BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Broadcast News Production 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a 'natural sound' (nat sound) break in a broadcast news package?
- To fill time when the reporter runs out of content
- To add authenticity and immerse the audience in the story's environment (Correct answer)
- To cover jump cuts in the editing timeline
- To meet FCC requirements for ambient audio
Correct answer: To add authenticity and immerse the audience in the story's environment
Natural sound breaks let the scene's ambient audio breathe, grounding viewers in the real environment and adding credibility to the story.
Question 2: During a live shot, a reporter's IFB earpiece fails. What is the standard fallback protocol?
- Continue the live shot and improvise based on the anchor's visible cues on a monitor (Correct answer)
- Immediately throw back to the studio anchor
- Signal the photojournalist to wrap and abandon the live segment
- Read from a printed script held off-camera
Correct answer: Continue the live shot and improvise based on the anchor's visible cues on a monitor
Reporters are trained to continue the live hit using a monitor or improvised cues when IFB fails, maintaining broadcast continuity.
Question 3: Which video compression codec is most widely used for broadcast-quality HD news delivery over IP networks?
- MJPEG
- H.264 (AVC) (Correct answer)
- DivX
- WMV9
Correct answer: H.264 (AVC)
H.264 (AVC) offers an optimal balance of compression efficiency and image quality, making it the broadcast industry standard for HD IP delivery.
Question 4: A reporter is covering a fatal car accident and wants to interview a visibly distressed eyewitness. What ethical obligation must come first?
- Securing exclusive footage before competitors arrive
- Obtaining the witness's full legal name for the chyron
- Assessing whether the witness is in a state to give informed consent (Correct answer)
- Recording the interview before asking permission to use it
Correct answer: Assessing whether the witness is in a state to give informed consent
Journalistic ethics require that reporters assess a subject's emotional state and ensure they can provide meaningful informed consent before conducting an interview.
Question 5: What does 'backtiming' mean in the context of a live news broadcast?
- Recording a segment to air later rather than live
- Calculating when a segment must begin so it ends exactly at a fixed point (Correct answer)
- Editing a package from the end of the story to the beginning
- Replaying earlier footage to fill unexpected dead air
Correct answer: Calculating when a segment must begin so it ends exactly at a fixed point
Backtiming is the process of counting backward from a fixed endpoint (like a commercial break) to determine the latest possible start time for a segment.
Question 6: In broadcast journalism, a 'SOT' refers to which of the following?
- A script-on-teleprompter notation
- Sound on tape — recorded audio from an interview or event used in a package (Correct answer)
- A studio-only transmission protocol
- Start of transmission signal sent to affiliates
Correct answer: Sound on tape — recorded audio from an interview or event used in a package
SOT (Sound on Tape) is a standard broadcast term for recorded audio clips, typically interview bites, incorporated into a news story.
Question 7: When shooting a stand-up bridge in the middle of a news package, where should the reporter ideally be positioned relative to the camera?
- Directly facing the lens for maximum eye contact with viewers
- Slightly off-center, looking just past the lens toward the interviewer's mark (Correct answer)
- With their back to the camera to show the scene behind them
- As far from the camera as possible to establish the location
Correct answer: Slightly off-center, looking just past the lens toward the interviewer's mark
Reporters typically look just off the lens toward an interviewer's mark, creating a natural, conversational appearance rather than a stiff direct address.
BSJ Bachelor of Journalism: Broadcast News Production 2
What is the primary purpose of a 'natural sound' (nat sound) break in a broadcast news package?