More and more stations are adding producers to their morning team, and the MEGS staff favors this move. But there is plenty of work to do before the producer joins your staff. Defining roles, dividing workloads and setting specific expectations are all important to maximize this positive addition to our station teams. Here are some questions to ask:
One of the main advantages of adding a producer is to focus the content delivered by the host.
- Does your host know how to work collaboratively and take direction?
- Does your host have rehearsal skills?
- If not, who will teach him/her how to make the most of the new support being added?
A producer can help improve the quality of your local news content. But who does what?
- If your station does two-ways, will the producer book the conversation and stay out of the way, or will he/she suggest questions, edit and prepare for air?
- How many news stories should your producer be able to update?
- What is the editorial process?
What duties should stay with the host and what should become part of the producer's responsibility? For example:
- A host may want to maintain control of weather information so he/she can personalize what is usually a partly ad-libbed element.
- A producer might write and pull audio for forward promos, and make sure program promos are "in the stack" for the host to use at the right time.
There is no single set of answers. What's most important is to make sure both producer and host are clear on their responsibilities for the program and can work well together.
