Arizona Public Media
Schedules
AZPM on Facebook AZPM on Twitter AZPM on YouTube AZPM on Google+ AZPM on Instagram

AZ Week Notebook entry

HOW WOULD YOU DIVVY UP A FINE TRUFFLE?

Arizona Week will air in prime time, 8:30 p.m. Fridays on KUAT-TV, Channel 6. The time available for the show – sans intro, breaks and close – is 26 minutes, 45 seconds.

Planning the use of that time is akin to rationing a fine truffle. The chef must proceed with great care.

Segmenting the program will mean allocating appropriate time to each element of the story, including one or two one-on-one interviews with newsmakers and a panel of journalists to discuss and analyze the news and the newsmakers’ interview.

On many shows, we will do what we call set-up pieces to flesh out the background of a given news development and its attendant issues. This will be like an hors d’oeuvre to whet the appetite for the entrée, that is, the newsmaker interview.

Other times, we will go straight to the entrée, to be followed by background and further explanation.

Last will come dessert: the reporters’ panel provides the expert analysis that rounds out the program.

How to parse the allotted time will be decided week to week with the singular goal of getting as much information to the viewers as possible.

Always we will work for judicious use of the time for information, impact and balance, if we were using a precious truffle to flavor the meal.

Add a Comment

Comments are closed x

To prevent spam, comments are no longer allowed after sixty days.

About AZ Week Notebook

News and commentary from Arizona Week producer/host Michael Chihak and interns Melanie Huonker and Lucy Valencia.