Preventing Bad Shows & Improving Rapidly... An Easy Way To Make A Good Impression!

A quick way to start off your new TV job on a bad note is to have major mistakes right away.  If it's your 1st job, you'll have some mistakes that will inevitably happen - but there are ways to cut down on the chances of those mistakes being make. 

This is an excerpt from a  section of the book "So You Want To Be A TV Star?" in which some methods of avoiding bad shows are discussed.  It is called "Ideas For Preventing Bad Shows & Improving Rapidly."

A common way to help prevent bad shows for both news and weather people is to practice behind the scenes. This is particularly important if you are going to be an anchor of any kind. In weather, once you learn how to make a show and fit it with the “look” of the station you are working for, then try to run through it a few times to get a feel for how the weather segment should go. Get a feel for how much time you will need to get through your slides, and be ready to adjust by adding or subtracting as much as possible. Keep things simple until you are ready to be more advanced. The same can be said for anchors. Load up the teleprompter and go practice in the studio. See what the cameras look like, get comfortable in the studio, and make sure you are comfortable with the writing on the teleprompter – including the font and font size. Every station sets up their teleprompter differently, and you should plan on this new one being different from anything you’ve ever read.

That is a starting point - and there is much more about that topic in the book.   You don't become a top-notch anchor magically, it takes time & LOTS of practice!

Check in soon for another post & excerpt from the book!  If you are interested in seeing more of this book, you can purchase it using the link at the top of this page.  You can also visit http://tvbook.aaronshaffer.net where you can see the table of contents, additional sample pages, and are able to purchase it through the publisher.

~Aaron Shaffer