PLANNING FOR GROWTH IN YEARS OF RESTRICTED RESOURCES

Tape Format PreferenceAmong the majority of news directors, VHS is the first tape of choice. Most of thenews directors commented on how convenient or cheaper it was to rely on VHS.Regarding his preference for VHS, Eric Huseby, News Director at KVIA-TV in ElPaso, Texas responded, “It gives me more options. I can screen tapes at home orvirtually anywhere. Many stations have broadcast-quality format (Beta, DVC, etc.)decks only in public places, and it’s generally best to screen tapes privately.” Husebydoes caution that all students read job advertisements carefully and submit the formatthat might be specified in the ad. Assistant News Director of the Ohio News Networkin Columbus, Ohio, Shawn Harkness, also prefers VHS because “they can be watchedat the office without having to sneak into an edit bay, and they can be taken home,”also similarly cautions that applicants pay close attention to ads. She writes:If an ad says to send a tape on a specific format, be sure to submit iton that format. Not all stations have access to machines in all formats.You may think sending a Beta tape may help you look moreprofessional, but if the station doesn’t have a Beta machine to watch itin, you’ve probably eliminated yourself from the running.If a newly graduated student were applying for a position strictly using VHS to thestations represented in this survey, he or she would be cut out of the running at threetelevision news stations. Two news directors responded that they look at résumé tapeson DVCPRO, while another news director voiced preference for BETA. Bruce Barkley,News Director at WAPT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi writes that he prefers “DVCPRO,because it is digital, great quality, cost effective, and tapes cassettes are a great size.”News Director of WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jennifer Crompton,agrees by writing, “We currently use both Beta and DVC... My preference is DVC forquality and storage ability reasons (takes up less room!)”One of the reasons that tape format is such a concern is that the format of the tapeaffects video quality. VHS is a lower quality tape format than DVCPRO or BETA.Fortunately, many news directors take into account the lower quality of VHS.Does Video Quality Matter?Most of the news directors responded that video quality is not a primary factor intheir decision-making. Many understand that students may not have access toexpensive equipment. They do add, however, that just because video quality is not aprimary factor does not necessarily mean that it plays no role. Phil Hendrix, AssistantNews Director at WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan asserts:I think News Directors are smart enough to look past poor videoquality if a story is good. Now, there is a limit. If the quality is toobad, video drop out, no tracking, or inaudible sound, then your tapewill be thrown out pretty fast. The News Director doesn’t want to haveto work to look at your tape; he’s got plenty of other tapes stacked upon his desk.Doug Crary of KPTM-TV in Omaha, Nebraska writes of video quality in relation toVHS résumé tapes. He states that “if it’s VHS, there’s an expectation that the qualitywon’t be as good as BETA or DVCPRO.” Crary warns, however, that news directorscan tell if it is a VHS dub from another VHS tape; he writes, “That gives theappearance of mass production, and raises issues about the candidate.” Making VHSBEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 32