SALEM STATE COLLEGE, Fall 2006

COM 495 – Special Topics: Newscasting

Meeting time/place: WF, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., TV studio

Professor Brett M. Rhyne

telephone: 978-542-7088

e-mail: brett.rhyne@salemstate.edu

Office hours: MW, 10 a.m.-11a.m. and by appointment, MH 100B

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Global goals: This is a high-level, specialized communications elective course; since its

prerequisites are COM 370 and COM 371, it is intended for students with significant

journalism experience — typically, communications majors and minors who concentrate

in journalism. In this course, students will learn about the conception, researching,

writing and producing of news broadcasts, as well as conceive, research, write and

produce their own newscasts. They’ll become familiarized with both traditional television production techniques and computer-based podcasting techniques and practice the latter.

Instructional objectives: By course’s end, students should be able to: (a) speak

knowledgably about the history and current practices of broadcast news reporting, as well as the history and current practices of podcast news reporting; (b) conceive, research, write, report, shoot and edit news podcasts; and (c) distribute a news podcast on the Internet, publicize it and track its success.

Structure: This is a course in writing and producing newscasts, not broadcast (or

Webcast) journalism. Therefore, you will not be doing any original reporting for this

course. Instead, you will be converting to video form stories that have already been

published in the campus newspaper, The Log. Log stories have already been thoroughly

researched, fact-checked, and edited, and we can be sure of their journalistic quality. For production of podcast assignments, you’ll work in pairs as a production team, taking

turns working as producer and talent; for critical presentations of news broadcasts and

podcasts, you’ll work individually; for reviewing and critiquing our work, we’ll work

collectively.

Laptop policy: Your laptop computer can be an important educational resource for any

class, and this is true for the writing elements of Newscasting, as well; therefore, you may want to have your laptop handy when writing your segments. A laptop is not required for other aspects of this course, including when we shoot the podcasts (done with a camera) and edit the podcasts (done with the software in the Comm Lab).

Required reading:

• Garth Kant, How to Write Television News (also on reserve at the library for 24-hour

loan)

CLASS MEMBERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES (with grading values in brackets)

Production of seven podcasts of the following genres (60 percent):

1. “reader” (straight news reading)

2. “VO” (voice-over of roll-in video)

3. “VOSOT” (a VO followed by a sound bite) & “VOSOTVO” (a VOSOT followed by

a tag)

4. “cold open” (opening of a newscast) & “tease” (preview of an upcoming story)

5. “package” (a prerecorded segment by a reporter)

6. “toss” (an intro to a package)

7. interview and toss to interview

Final newscast (20 percent). Working as a group, the class will collectively produce a

newscast including all the above-listed elements.

Entry/exit exam (10 percent). Given at the beginning and the end of the course, these

exams are designed to gauge how well students have learned the course material. The

entry exam serves a baseline against which the exit exam is measured.

Class participation (10 percent). I encourage you all to participate fully, since this is the

best way for us to establish a relationship and for me to offer you guidance and evaluate

your abilities. Given the structure of this course, your news broadcasts will directly

reflect your degree of participation. The most important criteria is that newscasters show conscientiousness, enthusiasm and creativity while doing their work.

Attendance. Attendance is mandatory for all scheduled class meetings. Students are

required fulfill all class assignments, regardless of their attendance.

SECTION 504

Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic

accommodations, aids, and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability

requiring accommodation, aid, or adjustment should speak with the instructor

immediately. Students with disabilities who have not done so should provide

documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with

Disabilities and obtain appropriate services.