l l l identifications take place while the video is still rolling  full  screen.  This  technique  gives  the impression that the anchor is on top of the story and that events are happening even as he speaks directly to us in our homes. With such a start, very few  people  will  turn  the  channel  to  Batman. However,  therein  lies  a  danger.  If  the  immediate upcoming story that has just been promoed by the cold start really did not deserve such treatment, you  will  have  disappointed  viewers  who  will soon be Batman watchers. Story  intros  and  outs  should  be  read  by  the anchor, again, to give the impression that the anchor  is  in  control  of  the  news  program  in general.  This  simply  eliminates  any  viewer confusion on what is happening now and what is coming up. You want your viewers to be thinking about the news being presented and not about how that news is coming to them. This does not mean a story cannot be run visually right into a break  without  coming  back  to  an  anchor. Sometime, such an effect is required. An example of this would be a news segment ending with a story about the death of a national figure. A slow fade to black is followed by a short pause on black and then come back up full to the spot break.  Although  such  endings  can  be  overused, they do prevent the anchor from having to come back and say something trite like “He will be missed” or having to promo the next segment that might be an upbeat sports story. If a major story is to be stressed by having a reporter live on the set with the anchor, then make sure the anchor has some intelligent questions to ask that reporter before and after the reporter’s story is aired. Again, this gives the impression that the anchor is in control and will prevent the audience from thinking about why the anchor is even  present  in  the  first  place.  (He  is  there because if the reporters just appeared on the air themselves,  the  audience  would  be  thinking about who all these strange people are instead of thinking about the information they are trying to present.) As with reporters coming onto the news set, the anchor  also  introduces  the  regular  personalities on the show. This includes the weather and sports announcers (if available). (Often NBS detach- ments will give a short voice-over weather report with character generator graphics and the anchor as  narrator.)  Chats  with  both  talents  while on the set is a given standard for news anchors in the television industry today and should be used on  local  news  programs.  This  does  not  mean rampant  silliness  between  news  anchor  and weather/sports people. It means a quick one-line introduction and perhaps a short, easily answered questioned to wrap up a segment. Much leeway may be given to an anchor, however, if the anchor is  communicating  effectively  with  the  audience. Surveys will tell you this by simply asking the audience to rate your anchor’s performance. On-air mistakes will always happen and it is the news anchor’s job to ease the transition from a show  in  trouble  back  to  a  show  on  track.  An example of this is when a story is aired out of turn. The anchor should come back on-air and simply say the correct story will be run next or later in the broadcast. The point here is that the anchor should look as if he is still in control, even if he is being told off camera exactly what to do. Remember, if the anchor is made to look stupid, even  if  it  is  his  own  fault,  the  whole  news program will suffer. NAVY NEWS THIS WEEK The flagship internal communication device in the Navy, and arguably in the DoD, is Navy News This Week (NNTW). Every broadcast capable unit in the Navy should be aware of, and actively supporting, this program. In general, NNTW will always have space available for hard news stories. Natural disasters, major fleet exercises and accidents are just some examples of the types of stories NNTW seeks. These stories must focus on the Navy’s involvement in such incidents with emphasis on the positive effects made by the individual sailor.  Often,  Navy-wide  policy  decisions  or  equipment advancements   are   good   fodder   for   NNTW   and especially so when the local angle or human factor is prominent in the story. An increase in SRBs for a certain rate can have a human face put to it very easily if you add an interview of a new SRB recipient. Current  requirements  for  equipment  and  style formats should be attained from NBS headquarters. This can be done by simply calling NBS or writing them a letter. NNTW is your program and is successful because of input from the fleet. 8-35