It may be a “revolution” in Nashville, Tenn., but it’s been gaining ground in local TV news for some time.
Michael Rosenblum, described (probably by himself) as the “guru of one-person television journalism” was profiled recently in Nashville Scene, the alternative newspaper of the Volunteer State.
“This thing is going to roll across the country in the next few years,” Rosenblum proclaimed in Scene.
You’re a little late, Mikey.
Rosenblum is working with WKRN-Channel 2 in Nashville to build a “video-journalist” model, one in which photographers act as reporters and vice versa.
Big deal. Driven by emerging technologies and economics, Denver’s TV news operations have been trending to one-man bands or, as Patti Dennis, news director at KUSA-Channel 9, calls them, “backpack journalists.”
“I don’t think it’s a revolution, it’s an evolution,” said Byron Grandy, news director at KMGH-Channel 7. “Technology has given us the opportunity for folks to do more. I have reporters who shoot their own videos, sit at home and edit their own video.”
There is a downside. Not unexpectedly, the new two-for-one newsgathering has met with some resistance among reporters and photographers. We’re talking jobs, after all.
“Change in any operation is difficult,” Grandy said. “But you’d have to be crazy not to take advantage of technology.”
Noted Dennis: “I’ve always felt that the partnership (between reporter and photographer) was important because it brought an extra pair of eyes to the story. It is possible you could miss something.
“But I think a lot of people here are excited about the new technology.”
“We have 18-26 photographers,” said Grandy, who calls news gathering “a shrinking environment. They collect content without a reporter. The idea that we got (news) with two-person crews hasn’t been the case for years.”
Around the dial
Colorado Public Radio will broadcast live the opening-night gala at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Sept. 10. Charley Samson hosts the 6 p.m. show on KVOD 90.1-FM, featuring singers Renée Fleming, Ben Heppner and James Morris. … Talk-show host Michael Graham, who got himself canned at WMAL 630-AM in Washington, D.C., for saying, “Islam is a terrorist organization” 23 times in one show, turned up on the conservative RIGHTALK.com on Monday … Jazz legend Marian McPartland will be featured in the 20th-anniversary party Nov. 19 for KUVO 89.3-FM. More info at 303-480-9272. The station turned 20 on Monday … KWGN-Channel 2 morning weather watcher Angie Austin tore herself away from her 4-month-old son and reported back to work Monday … Quotable: “It’s all about money and technology.” Byron Grandy
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
