As you may have heard, Channel 3 News Director Mike McCormick recently left the station after a short stay. The reasons are not important, except to the people who work here at the station. But, it opens up an opportunity for a brief discussion about what it's like to work under different news directors from a directing standpoint.
First off for non-tv people reading our blog - the News Director is the manager of the newsroom. They are the professionals who run News Departments. They study ratings intensely. Set goals. Lead planning meetings. And they ultimately have the final say in what gets included in a newscast. They are the ones who hire and fire the on-air staff. They often make the big bucks.
In contrast, a newscast Director is what I am - a control room manager whose job is to execute the newscast during the live or taped broadcasts. It's a very different type of position which is still an important leadership role.
Now back to News Directors - One thing I noticed is that their position seems to be more volatile than most positions at the station. Since I joined the staff in 1994, I have worked with 5 news directors (Tony Ballew, Kathy Williams, Randal Stanley, Dick Moore, & Mike McCormick) in the past 13 years... that averages about 2.6 years each - not a long time...but comparable to other broadcast outlets.
With Mike's departure, Assistant News Director Rita Andolsen was named Interim News Director - a position we all hope becomes permanent for her.
Every time a new News Director enters the building, things change. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. People get nervous...expectations change...and you quickly learn to adjust and execute the News Director's guidelines. There are new and fresh ideas brought into the mix and it's up to us, the directors to implement these in our on-air look.
This includes having to change "how" we present the news. Sometimes it's different camera angles or zooms, using more or less graphics, slowing or increasing the pacing of the show and such. Some News Directors are very "hands on" - while others are not.
Some actually come into the control room and supervise coverage - making immediate decisions about where to do and what to do next in breaking news situations. These commands are usually channeled at the producers. But in the past, I have been given direct orders by News Directors superceding the Producer - who by definition at this facility, is in charge of making control room decisions.
News Directors also have a way of setting the mood of the newsroom and sometimes the whole building. These feelings need to be positive and encouraging in order to get the most from your staff. That mood can turn harmful and distracting if the news department loses confidence in a News Director's leadership abilities.
Like any managerial position, it's a fine line you have to draw about being in charge vs. having the respect of your co-workers to get the job done which equals ratings!
