From 'talking heads' to usable TV copy

Two hours of talk was just a waste of tape and time. It is boring television, and something that news executives detest.

I was not the only frustrated television reporter. Hundreds of my counterparts countrywide and across the world were trapped in the same dilemma. So I would always pray for the torturous long and irrelevant (to my story) press events to end everytime I found myself attending one. Afterwards I would conduct a short interview on the side. The reason - to get my 20-second sound bite!

So the trick was just to ignore the "spinners" and survive through conceptualizing my own "picture story" using sources I had cultivated over time. The visual impact would then support my sound bite. As a result I was labeled sensationalist by some PR professionals.

Television is a picture medium, that's it!

Forget about analysis, in-depth reporting, substance and so on. Television news is not meant to achieve any of the above! How can a minute and half provide analysis for complex political, business, social or labour issues?

The best television reporters winning awards around the world and here at home are selected on the quality of their picture stories. The argument advanced by television news executives is simple: "Pictures tell a better story and have more impact."
Here's another one: "Keep it short and use more sound and pictures, people always remember what they saw during a news bulletin."

Given this background I was interested to see how the Hefer Commission attracted interest from people across all walks of life. My mother, a pensioner in Pretoria and many other aunties, factory workers, intellectuals and professionals spend days glued to their TV screens. There were no dramatic or exciting pictures. Just talking heads!

I admit the interest was generated by the controversy and high level public interest surrounding the commission. Just like during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings or during one live television debate between Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk before the 1994 elections. Remember Madiba hitting the table with a fist and challenging the former president using the words: "Where is your plan?"

Under normal circumstances I would never recommend any talking head scenario when planning for a television exposure for a client. I suggest that more PR professionals should learn to pick up their telephones to discuss their stories with television reporters and explore their requirements. They should also help them realise their picture story.

So if two television reporters accept an invitation for an interview, the best option would be a separate one-on-one with each reporter instead of turning your client into a "talking head".