somewhat biased effect on the story, making the story seem one-sided with no opposing opinion to be heard. Next, were three 30 -second reports which dealt with local concerns including: the Ray Carruth trial, Ethanol plants in area and an Osprey crash update. Interviews with ECU students and professor about their reaction to Jesse Jackson announcing his illegitimate child. Channel 12 also had three reports that dealt with local school issues.
One story dealt with Northwest Elementary, a local school, who won a contest and got their lighthouse sent to Washington to represent North Carolina. The interviewed several children and the teacher. The first national headline reported was a short report about George Bush being sworn in as President of the United States. The weather report included their exclusive Skytrac 12 forecast information and schoolnet, which pinpoints the temperature from specific schools.
Also included in the weather report was a weather trivia segment followed by the allergy report on pollen and mold counts. Channel 12 s weather report used high resolution graphics that were vivid and quite appealing. The sports report followed. The first report reported on Wcti's Student Athlete of the Week, which interviews a selected high school athlete each week.
This story included video footage of game and interviews with the student and the coach. The sports segment then highlighted certain national league games and their scores. A short weather update which answered the weather trivia along with highlights from the upcoming 6: 30 pm report concluded the broadcast. Channel 12 seemed to be picture-driven, using lots of live interviews and relevant footage. Channel 7 and Channel 12 compete within a small local news market. After viewing the 6: 00 pm Channel 7 and Channel 12 report for four days, several variations in news presentation were apparent.
Each day, the headlines stories were the same on both channels although Channel 12 produced more interviews and live footage. Although Channel 7 and Channel 12 produce what events they consider to be newsworthy, Channel 7 presented more stories containing violence and used less live footage. Channel 12 gears itself towards a family market, reporting at least 3 stories concerning local school or students in each days report. Channel 12 had few reports dealing with local schools and their activites. Channel 12 s weather report also includes a schoolnet report which marks the areas temperatures by school instead of city name, and a weather trivia quiz which appeals to younger children. Channel 12 also includes a pollen and mold count report, which for people who suffer from asthma and allergies is very important.
Although both stations effectively report the local news, Channel 12 has an overall fresher appearance and seems geared towards a family approach to the news, reporting on events that parents and students find interesting. Channel 7 has a harder edge approach and uses more national headline reports. Bibliography:
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