Thirty Seconds to Air: A Field Reporter's Guide to Live Television Reporting (Paperback)

by Bob Arya (Author), Bill Kurtis (Foreword) "Every reporter remembers that first professional live shot..." (more)
Key Phrases: third floor apartment balcony, roll cue, many young reporters, New York, Amanda Houston, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...provides valuable advice for both the veteran and the beginner...It's the next step for anyone planning a career in television news: digest it, keep it in a prominent place on the bookshelf, and refer to it frequently." - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (February 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813825792
• ISBN-13: 978-0813825793
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #872,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for the "live" reporter!, August 15, 2003

By	Mark McKenna (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews

In all my years in the profession and as an educator, I have found few books as useful and relevant as this one. Mr. Arya is among the top live reporters in the country. He has earned some of the top honors in all of journalism. If you want to learn how to report live, buy it. If you want to get better at live, buy it. There is no other book like it! It is an easy read that hits every nail right on the head.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, March 19, 2000

By	bill berry (new york) - See all my reviews

This is a great resource for aspiring reporters and for those who have been in the business for just a couplle of years. Mr. Arya presents a straight forward - honest look at what it takes to be a good live reporter in a very difficult field. The tips are very valuable to students and those just starting out in this field. They are also good to those who are working in live television but who are uncomfortable with the live presentation. This is a nice resource for all live reporters - a reminder of what it takes to make it work successfully.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Handbook with Tips for the Live News Reporter, November 2, 2008

By	BYF "Backyard Flix" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

From back cover:

"'Thirty Seconds to Air' covers the professional and personal issues, concerns, and difficulties that a live broadcast reporter must confront and conquer in order to be successful. Filled with concrete examples and practice situations, and written in an easy-to-read conversational style, 'Thirty Seconds to Air' will be useful to anyone, student or professional seeking to improve his or her live broadcast performance. Essentially a field manual, the book covers live presentation, preparation, delivery, current legal and ethical issues, and a host of challenging situations that Mr. Arya and other experts in broadcast journalism have encountered during their careers."

Contents Include:

Overcoming Anxiety * The Live Shot * The Presentation * Models of Success * Tips for Finding Focus * Special Concerns * Notes/No Notes: Over-reliance * Reducing the Need for Notes * Breaking News: Working without Notes * Technical Side of Live * Equipment * Communication * Glitches Happen * Learning from Failure * Stress and Adrenaline * Extremes: Living without Balance * Finding the Balance: Managing Stress * Practice! Practice! * Using Practice Scenarios * Sample Practice Scenarios * Internships * Sensitivity * AP Libel Manual * Codes of Ethics * Internet * Television Markets