One-man band, backpack journalist, video journalist, I-reporter. No matter what you call it, the use of one person to conceive a story, arrange and develop the content, set appointments, collect and load gear, drive to multiple locations, shoot video, write a script, voice the script, edit the story, write anchor leads and tags, then report live in a “daily turn” news environment is insidious. It’s a failure of epic proportions, inevitably bound to destroy young journalist’s careers and could very well complete the total decimation of local TV news as we’ve always known it.

This experiment, contrived by narrow minded, imbecilic news managers continues to further degrade an already declining watchable local product and makes a mockery of the very word…journalist. This experiment is tantamount to exploitation. This chicanery abuses eager and enthusiastic young journalists, burning them out in a matter of months and causing irreparable damage to their ego.

The damage is deep and profound on several levels. Paramount is the damage to young, impressionable journalists...most of who come to these positions from either similar environment, fresh out of school or otherwise desperate for a job. They accept the terms of these insane working conditions, often with the promise of more reasonable working conditions in the near future. These so-called journalists are brutalized working double shifts, with minimal, laughable training and then being thrown to the streets with one objective…make slot.  With no room for error and no time to breathe, they are pressed to fill the time slot with images, hopefully something other than color bars. There’s no time to think, let alone create. With the deadline hanging over their heads and pressures too great to bear, the miracle is that they survive the daily grind with any sanity whatsoever.  Very few make it six months. Fewer make it a full year.

Secondly, the product suffers immensely. In an industry with consistently declining viewership, these so called journalists are driving away even more viewers with unwatchable, convoluted, disjointed imagery and narrative. “Stories” are not stories. What we frequently see from this faction is a collection of shots spliced together with a collection of information. It covers the black but it’s not a story.

It’s not completely their fault. They’ve merely fallen victim to this awful accounting experiment that needs to end.  It’s multi-tasking run amok. A person who can drive a car pretty well does not need to conduct other tasks while driving. Driving is a specialty and should be undertaken as a singular event. Videography is a specialty and should be undertaken as a singular event. Interviewing is a specialty that should be taken on as a singular event. Writing, voicing, editing are all singular events that require time and opportunity to perform well. Time should be budgeted to do all these events well so improvements can transpire. Time should be budgeted to allow for inevitable disruptions to the schedule, for possible equipment malfunctions, for probable logistical changes.

Anyone who believes this insanity is a good idea should fly in an airline that mandates pilots also load bags, serve drinks and fetch blankets. No good can be gained from promoting this delusional multi-tasking.

What happened to specialization in television and what brainless twit decided it wasn’t needed? Just because something CAN be done doesn’t necessarily mean it should be done.  There are many fine photographers who can edit extremely well. They’re gifted and talented at their craft and many have years of experience and training that transfer easily to the end product. These gifted, talented visual storytellers probably should not report on the air, write or voice scripts. That’s not where they excel. I think everyone agrees with this point. You know videographers for whom this just wouldn’t be a wise decision.

So let’s follow the same logic for a moment. Someone who has talent to interview, write and voice scripts and looks good on camera can be taught to shoot and edit as well?

It’s not possible to throw a blanket over the entire OMB population and say no. Of course there are some exceptions… rare exceptions and my hats off to these folks. But to make a determination that OMB’s could be generally accepted practice in television news is ludicrous. 

For those willing to stake your stations image and reputation on this endeavor are riding the Titanic to the bottom of the ocean. We’re all seen the numbers. They’re inescapable. Local TV news is roundly losing hundreds of thousands of viewers each book.

If you’re responsible for or trapped in an environment that believes these cost cutting measures are your salvation, I say enjoy the ride to the bottom.