It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting [Hardcover]

Wayne Freedman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1566251885 | ISBN-13: 978-1566251884 | Publication Date: December 24, 2003

Electronic Media has called Wayne Freedman probably the premier local TV news feature reporter in the country - and he's put those celebrated feature techniques to use in writing everyday news, as well. he's won 41 Emmy Awards, 11 of them for newswriting. And while no book can convey all the lessons he's learned through his years of experience, It Takes More Than Good Looks will give working and aspiring journalists a good sense of how he's found such success - and how they, too, can survive and thrive in the maddening, exhilarating world of television news.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wayne Freedman has been reporting for more than 30 years, since he began writing a column for a Los Angeles – area newspaper at the age of 14. For the past 11 years he’s worked as a reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco. He’s also worked for KRON-TV, San Francisco, and as a feature reporter for CBS News. For nearly 15 years he’s conducted immensely popular seminars n the subject of television storytelling for stations and organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (December 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566251885
• ISBN-13: 978-1566251884
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant., December 26, 2003

By 

Mike Ferring (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting (Hardcover)

Here's a "text book" that reads with the thunder of a good page-turner. You'll laugh, you'll cry... and you'll learn. Wayne Freedman is a brilliant visual reporter who's managed to translate his craft -- and his love of a good story -- into print. Best of all, if local news reporters follow his instructions, a lot of us will start watching TV news again!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Instructional, Entertaining, and Very Realistic, October 1, 2005

By 

Quickturn (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting (Hardcover)

If you're an aspiring television news reporter, or working as one and hoping to move into a major market, read this book. The meat of it is inside the anecdotes.

Freedman describes the process of finding stories, large and small. He writes in detail about interviewing, story structure, and all the finer points of narrative writing. The bookk is packed with helpful hints for performance issues such as stand-ups, live shots, and vocal styles. "If you don't like the way you sound, look at the words you choose," he writes.

The book is idealistic, but competely truthful about succeeding and surviving in an imperfect business. For example, "It's fairly easy to please the boss who hires you. The test is to satisfy that new boss who replaces the old one."

Here's another. "Sometimes we forget our employers pay us, not for doing the perfect story, but for hiding flaws and doing the best story possible within a set of restraints."

That's the real stuff.

I have 15 years experience as a reporter and also teach broadcast journalism. This book is on my syllabus because it does NOT read like a textbook. Its cast of characters includes Bill Clinton, The Pope, Cal Ripken, Jr.---and dozens of regular, fascinating people. The first chapter, in which he outwits the United States Golf Association to expose their cover-up of a broken US Open trophy, is a timeless lesson about how to hustle under daily deadline pressure.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it as a gift, but read it myself first, December 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting (Hardcover)

I bought this book as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who has been a local TV reporter for 1 1/2 years. Even with her wonderful preparation in college and her on the job experience, I'm sure she'll find many of the tips useful in her work.

I found the anecdotes particularly illuminating. I finished the book in a day and a half.

It is a perfect holiday or graduation gift for the beginning or aspiring journalist. Freedman is clearly at the top of his field, and it is a great opportunity for young journalists to learn from him.