PLANNING FOR GROWTH IN YEARS OF RESTRICTED RESOURCES

and regions of the country, consistencies were found among the news directors in termsof what they considered an ideal résumé tape for broadcast television news. A majorityof news directors responded that the preferred tape format was VHS and that videoquality was secondary to the actual skills presented on tape. The news directors statedthey often looked for applicants who demonstrate good writing skills and generalintelligence, along with a proficiency in delivery.In terms of the actual tape viewing time, most of the news directors stated that theytry to form an impression within the first few seconds of viewing. If the impression isnot favorable, the tape is ejected. To assist them in their ability to form a quickimpression of the applicant, many of the news directors recommended that a montageof stand-ups be included at the top of the tape, followed by a few of the applicant’s beststories.The surveyed news directors also stressed that overproduction and gimmicksdefinitely do not work. They encouraged applicants to stay away from such tactics asincluding the applicant’s photo or sending personalized notes. From the viewpoint ofthe news directors, a successful résumé tape is one that is simple and interesting, andreflects the applicant’s own high-quality work and professionalism.Hopefully, the insight provided by the news directors through this research will helpstudents of television news to create effective résumé tapes and move on to their firstpositions as broadcast journalists. Most of the news directors agreed that a tapeshowing hard work and initiative most probably would help the new graduate inhis/her job searching endeavors. As words of encouragement, Rod Gamer of KGW-TVin Portland, Oregon writes, “Work hard, do good work and maintain the highest workethic and team work standards. You can go far.”ReferencesMitchell, S. (1993). Broadcast news. 3rd edition. New York: Harcourt, Brace,Jovanovich College Publishers.White, T. (2002). Broadcast news: Writing, reporting, and producing. New York:Focal Press.Internet ResourcesA listing of radio stations, commercial and non-commercial, who are involved in orhave been involved in internet streaming:http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~willr/cb/sos/Two additional URLs to sites involving the record companies’ initial complaints and alegislative summary, respectively:http://www.ascap.com/legislative/jointstatement.htmlhttp://www.copyright.gov/carp/webcasting_rates_final.html39Feedback September 2003 (Vol. 44, No. 4)