Aim for the Heart

Book Description

The goal of this book is to help professional broadcast reporters, producers, and photojournalists tell stronger stories. It can serve as a guide for news managers whose job it is to train, coach, and inspire others. Veteran journalist Al Tompkins is Broadcast and Online Group Leader for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

Customer Reviews:

Loved this book.......2006-05-18

I've worked as a tv reporter for nearly 21 years...16 years in Portland, Oregon. This is by far one of the very best books I've read on the art of writing for tv news. I found it useful after reading the very first page. Tompkins uses clear, concrete examples to illustrate his points which instantly made me a better writer. Its refreshing to think about our craft with new insight on the purpose and focus of each story. I've urged all the producers and reporters in our newsroom to get and read this!

Aim for the Heart is a first-rate "How-To " for TV journalists.......2005-08-12

Al Tompkins scores with a practical guide to make pictures and words compelling, even for a novice TV reporter.

Probably THE book to read for any up-and-coming reporter..........2005-03-11

Mr. Tompkins' book was the reason I got my first job coming out of college. The first two stories I put on my resume tape were heavily influenced by the things I read in 'Write for the ear, shoot for the eye, aim for the heart.'

Al explains things so that you not only understand how to do the things we do, but also why we do the things we do. I still keep the book on my desk, and whenever my reporting gets into a rut, I haul out Al's book and re-read it. My next few stories are always better than my last few stories.

Great teaching tool.......2004-07-14

I purchased this book to help teach high school students how to write for broadcast, and the lessons Tompkins gives are valuable for students and professionals. Tompkins shows the process behind the writing and the factors a reporter should consider, such as when less writing is more. The book is funny, entertaining, and touching at the same time. He gives many specific examples, including exerpts from scripts, that show the detail and the planning behind the writing. It changes the viewer's perspective on the television news, and it certainly could help professionals refine their writing for broadcast.

Need more people to read books like this.......2004-04-23

Al Tompkins just gave a great presentation at RTNDA on how to find information on the internet. The seminar was filled with humor, insight, and just plain useful information. This book has a similar feel, like advice from someone who wants you to succeed. If a lot of young people read this book (along with some older journalists), perhaps journalism won't be in quite the spot it finds itself in.

Video Basics (with InfoTrac) (Wadsworth Series in Broadcast and Production)

Average customer rating:

A Great Start
Very Good
great book!!
Superlative
Bad Copies

Video Basics (with InfoTrac) (Wadsworth Series in Broadcast and Production)
Herbert Zettl
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0534612458

Book Description

Herbert Zettl has drawn on his expertise and field experience to bring you the new edition of Video Basics, which continues to be the most authoritative, current, and technically accurate student guide to video production. Meeting the instructor's needs for a briefer book, this text distills video basics so they can be covered in a single semester. The book moves students from video concepts and processes to production tools and techniques, and finally, to the production environment (studio or field, inside or outside) and its effects. A more conceptual framework leads the student from the idea (what to create) to the image (how to create) on video.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Start.......2006-03-02

This book is a must for anyone getting into video production. Full of basic information that is conveyed in an intuitive and concise way, plus there is plenty of advanced knowledge to keep you referring back for years to come. Definitely a staple for all video people.

Very Good.......2004-01-24

My boss told me to buy this book, and it is one of the best available book.

great book!!.......2002-08-09

i am an electronic media communications major and this book has been used for a number of years in my school's communications program. video basics 3 has everything you need to know and everything is explained in much detail, yet not too complicated. there are great illustrations throughout the book that are very helpful as well.
i bought this book used from my campus bookstore and i gotta wonder, why would someone return this book at the end of the semester? i still have mine and have re-read it through quite a few times, most definately something worth holding on to!

Superlative.......2002-04-24

This book gives a broad overview of the field of video. It is intended as a textbook for students in a university video course, however, the information that it contains will be valuable for anyone interested in improving their video skills, especially in professional contexts. Since the book is a textbook, each chapter begins with a list of key terms and definitions, and key concepts are highlighted in the text and repeated at the end of the chapter. Each chapter also contains instructions for a lesson in Zettl's Video Lab on CD (not included). The book covers many topics related to professional video production, including the video production process, the video team, video cameras, lighting, sound, editing, and the studio. I found the language to be very straightforward and highly informative.

Bad Copies.......2002-01-30

My copy of the book did not have chapters 3 and 4. I had a chapters 1 and 2 repeated. Check your copy of the book.

Digital Moviemaking (with InfoTrac) (Wadsworth Series in Broadcast and Production)

Average customer rating:

Digital Moviemaking (with InfoTrac) (Wadsworth Series in Broadcast and Production)
Lynne S. Gross , and Larry W. Ward
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
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Video Basics

ASIN: 0534562914

Book Description

This widely praised text covers planning, shooting, editing, and distributing movies. The authors ensure that students understand why the planning process is essential. Gross and Ward over cameras, lights, and sound equipment with some chapters detailing operational skills and others dealing with aesthetics. The text features a chapter devoted to directing, and it covers the mechanics and aesthetics of editing and incorporating visual effects. Students are not only introduced to the concepts and mechanics of filmmaking but are also given ideas of what to do with their movies once they are completed.

Average customer rating:

Standard for Broadcast News
If you're a serious journalist, this book is a must.
Broadcast newswriting for the professional
can't live without it!
Broadcast Newswriters: You Need This Book

Writing Broadcast News, Rev. Ed.
Mervin Block
Manufacturer: Bonus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Aim for the Heart

ASIN: 1566250846

Book Description

Thoroughly revised and greatly expanded, this new edition is even more helpful than the classic first edition. The 1997 revision of Writing Broadcast News - Shorter, Sharper, Stronger is 40 percent longer. And it's even richer and smoother...

Customer Reviews:

Standard for Broadcast News.......2007-03-05

If you're trying to break into news on the AM/FM dial, this is a book that you must read and follow. It helps you format the way most of Radio Broadcasting does it today.

If you're a serious journalist, this book is a must........2005-08-10

This is the bible of broadcast news writing. Well organized. I'm a 25 year veteran of broadcast news and I still find information in this book that improves my writing and reporting.

Broadcast newswriting for the professional.......2002-07-16

Merv Block was himself a newswriter. He wrote for Cronkite and others; his experience is unquestioned.

Block's book, and Bliss's book(Writing News for Broadcast, Columbia University Press) are, in effect, the bibles of broadcast newswriting.
Block gives his own tips, and also shows how it's done by taking broadcast scripts apart and correcting them.
There is no better book for the professional newswriter.

can't live without it!.......2000-03-27

Ten years ago, I had the privilege of taking introductory radio writing from Mr. Block while earning my master's degree in journalism at Columbia University. If memory serves, Mr. Block also revisited my spring semester radio news course as a guest editor and instructor. He was a tough and fair instructor -- one of the many highlights of my year at 116th and Broadway.

Mr. Block's book has been indispensible to me ever since. Every so often, I reread a chapter to keep my writing fresh, and to jolt me out of the workaday rut so many reporters and anchors inhabit. Television news works on two levels, the words and the pictures, and it is a challenge and an art to make the two levels work together!

Whether you're a journalism 101 student or a seasoned professional, it never hurts to have this book on your desk (and occasionally at home!). Your viewers, producers, photographers, and managers will thank you!

Broadcast Newswriters: You Need This Book.......1999-07-14

To paraphrase Mr. Block, "if newswriting is easy, then you're doing something wrong." This book is for the lover of action verbs and simple words. You're taught to think and to see the beauty of simple writing. And if you want to be GOOD, you must learn to TELL a story. After you read this book, the news will likely not sound the same.

The Broadcast Century and Beyond, Fourth Edition: A Biography of American Broadcasting

Average customer rating:

Radio to technology TV
history at ease

The Broadcast Century and Beyond, Fourth Edition: A Biography of American Broadcasting
Robert L Hilliard , and MICHAEL C KEITH
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future (with InfoTrac®) (Wadsworth Series in Mass Communication and Journalism)

ASIN: 0240805704

Book Description

The Broadcast Century and Beyond, 4th Edition, is a popular history of the most influential and innovative industry of the previous and current century. The story of broadcasting is told in a direct and informal style, blending personal insight and authoritative scholarship to fully capture the many facets of this dynamic industry. The book vividly depicts the events, people, programs, and companies that made television and radio dominant forms of communication.

The ability of radio and television to educate, enlighten, and stimulate the contemporary mind is perhaps the most important of all modern technological developments. This text places the communication revolution in a comprehensive chronological context, allowing readers to fully grasp the media's profound impact on the political, social, and economic spheres.

*Single-source of broadcast history and past and present influences broadcast communications

*Brand new interior design and timeline graphic

*New updates on FCC decisions, DVD recorders, Internet, and industry globalization

Customer Reviews:

Radio to technology TV.......2003-07-12

I got this book for a Media Arts college class. It starts at the beginning of radio all the way up to turn of the century TV technology. If you are looking for a book that gives a descriptive history of mostly TV and radio, this is quite a good book.

One of the best things about this book is the chronological organization. Each decade is a separate chapter, each year is a seperate section. It also includes a timeline along the top of each page covering the details of history at that time for a greater understanding of socially induced technological changes.

history at ease.......2002-10-29

This book about American broadcasting history is wonderfully accessible and enjoyable to read. Very comprehensive, too.

Radio Advertising: The Authoritative Handbook (NTC Business Books)

Average customer rating:

The Definative Book On Radio Advertising
Valuable Reference Book for Small Businesses
The Best Reference for Radio Advertising
Great Information for College Project
Add depth and insight to your radio selling.

Radio Advertising: The Authoritative Handbook (NTC Business Books)
Pete Schulberg , and Bob Schulberg
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0844231185

Book Description

With [Bob Schulberg's] death, radio lost a brilliant advocate and a good friend. Fortunately, Bob's gifted son, Pete, knows a lot about broadcasting, too both as a broadcast newsman and a newspaper journalist covering the media. Pete has picked up where his dad left off, bringing the book up to date with a skill and thoroughness I know Bob would be proud of. Good writing runs in the Schulberg family. Radio is magic all right. And the Schulbergs, Bob and Pete, explain how the magic works. "This is required reading for all broadcasters and all sales people in all markets and formats. -- Rocky Blumhagen Station Manager KGON/KNRK Portland, OR "Radio Advertising: The Authoritative Handbook is a must read for both neophytes and veterans of the broadcasting business." -- Jerry Feniger Managing Director Station Representatives Association "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Pete Schulberg has undated his father's classic work for the cyberspace era, producing a wholly contemporary book that retains the first edition's clear, readable presentation of those fundamentals essential to every broadcaster and advertising professional. Radio Advertising is worthwhile reading for students and newcomers to the business as well as seasoned pros who are looking for new ideas on how to use radio more effectively. This book is a winner!" -- Roger Baron Vice President, Director of Media Research Foote, Cone & Belding

Customer Reviews:

The Definative Book On Radio Advertising.......2002-11-09

As a former General Sales Manager in Radio, with 30 plus years experience, I can attest to the value of this book. Both of the authors are radio veterans and know the business inside and out.

If you're in radio sales, or want to be, this IS THE BOOK you'll want to build your knowledge with. If you purchase radio advertising, this book will help demystify the medium.

As a former radio sales manager,I purchased and gave this book to my sales staff. I wanted them to be equipped with the best knowledge available--this book contains that knowledge.

In my collection of books on and about radio, RADIO ADVERTISING is at the top of my list of recommended books about the subject. There just isn't a better volume available. Don't forget-if you purchase the book for self-education, for use in your career or business, you can write it off as a business expense. Well worth YOUR INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF!

Valuable Reference Book for Small Businesses.......2002-06-01

Too often, small business owners spend significant portions of their budgets on advertising but, since they can't afford professional advertising agencies, they're forced to make their own local market buys and they're also responsible for making sure the air time/ad space they buy relates an effective message about their product or service.

Guerrilla Marketing and the Wizard of Ads series' provide excellent overall marketing ideas for small business owners. However, "Radio Advertising" provides practical advice pertaining specifically to radio advertising -- from writing copy to generating public service announcements and news time.

Media sales professionals shold also own a copy of this book because it can spark an idea for an effective campaign and it also is a great tool to leave behind for a prospective client -- how the sales professional works, how radio can and should work and whether or not radio is an appropriate fit for the prospect.

The Best Reference for Radio Advertising.......2000-07-22

This book I found to be not only complete but also incredibly informative. I have personally done a tremendous amount of radio advertising, and I found this book to be very useful in actually obtaining a successful result from my ads. This book will not only give you exact tips on how to compile the contents of your radio advertising campaign, but also provide you with details on how the industry itself works. This book is fantastic and extremely useful to any business owner seeking to get into promoting their company or activity on radio without making it a losing game. I found this book to be truly the authoritive text on the subject and quite unmatched by any other text in the industry. A definite key reference for any serious advertiser's library.

Great Information for College Project.......2000-03-22

I ordered this book from Amazon, which I received three days later, and must stop here for a moment to say that not only was it very informative and just what I was looking for, but I was also very interested from cover to cover. Pete Schulerg does a great job of wrapping SO many areas together, and I feel I learned a great deal about the workings of radio advertising with the help of this book. I am confident the project I am turning in on this subject will get an "A"...Thank You!

Add depth and insight to your radio selling........2000-03-13

Of all the trade journals, training manuals, industry insight, management tutoring, mandatory meetings and corporate ya-ya I've endured while selling radio, the straight-forward information contained in this book is more helpful then all of that stuff - combined.

Book Description

This edited volume of 19 readings is designed to complement and enhance the main text ONLY CONNECT: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF BROADCASTING. Readings span and cover the key eras of broadcast development.

Producers Masterguide 2007-2008: International Film Production Guide and Directory for Motion Picture, Broadcast-Television, Feature Films, TV Commercials & Videotape Productions (ISSN: 0732-6653)

Average customer rating:

Producers Masterguide 2007-2008: International Film Production Guide and Directory for Motion Picture, Broadcast-Television, Feature Films, TV Commercials & Videotape Productions (ISSN: 0732-6653)
Shmuel Bension
Manufacturer: Producers Masterguide
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935744193

Average customer rating:

Broadcast News
Mitchell Stephens
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0030791766

Book Description

This widely-used text works well for virtually any level radio/television journalism class. Instructors find it appealing because of its clear instruction, lively writing, abundant examples, and thorough coverage, as well as its accurate and up-to-date discussions.

Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing, Fourth Edition

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Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing, Fourth Edition
Ted White
Manufacturer: Focal Press
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ASIN: 024080659X

Book Description

Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing, Fourth Edition examines the skills, techniques, and challenges of writing and reporting for broadcast journalism. Along with complete coverage of the fundamentals, the text presents up-to-date examples and issues through actual scripts and interviews with the people who bring us the news.

The book emphasizes real-life situations, and examines the problems that reporters, writers, assignment editors, and producers face every day. Each chapter contains exercises for writing, review, and discussion so that students can learn and apply what they've read.

This new edition contains material on embedded journalists, their preparation (journalist boot camp), including the late CNN reporter David Bloom, and their impact on the news. It includes new examples of tabloid journalism and expanded information on the state of terrorism and crime reporting today.

Ted White has been a broadcast journalist since starting his career as a copy boy for The Voice of America while in college as a journalism student. He worked for CBS, ABC, and CNN as well as other major radio and TV stations in NYC where he was a writer, reporter, editor, and producer before becoming a college professor at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

*New information on embedded journalism
*Expanded information on crime reporting
*New examples of tabloid journalism

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