I went to a small broadcast studio on the second story of a gleaming office building in downtown Washington, D.C., earlier this spring to attend a filming of an Internet news program called "Breaking Points." James Lynch, the show's producer, greeted me in the foyer and took me to a busy control room. The video boards were staffed by three experienced-looking, middle-aged engineer types. The scene reminded me of a handful of studios where I've made appearances on television. Unlike the conventional programs, this one had a much younger engineer crouched over a computer screen, busily editing the footage coming in from the studio. "By eleven o'clock, we'll have the broadcast up on YouTube," Lynch said. It had been already close to ten.
Everything regarding "Breaking Points'" production is quick. The show, which stars Krystal Ball, a former MSNBC anchor, and Saagar Enjeti, a former White House correspondent for The Daily Caller, produces three full episodes each week and occasionally adds additional "short" shows in response to current events. Almost as soon as the episodes are filmed, they are distributed in both audio and video forms. This speed is required because "Breaking Points" is seeking to imitate the immediacy of live news transmission using Internet publishing techniques. By the afternoon, a section shot in the morning may be out of date.
0 Comments