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It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting (Hardcover)

by Wayne Freedman (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

It Takes More Than Good Looks follows the anecdotal style of Freedman’s renowned seminars, but delves more deeply into the issues facing broadcast journalists in the field. Scripts and stories from Freedman’s own career illustrate such important concepts as story structure, the perils of going live, dealing with time constraints, and much more.

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: Bonus Books (December 25, 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 (11 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #630,895 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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	52% buy the item featured on this page: It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting 5.0 out of 5 stars (11)
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	14% buy Sound and Look Professional on TV and the Internet 4.5 out of 5 stars (2) $14.78
	9% buy Associated Press Broadcast News Handbook 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) $18.21

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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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)

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!

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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

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.

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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

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Gem of a Book !!
If you want to write television news stories that simply sing, this is a must-have book.

I'm a reporter at a station in Allentown, PA, and I bought this book a while... Read more

Published 3 months ago by D. Parker

5.0 out of 5 stars TV Storytelling At Its Best
Let me make this brief, in the best style of broadcast journalism: Wayne Freedman is one of the finest storytellers in the field, masterfully weaving video, sound and just the... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Judy M. Muller

5.0 out of 5 stars It Takes More Than Good Looks...
Wayne Freedman is a video storyteller and a television survivor. Those traits alone are worth the price of this book. Read more

Published 17 months ago by M. Conway

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy the book, read it, then read it again.
Landing a TV reporting job is not tough. Make a tape, be persistent and someone somewhere will put you on the air. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Robert Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Interested in aspiring to the next level of television reporting?
Don't read this book just once. Read it twice, and then maybe even once more. Make sure the principles and teachings of Mr. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Andrew Del Greco

5.0 out of 5 stars Wayne's the real deal!
Wayne Freedman is a rare gift in television news reporting, a polished gem of a reporter with an amazing eye and ear and professional aesthetic. Read more

Published on June 5, 2007 by Terrence McElhatton

5.0 out of 5 stars It Takes More Than Good Looks To Succeed at TV News Reporting
I bought this book for my sister. She completed her education in the journalism field. When she got the book as a gift, she immediately realized it is one of the best books she... Read more

Published on November 4, 2006 by KUBA

5.0 out of 5 stars Read the Book, Know the Man.
I am currently a journalism student at the University of Missouri and this is required reading for all broadcast journalism graduate students. Read more

Published on April 26, 2003 by Benjamin W. Angwin

› See all 11 customer reviews...

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