BEHIND THE SCENES

[Applause] [Applause] television is our high on the world distant historic events actually width by few are broadcast on television news to 40 million Americans nightly of the hundreds of news stories reported each day only about 30 can be aired on the local evening shows in New York a million viewers tuned in channel 7 Eyewitness News good evening I'm Roger Grimsby here now the news too many for the camera business is a familiar anchorman Hobson and Joe Pesci but behind the camera and in the control room lies a world most of us never see strange jargon fills the air in this electronic world of screens buttons barked orders and millions of dollars worth of equipment reveal but the day begins slowly quietly in the newsroom all the day's activity is generated from the assignment desk Joe I want you to go to Gold's office you know Diego's office yeah it is not the anchormen but the assignment editor who decides which local stories to cover he's in first at 6:00 a.m. aided by his assistant and surrounded by communications equipment he controls the ever-changing locations of crews and reporters miles away let me know we can't actually get pictures the assignment editor checks the newspapers eight news tickers press releases and add a book listing forty scheduled news events he monitors the police radio then he decides which reporter will go with which crew to which story highway Melva Tolliver has been a news reporter since 1967 once he stood in for a striking news woman in at 9:00 a.m. to wait for the assignment editors decision she has no idea where she'll be going today Parimal shooting shooting Seamus go and shoot it and then at 30 tell you the only proof one of seven cruise the Landy crew leaves the plane inconspicuous ABC building for their unmarked car in this tough city identification is an open invitation to danger once the clearly marked ABC Kyle was actually firebombed with Melba they speed off to the day's first story inside a team of desk assistants keeps the newsroom running smoothly keeping track of graphics for rear screen projection behind the anchor men rushing film to the lab grabbing wire stories then taking phone tips James demonstration at the Russian consulate 5:30 tonight to get stories first and fast the assignment editor has his own special sources we have police tipsters down at police headquarters we all hear about a story faster on the radio mainly I will try to get spot news I can at all the fire disaster or riot or anything like that mayor Lindsay actively promote making in New York City Melba's coverage of the State story will be free publicity for the actress the movie and the city's film industry there are a few scoops in television news because most organizations depend upon the same sources I didn't expect to enjoy this story but I did try to make it interesting and turned out liking it myself I enjoyed talking to Diane Cannon on several other occasions and each one of them is kind of joy and of course I'm in New York at the prettiest time of the year I love it here now Central Park is alive and the blossoms are out and spring is in the air it's really beautiful and to Burt Reynolds you know ordinarily I being a report items like to the leaving and out here I know Sunday on famous people but I understand you're very sharp guys very quick with one of the most difficult aspects of this job is having to report a story directly from the scene it means getting there getting the story and presenting it on film very often it means the reporter must go over and over a story until he gets a good take I picked up a few bits as mrs. Lane I picked up a few bits of miscellaneous information about this movie that might interest you number one No let me start again and there are a few bits of miscellaneous information about this movie you might be interested in first of all the title Shamus according to director Tony we need a crew to go on its water main break on East 80th Street sometimes regular programming is interrupted for news bulletins from especially equipped flash newsdesk a major water main break is reported in New York City's Yorkville district the break-in a 48 inch main has flooded streets in the vicinity of East 80th between 2nd and 3rd avenues and caused traffic in the area to be rerouted I'm Bob Leake will have complete details on tonight's Eyewitness News at six the film crew usually covers four or five stories a day careers this could add up to some 15,000 the reporter is the director on the scene not yet not yet there's a water line mark over there and then let's go get french fries let me make some of the people in the hall looking out the window how's that well give me the whole home oh yeah medium shot boy shot clock [Music] there's always an eyewitness to tell the story here see and do couldn't see anything for my windows the terrace and I went in my living looked out and saw a river Navy teamwork on a TV crew doesn't always mean working side-by-side but trusting with each is doing his part or quite sure he is getting good shots I just wish I knew exactly where he was [Applause] [Applause] great spots the city official on the scene I see much more yonder there groaning some reporters let a story like this build itself a good reporter builds the story for firefighting problems right now I understand there was a fire in the neighborhood no problem now we got enough water picture - we can cover in the the film rolls off to the lab and Bob Blake is off to another story meanwhile throughout drier parts of the city ABC crews zero in on other news without their work there's no sound or action just words like a newspaper a radio story the cameraman Salman and lighting man know how to work together efficiently even in the midst of noisy demonstrations each crew sends in about an hour and a half of film every day a good television news director is coach talent scout manager and disciplinarian wrapped into one al primo selects the news team that works best together on the air policy decisions are hammered out for the executive producer and the assistant news director seventy congressional races my job is basically to provide the direction in the philosophy of the coverage the whole concept of Eyewitness News has been designed to put the trust in the emphasis on the correspondent who is out on the scene the emphasis here is on communication what you see on Eyewitness News or any other news program for that matter is a team of people what you don't see is the real news team which is hundreds of people filming editing preparing and planning and putting together this vehicle that represents the news this man never goes on location never appears on the screen yet the producers decisions affect everything you see on the air he arranges some 30 stories and 20 commercials to fit exactly into 58 minutes and 57 seconds and he must bear the burden of killing a finished story listen now it's the shameless thing you did I've got a I got a problem tonight I got about four different stories involved with this with movies and show business out and the Vietnam thing so I'm not gonna be able to use it well then you could just be due tomorrow you think it'll hold yeah okay Nine Riders transform news agency stories into conversational television style a separate sheet for each story so the producer can arrange them at will reporters like Bob ley usually write their own stories always hoping to read them on the air for the extra pay six editors trimmed down an average of 20 minutes of each classic film to a few minutes [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] let's use that show yeah that's nice okay to help illustrate his stories the producer orders about 16 graphic illustrations per shell drawn up by staff artists there later photographed onto cells for projection behind the anchorman I win around r16 the rather Rivera was a lawyer before becoming a TV reporter he breaks with tradition in openly expressing his opinions on the air I thought we can use the tape recorder what we're gonna try this one is I think I'll probably work even better okay the wireless mic you know we're doing but it doesn't look like the one I had to wear that damaged don't you think he's gonna recognize I don't kept you Ricky no it's been going he's not gonna say what he bought I'm just gonna confront them all well what do you mean you bought 10 cups of coffee and a half an out you bought some heroin didn't ya [Music] Rivera is at his best exposing serious injustice in bringing the shocking conditions of mental institutions old people's hospitals and drug written slums to television he has changed people's awareness and has often brought about constructive action and I know that this is true because I've personally bought it you know off the streets right and from clinics while heading back to the newsroom the crew is diverted to another story go to the ITT building okay good now bouncing look for it so he can stick with us in case the thing moves that we can just jump in the car as soon as we've got it in the can over Rivera agrees with ABC policy the people watching TV in their living rooms respond better to reporters who are natural I did a newsman just as being more than a conduit of information there's no reason why he has to stand on Mount Olympus and lecture the people as to what he's seen and cool the objective terms his caravans I'll give me the mayor schedule Tony we're gonna need a curry on that tooth Itt where you see this movie now that's I want I want to show like like streams of humanity glowing [Music] [Applause] at this time the anchorman arrived to write their stories and go over the script briefs Bill Beutel got it all broken down if I give you a little flight plan with the angle I want you to cover in the amount of time in our P's and orbs all right and irons out a point with anchorman Roger Grimsby here on the producers orders stories of polished and change graphics are photographed on cells film clearing the streets camera crews from rival TV stations converge on the scene as traffic on Park Avenue is blocked the quarry arrives to get the first roll of film [Music] [Applause] as he speeds it back another is quickly loaded [Music] rush to the news room a desk assistant speeds the film to the lab it will be ready in only 40 minutes once the producer is numbered the script sheets a desk assistant starts to copy one for the associate director the anchorman the director the audio man the producer the basis of everything now the script is copied onto teleprompter rolls in large type easily read by the anchorman the director and associate director check every second of the script timing what CDF online 52 commercials around 33 women change the film from the demonstration has been developed then it will be edited and taken to the studio projectors back before 6:00 to write his story Geraldo Rivera has left his camera crew at the demonstration to shoot more action I beg your pardon still owe on it so in still ok at 5:45 all is ready and Bill Beutel joins Roger Grimsby for the trek down the block to the studio I guess it's time we can fill in half an hour I went in today but when it's raining it's miserable okay however there are compensations on yeah Roger starts it off with 2 3 3 a 4 3 5 5 6 7 7 8 9 10 did the Sun go down on page 11 I'm gonna we're all in here at 11 are just 13 38 38 38 38 39 bill 39a that's terrific state you do act like antenna command elevate his bills drawings are worn out say something funny yeah by here we go okay okay stand by why second the six o'clock report in color with Roger Grimsby Bill Beutel from the Eyewitness News team good evening I'm Roger Grimsby here now the news clever turbine has been subpoenaed to appear in a Los Angeles Court the producer watches anxiously as the show ink on paper images unfilled man comes alive in the hands of the television director and the personality is on screen what split-second timing the director picks shots from 16 screens directs the floor manager and three cameramen unlike national news shows this local show is live mistakes cannot be erased by 3:00 in that area and cost thousands of dollars worth of damage Bob late covered it has in this report Bob bill this was a very stubborn problem one that city water supply crews have not licked fully for hours after it began the pipe almost a hundred years old Lucy tons of water into the street and nearby basements nursing-homes parking lot both cars and trash cans awash in the sudden toss man around the Maypole during the film report the producer has time to 1 Bill Beutel than impending changes yes I told you never call me here oh you don't think that we ought to make that the Souris demonstrations to our instead of the one that we do have another slide [Music] 3530 and even if it is as mr. kretchner said earlier the cleanest block in town now the city says that block on East 80th Street will be closed indefinitely to traffic due to the damage done the paper bill thank you Bob sixty-eight percent of the precincts have reported that it appears the snow bike opportunity to tighten up on bill in the RP because of the latest film reports from the ITT demonstration the script must be changed in mid shell to paint the black after making the necessary changes the producer sends the story with a desk assistant down to the studio floor during a commercial break [Music] prompter we're on front page five now but why don't you just come up to page eight and I'll do page 507 a toes in the script come up to face nine we told you earlier about the protest against the war along Park Avenue that turned into some violence Geraldo Rivera went to cover it he's back now with this report earldom bill with anti-war sentiment running as strongly as it does here in the city there was never any question that the most recent escalation of the fighting in Southeast Asia would cause renewed demonstrations against the war take it it was all peaceful enough with the demonstrators making the point that the same company that makes Wonder Bread Twinkies and Morton's pot pies is also manufacturing hardware for the air than in the turning-point what had been a nonviolent demonstration turned ugly the Mounted Police were given the order to move them in all hell broke loose I saw several of the demonstrators clubbed and dragged away and I also saw one of the mounted policemen injured by a missile thrown by a demonstrator now by 8:30 [Applause] [Music] dissolve our ankles thereby Kaliko [Applause] due to the demonstration was still going on when I left about an hour ago and I have absolutely no idea how many people were arrested or how many protesters our policemen were hurt but I do know that I hate that ugly war it's being fought across the world but it's setting Americans against Americans right here at home the order of the good news I'm Margaret I'm Bill Beutel thank you very much and have a good evening [Music] we're using those anyway you know I wonder why they can't make the tally light right all the way up instead of just a little top of it