Comments on: We must do something about the poor reporters

By: Fagstein

Fagstein — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:26:47 +0000

1. It's bright, negating the need for setting up lights
2. It's active, there are cars or people moving in the background
3. It's cool when you can have a live hit with a reporter, even when it's patently unnecessary
4. It's convenient. Anywhere you are, you can just go outside and stand near the satellite truck (if you're doing it live).
5. When standing outside a location of significance (say, city hall), you have a story-relevant backdrop.

Of course, many of these don't apply to the reports in this post.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:09:51 +0000

Wow, Tim Sargeant looks like he's uber pissed off at being outside!

Is there a reason *why* reports are done outside?

By: Jean Naimard

Jean Naimard — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:24:27 +0000

Yes, tuques and mitaines… That’s the secret.

I have a good friend who comes from the Pacific Islands. Yes, those very same Pacific Islands we all dream about those days, islands full of cute brown people.

He never wears gloves.

He never wears a hat.

He doesn’t have a scarf.

He doesn’t know what long johns are for.

He has a huge duvet doudoune (look it up).

He wears sneakers year long.

And he has the nerve to tell us the winter is *COLD*…

By: Isaac Lin

Isaac Lin — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:53:02 +0000

In Ottawa, on the CBC news, updates on the current transit strike is given by a reporter doing a standup... right outside of the Ottawa studio. It is often where they do standups on transit stories, since it is a major bus artery (similar to how CFCF used to do transit story standups outside its former Oglivy studio by the Parc Metro station), but of course with the strike on, there's no chance of seeing a bus passing by to supposedly add context to the story. And when the anchor and reporter are within ~ 100 m of each other, it seems silly to conduct a supposedly remote interview (particularly during the current cold snap).

By: MAB

MAB — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:13:08 +0000

"CTV’s Tarah Schwartz reports on a story about whether unions should take part in protests. From some street somewhere (after having interviewed a subject in a warm building)." That's not just some street, she's in front of my apartment on Cartier in the background! CTV's headquarters are right next door...at least she didn't have to go far to warm up.

By: ladyjaye

ladyjaye — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:16:35 +0000

Geez, Global and CTV can't include tuques in their budget? Only two reporters in the bunch at least looked dressed to be outside...

By: Christelle

Christelle — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:28:26 +0000

Hmm.. Why aren't they dressed more appropriately? TuqueS??! WARM coats?!! What the heck!

By: Tim Burden

Tim Burden — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:53:54 +0000

TV reporters make up for taking all the facts out of their stories by providing interesting backdrops. And by punishing themselves, since we can't. I believe they may all be self-flagellators.