Consumer Reporting

Pollsters tell us that most Americans are more concerned about their economic situation than they are about their health. People without jobs often do not worry about their health until they have no money to pay their medical bills. So, news stories that affect a consumer’s pocketbook are popular with audiences and news directors.

Consumer reporters have fertile fields to till: shady business operators, inferior products, overpriced services, undelivered goods and services, and many others. They do not have to look far to find their stories. They hear from listeners and viewers by the hundreds, many who have been victimized or swindled in one way or another.

Oftentimes, the consumer reporter has to try to correct the problem. Those reports are often tacky. We see a reporter talking to a person who has been unable to get a rug that she ordered 90 days ago. The dealer keeps promising that it will arrive any day and keeps breaking the promise. Then the “action reporter” takes over, and the next thing you know the person gets the rug (and a cameraperson is probably there), and the dealer promises it will never happen again.

Consumer reporting works best when the reporter investigates serious problems and scams that affect a lot of people. Reporters provide a real service when they alert the audience to beware of a company that guarantees consumers credit cards for a fee and then doesn’t produce; a home-siding company that’s tricking retired couples into paying double what they should to repair their homes; a garage that charges customers for unnecessary repairs.

Consumer reporters also provide other services to the public. They frequently report on new products that may be useful to the physically disabled, a new low-cost prescription service for senior citizens, or the best way to discover low-cost airfares. They also are at their best when exposing serious “rip-offs,” as in this report from consumer reporter Jack Atherton of WTVJ n Miami:

A New Beat-Religious Reporting: Although many newspapers have been covering religion for many years and some papers devote entire sections to the subject, it has been virtually ignored in broadcast news except for stories that are news items in themselves, such as the Pope visiting America and the Branch Davidian conflict in Waco, Texas. According to a study by the Media Research Center, the religious perspective is rarely reported on network television. The Center noted that in 1993, there were more than 18,000 stories reported on TV but only 212 of them were about religion. That is changing, however.

In 1994, ABC News hired Peggy Wehmeyer to cover religion for “World News Tonight” and its American Agenda feature series. Wehmeyer had previously covered religion for WFAA-TV in Dallas. There are very few religious reporters at the local level.

Reporter Duane Cardall covers religion for KSL- TV in Salt Lake City which makes more than a little sense considering KSI’s and Salt Lake City’s strong ties to the Mormon Church, which owns the TV station.

Wehmeyer believes that there should be religious reporters at all networks and local broadcast stations. She notes that there is a lack of in-depth reporting on religion even when many of the world’s news headlines involve basic religious differences that bring violence to many parts of the world.

If there are opportunities for reporters who want to report on religion, what are the qualifications? Do you need to be a religious person? Should you study religious courses in college? Does it help to have worked for some religious organization or church? Peggy Wehmeyer did work for the Dallas Theological Seminary before working at WFAA-TV News and that undoubtedly helped her. She attends a nondenominational church. Wehmeyer says she believes that someone who has “some faith has a better connection in understanding people of faith than somebody who didn’t believe anything.”

She says her first task is to “be a good reporter” and that, like any other kind of reporting, “means being fair, accurate and balanced.” She adds, “I have no mission or need to convince people that what I believe is right.”

Weather: Good weathercasters are also well rewarded. In large markets, weathercasters are often paid almost as much as the news anchors and sometimes even more. In medium-sized markets, weathercasters usually do not earn quite as much as the anchors but often earn more than sportscasters. The competition for jobs is not as keen as it is in sports because most people entering the field consider weather reporting rather dull, which means there are many opportunities for those who pick weather reporting as a career. It’s not always as dull as it may seem, however. Most stations expect weathercasters to report from the Oceanside when a hurricane is on its way or to be knee-deep in flood-filled streets while predicting when the rain is going to stop.

The weather people most in demand are those with degrees in meteorology. Unfortunately, those delivering the weather in most markets are not trained meteorologists. Some stations still hire people right out of school and expect them to deliver professional weather reports. Many viewers do not notice the difference in the weather person’s background, particularly when sophisticated-looking radar maps and graphics are employed. But students who are serious about anchoring the weather should study meteorology; the money invested in earning a degree will certainly pay dividends.

If weather reporting is your goal, you also have to learn about computer and chroma key (special effects) technology. Jerry Brown, a meteorologist for KUTV in Salt Lake City, says, “The discomfort level in front of the chroma board too often is readily apparent. It’s not that the weathercaster doesn’t know what to say. The problem is how to visually integrate a story line and chroma-key graphics into a cohesive ‘show-and-tell’ presentation.”

Brown says weathercasters must “maintain continuous eye contact with one of three monitors, ad-lib and synchronize hand and body movement, all the while pirouetting across the screen. Done right,” he says, “it looks effortless.” But it’s not easy.

Brown says that when weather interns ask for help setting up a weathercast audition tape, he tries his best to help, but he warns, “While a novice news anchor may on rare occasion master a teleprompter, I have never seen anyone approach professional level on their first try at chroma key.” However, Brown says that “marked improvement does come with practice.” He suggests seeking a good professional coach. Coach Jeff Puffer, who is with Frank N. Magid Associates, works with people at the company’s offices in Marion, Iowa, but he says he also likes “to work with meteorologists at their own chroma board where they are familiar with the aspect ratio of key wall and graphics.” He notes, “You can’t be talking about Dallas and looking at Omaha.”

Weathercaster Brown makes another important point. “A personable weathercaster is the single most important aspect of a weather presentation.” He says, “It constantly dismays me how little attention the average viewer pays to the weather maps I create.”

Station managers look for personality along with a knowledge of maps, computers, and chroma-key technology. The auditions for weather anchors are considerably different from auditions for beat reporters. While the news director looks for good writing and reporting skills, the general manager looks for a great smile and a quick wit.

Sometimes the weather is more than just looking at the day’s highs and lows and the five-day forecast. Sometimes the weather is the lead story. Here’s an example from reporter Paul Gates of WAFB- TV in Baton Rouge.