News Producer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a news producer. Feel free to use our news producer job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a news producer.
Who is a News Producer?
A news producer is responsible for managing the content of a news program. A news producer may also be responsible for gathering and writing news stories. Although there are not any specific education requirements for news producers, they usually have a college degree.
The most difficult task for a news producer is deciding what items to include in a news program. To choose which news stories to include in a news program, he or she may meet with news directors, editors, and photographers. They might decide together what could be used.
News producers can also monitor wire reports and other news outlets to find potential content for their news programs. A news producer can gain insight from other news sources about how another source covered a story, or how another source reported on it. This part of the job is not limited to one day.
New producers must ensure that all stories are used professionally. There are always new stories that can be created, but some stories may not work out. News producers must ensure that the stories being used in the program are accurate and current.
A news producer must not only decide the content of a show but also write scripts and supervise the writing of scripts by news anchors. The producer will then assign anchors for the stories being covered. The order in which the pieces are covered will determine the order in which the scripts for the anchors are placed.
A news producer is also responsible for ensuring that enough video and graphics are made available. These items are important in making a news story more interesting and providing additional information. Producers should know where to find appropriate graphics and videos if they aren’t available.
Being a news producer requires the ability to think quickly and independently. Breaking news can happen at any hour of the day or a story may not be ready in time for the show. A show might be running out of time or have too much content. In these cases, the news producer may need to pull or add more content. These situations can force news producers to make quick decisions.
A news producer is responsible for assembling all elements collected throughout the day (packages and vostos as well as vo’s and copy stories, graphics) into a newscast.
The news producer usually participates in the morning and afternoon meetings during which stories are assigned. They will be assigned stories by the news director or executive producer. The news producer will then begin to build a newscast by adding stories and other elements to give it “flow”. Some stations have news producers who do the majority of the writing while others prefer the anchors to write the copy. Many news producers must edit their newscast videos.
To keep track of how stories are progressing, the news producer should stay in touch with field crews. They must also monitor the network feeds and wires.
The news producer is always seated in the control room with the director during the newscast. He manages time and communicates accurately with studio crews, anchors, and field crews.
News producers must be strong writers, have good news judgment, and be fast.
News Producer Job Description
Below are the news producer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a news producer job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Managing TV news broadcasts.
- Coordinating the activities of news production teams.
- Creating a cohesive show, you must oversee the order and type of news stories.
- Producing videos on time and staying within budget.
- Assisting the assignment desk, reporters, news managers, and other members, and broadcasting various stories via regular broadcast.
- Coordinating with managers and reporters to plan and execute stories on time.
- Working with your team to ensure that video clips and scripts match each other and to code the appropriate codes.
- Working with other staff members to prioritize and select content, live shots, and other duties that are relevant for the efficient execution of newscasts.
- Participating in several editorial meetings with editorial staff to discuss news content and prepare for a broadcast
- Participating in regular story planning meetings and conferences to determine lead stories and sub-stories that will be used for each newscast.
- Making a news presentation that is based on the collected stories and articles.
- Producing news specials and news reports on a priority-based basis for each newscast to ensure consistency.
- Collaborating with other teams to select pre-production graphics or elements.
- Making news broadcast more appealing, analyze and create pre-production elements and graphic design.
- Ensuring that news is delivered professionally to increase viewership and improve presentation.
- Collaborating with the creative department to create promotion strategies for upcoming shows, newscasts, and events.
- Producing news articles, and researching local, regional, and national news.
- Assisting other news producers in organizing, compiling, and writing newscast articles.
- Responding to phone calls concerning weather-related issues, such as closings, delays, or untoward events.
- Gathering and evaluating relevant information and news, and monitoring news feeds. This includes searching social media and engaging reporters.
- Gathering information, stories, and bits from your team members throughout the week
- Selecting and prioritizing content while working with the news director
- Adding stories and other elements to make the broadcast more appealing
- Ensuring consistency, selecting footage and sound clips to be broadcasted.
- Maintaining high technical standards by communicating with the production team
- Talking to the anchors and studio crew while you’re on-air
- Assisting and coordinating with the management and all production staff to uphold editorial standards for newsgathering, coverage, and broadcast on cable and broadcast platforms.
- Assuring the timeliness and accuracy of on-air content
- Making breaking news reports
- Collaborating with the creative department to create promotion strategies for upcoming newscasts
- Staying current with the latest events, researching national, local, and international affairs
Qualifications
Each person’s path to becoming a news producer can be different. Additionally, each company may have different education and training requirements.
Education
News producers usually need a college degree in journalism, communications, or English. An experience in business or politics can make a news producer more eligible when searching for work.
Training
Many news producers begin as production assistants or interns. They receive training on the job that prepares them to advance in their careers. Mentors can also be available to assist aspiring producers.
Essential Skills
Every journalist learns the first lesson in journalism class. This is how to write a story. Although the news producer might not be the one who covers the story, they ensure that the audience understands what the anchors are reading. This means that the anchors can understand and use concise sentences.
Here are some skills that news producers should possess:
- Video Editing
Video editing is a crucial skill in news production. This skill is something that all journalism graduates should master. The reporters will be able to have their video, VO/SOTs and VOs edited before releasing it to the masses and the general public. The news producer might have to step in when there is breaking news. On a normal day, however, the producer may need some tease footage to be edited.
- Ability to stack a show
A skill every news producer should possess is the ability to stack a show. Because news producers make decisions about which stories should be placed at the top, which ones need to run later, or which stories need to go all together, stacking a show is a fundamental skill.
In most countries, the 6 p.m. newscast focuses primarily on local news and information that is important for people for the remaining part of the day. This newscast usually features hard news stories like crime and localized national stories.
Small event stories and ‘fluff stories, on the other hand, might not make it to the top of every news story. There’s no one way to tell a news producer what stories should be at top of every newscast each night. They must get to know the audience and the best way to communicate with them. To get an idea of the station’s ‘important’ classification, it takes communication with every reporter, news manager, and anchor.
- Communication Skills
Communication skills are essential for every news producer. When a news producer enters the newsroom, one of their first actions must be to ask their reporters questions about the stories they are reporting. Is it a live shot? Do they have enough information to make it into a package for the camera? Are they able to communicate with their interviewers? Are they able to use any additional equipment?
News producers who assume that their reporters are fine and can stack the show when they return to the newsroom are mistaken. Communication is an essential skill that cannot be overemphasized in this profession. However, it is a delicate balance. News reporters wouldn’t get any work done if they are called every five minutes to be updated on their stories. Producers need to find a happy medium between trusting their reporters and not communicating with them.
- Time Management skills
Time management is very crucial when it comes to news production. The primetime newscasts at most county stations usually last 30 minutes. One might feel overwhelmed trying to manage every news story on the newscast. If you take into account all the commercial breaks and weather, an average newscast at 6 p.m. only contains around 10 minutes of news. This makes it a lot easier.
How to Become a News Producer
A news producer must have a deep understanding of both news reporting and show production in this highly competitive field. These are the steps to take if you love journalism and want to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Get a bachelor’s degree
Most news producers hold a bachelor’s degree from a related field such as journalism, mass communication, or television and/or video production. However, some news producers enter the industry because they are passionate about a particular subject. This is especially true for news producers who work on news programs that cover sports or politics.
Although most college students can benefit from internships in college, you must have an internship at a local news station. This will allow you to be exposed directly to the work process and people involved in news production. You will need to know the following areas: production, journalistic research, ethics, video editing, and writing.
- Start with entry-level jobs
Broadcast journalism is a fast-paced industry that requires you to network and is familiar with the job processes to succeed. Any position in news production is a great way to start your career. A common way to get started is as an assistant news producer or associate news producer on a news program that targets a smaller audience or airs at a lower time. As a news production assistant, you will likely be reviewing scripts, helping on set, and performing administrative tasks. This is a common entry-level job that will familiarize you with the smaller production details that can make or break an operation.
- Hone your skills
You will need to work in support roles, gain experience, and produce your news program. Senior news producer positions require advanced skills and experience, which can only be gained on the job. Even if your job is not your preferred choice, it’s worth learning news production and management skills to make your show more efficient and provide a better news experience.
Where to Work
News producers are employed by a network, television station, or online news station. This could be for a local station or for a news program that broadcasts to a global audience.
News Producer Salary Scale
A news producer’s average annual salary in the United States is $42,595. The news producer’s location, company and experience level will all impact the salary.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lumps together producers and directors when calculating job growth. However, their data shows that these roles will grow by 10% between 2019 and 2029 which is significantly faster than the average. This is faster than most other journalism and entertainment careers.