Web Master / Social Media Manager

Although viewers generally don't even know what he or she looks like, a news broadcast's webmaster or social media manager often represents its public face. He or she is responsible for maintaining the website, blogging and posting stories on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. This person interacts with viewers in a way that on-air personalities often do not.

Web masters and social media managers may collaborate with news directors, producers, anchors, reporters, meteorologists and writers, in other words anyone who needs to interact with the public via the website or social media outlets. Typically he or she must have experience in journalism, particularly in television newsrooms and expertise in online communications and social networking.

News Director

News directors oversee all aspects of televised newscasts. They make decisions regarding the hiring and firing of on-air personalities as well as those who work behind the scenes. They manage personnel, administer budgets and supervise the coverage of special events. News directors also make decisions regarding which stories air, making them the people most responsible for what viewers see.

To prepare for this career, one should earn a bachelor's degree in journalism or mass communications. One usually begins his or her career by working as an assistant news director. Jobs in smaller markets sometimes lead to those in larger cities or on national newscasts.

News Writer / Editor

Television news writers and editors create scripts for anchors, write teases used to promote stories and produce content for the website. They must be able to capture viewers' attention with the intent of keeping them from changing channels or encouraging them to tune in at a later time.

Writers and editors work with reporters, anchors, web masters, directors and producers. They must not only know how to write well and edit copy, but must also be journalists who are skilled at doing research and interviewing sources in order to ascertain that stories are factual. Since deadlines are always an issue in television newsrooms, one must be able to work quickly.

Camera Operator

In order to bring a visual image of the news to viewers, a camera operator must capture images either in a studio or out in the field. He or she chooses the proper equipment, sets it up and then operates it. Multiple cameramen may work in a studio in order to capture various aspects of a broadcast. A single cameraman usually accompanies a reporter to the scene of a news event. In addition, he or she often captures visual content to stream on the station's website.

Camera operators usually need a bachelor's degree in film, broadcasting or communications. Many jobs require flexibility in scheduling since news can break at any time

Broadcast Technician

It is a broadcast technician's responsibility to make sure we see and hear a news broadcast. Without his or her expertise, the signal transmitted from the station or field may not be clear or strong enough. He or she regulates broadcast and sound quality, monitors broadcasts in real time to make sure they are going as they should and selects the equipment used to transmit broadcasts.

Audio Engineer

Audio engineers operate the equipment used to transmit news broadcasts to households within the viewing area. They regulate volume level and sound quality and consult with producers and news directors.

Exercise 1. Answer the questions:

1. Which job from the text seems to you most interesting (exciting/ responsible/ prestigious/ highly-paid)?

2. Which jobs require university education?

3. In which positions experience is as important as good education?

4. In which positions people should have good communication/ time management/ stress resistance skills?

5. Which jobs can make you on-air personality?

6. What is more important, the personality of a news anchor or the images captured by a camera operator?

7. Why the role of web masters is more important now than 20 years ago?

8. Which jobs exist only in the sphere of broadcasting but not in printed media?

Exercise 2. Match the job in Column A with the responsibilities in Column B:

A	B
Print designer	Write features, file stories, interview people
Read the news, interact with reporters, and analyze stories	Check stories for grammar, spelling and punctuation, add headlines
Reporter	Write editorials that present the newspaper’s views on current events
Social media manager	Capture images and scenes to accompany the story
Cameraman	Post breaking news, photos and videos online
Copy editor	Lay out the stories with photos, captions and graphics on the page
Editor-in-chief	Build charts, graphs, maps and other graphic elements to accompany stories
Digital editor	News anchor

Exercise 3. Choose the best word:

1. _____________ has the final say on what gets published and serves as the publication's representative at social functions; he is in charge of developing budgets for the departments he oversees.

A) Associate editor B) editor-in-chief C) chief accountant

2. The biggest advantage of working as news anchor is that you are _____________.

A) Visible B) fast-paced C) competitive

3.Many viewers trust _____________, because associate them with the official position of the channel.

A) Editorial board B) on-air personalities C) camera operator

4.If you want to become a social media manager, you should have experience in _____________.

A) Social networking B) interviewing C) regulating volume level

5. Reporters often interview passers-by, so they should have good _____________.

A) Leadership skills B) research skills C) communication skills

6. When a reporter goes to the field, he is usually accompanied by _____________ who captures various aspects of an event.

A) News anchor B) Cameraman C) Broadcast technician

7. The person who writes scripts of televised newscasts, is called _____________.

A) News Writer B) Copywriter C) Advertising manager

Activities

Exercise 1. The following twelve stories came in on the wire today. Decide if the stories can be published in the newspaper or go to budget of stories for the website. Give arguments.

US votes for Russia, Iran and North Korea sanctions	Future astronauts could be drinking Moon water
Top Vatican official denies sex charges in court	Bloodless bullfights for Spanish islands
Floods in India kill at least 16	US navy fires warning shots at Iranian vessels
Brain disease found in 99% of NFL players	Perm students visit U.S. sister city
Health clinic will close due to budget cuts	Navy rescues baby elephant from the sea
Waitress attacked over wrong order	Russia denies secret Trump-Putin meeting

Exercise 2. Visit a Russian news website (Lenta.ru, for example). Find at least 5 stories that can be selected as front-page news. Take into account the following:

* IMPACT:Does the story matter to readers? Will it have an effect on their lives or their pocketbooks? The bigger the consequences, the bigger the story becomes.

* IMMEDIACY:Has this story just happened? Is it about to happen? Timeliness is crucial, especially when you’re competing against other news outlets.

* PROMINENCE:Does this story involve a well-known public figure or celebrity? If so, readers are bound to be more concerned or curious.

* NOVELTY:Is something new, odd or surprising going on? (Did a man bite a dog?) Readers enjoy news that’s intriguing and unexpected.

* CONFLICT:Is there a clash of power? A political battle? A sports rivalry? Reporters and readers both enjoy dramatic storytelling.

* EMOTIONS:Does this story make us sad? Happy? Angry? We all respond emotionally to human-interest stories that are poignant, comical or inspiring.

Exercise 3. Choose any 3 newspaper or TV newsroom careers and write down 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of each.

Exercise 4. Translate sentences from Russian into English:

1. Если ты – медийная личность, важно поддерживать отношения со зрителями, чтобы аудитория оставалась верной и доверяла твоей программе.

2. Главный редактор отвечает не только за каждый выпуск газеты, но и за общую политику этого органа печати.

3. Оператору не обязательно быть приятным человеком; главное – работа с камерой и умение сделать верный кадр или снять сюжет.

4. В СМИ существует много профессий, связанных с техникой: звукорежиссер, оператор камеры, специалист по цифровому монтажу, техник передающей аппаратуры и т.д.

5. Одно из самых важных качеств хорошего сотрудника отдела новостей – это умение работать по графику.

6. Работа в СМИ требует хороших навыков межличностной коммуникации, опыта и знаний.

7. В нашу цифровую эру навыки компьютерного дизайна необходимы каждому, кто задумывается о карьере журналиста.

8. Редактор должен обладать навыками и интуицией, чтобы не пропустить интересную историю, способную заинтересовать аудиторию.

9. Специалист по печатному дизайну работает в тесном сотрудничестве с редактором новостей.

10. Работа в отделе новостей похожа на конвейер: все отлажено, как часы, и работа может продолжаться круглые сутки.

Grammar