It really takes a crowd to make a TV programme!

Level B1/B2

Enrich your vocabulary and speak about the members of a television crew.

What does it take to make a top programme on TV? Lots of imagination, lots of energy and lots of people. Who are these people who make television shows and a great variety of TV programmes?

On-air personalities like anchors, reporters, and meteorologists are the most visible members of television teams, but TV newsrooms are filled with many more people.

news anchor – ведучий новин
The news anchor introduces stories, interacts with reporters, and interviews experts on a news show. He or she sometimes provides analysis of, and commentary on, stories.

reporter – репортер
Reporters are also in the public eye. They are usually in the midst of all the action, delivering news straight from the field. They may risk their safety as they report from war zones, storm-ravaged locales, or places hit by natural or human-made disasters. Reporters go out into communities to do spontaneous on-camera interviews with sources.

broadcast meteorologist – ефірний метеоролог
The TV weatherman is the reason many viewers tune into the news in the first place. Since meteorologists are scientists, as well as broadcast professionals, training in both areas is necessary.

webmaster or social media manager – менеджер соціальних мереж
While a news station’s webmaster or social media manager isn’t visible to the public, he or she communicates information just like an anchor, reporter, or meteorologist does. A webmaster maintains a newscast’s website and blogs. A social media manager posts news stories on, and communicates with viewers through, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

producer – режисер
A producer writes scripts, edits video, and collaborates with reporters who are out in the field. He or she also works closely with the newscast’s anchor. Producers oversee newscasts. The executive producer coordinates every aspect including hiring, firing, and managing personnel and also tending to business and financial matters. At larger stations, associate producers assist executive producers, and together they supervise a staff of news producers.

director – директор, режисер
A director is responsible for the programme. News directors plan news broadcasts. They choose and schedule content, making them the people most responsible for what viewers see on the air. They discuss the programme with presenters before the show goes on air.The news director is in charge of quality control. He or she monitors stories for accuracy and sees that rules and regulations are followed.

news writer or editor – редактор новин або редактор
Television news writers and editors create scripts for anchors, produce content for the newscast’s website. They must be able to capture viewers’ attention with the intent of keeping them from changing channels or encouraging them to tune in at a later time.

camera operator – оператор
To bring a visual image of the news to viewers, a camera operator must capture video either in a studio or out in the field. He or she chooses the proper equipment, sets it up, and operates it. Multiple camera operators in a studio capture various aspects of a broadcast. A single operator usually accompanies a reporter to the scene of a news event. He or she may also record visual content to stream on the station’s website.

broadcast technician – технік
It is a broadcast technician’s responsibility to make sure viewers both see and hear a broadcast. Without his or her expertise, the signal transmitted from the station or field may not be clear or strong enough. He or she regulates audio and sound quality, monitors broadcasts in real time to make sure they are going as they should, and selects the transmission equipment.

audio engineer – аудіоінженер
Audio engineers, including sound engineering technicians and audio equipment technicians, operate the equipment that transmits the sound associated with news broadcasts to households within the viewing area. They regulate volume levels and sound quality and consult with producers and news directors. Sound engineers control everything from microphones to mixing desks with a thousand lights and buttons.

floor manager – менеджер в студії
A floor manager or floor director is a member of the crew of a television show. The floor manager is responsible for giving information from the director in the control room, to the crew on the studio floor, and then back to the director. He/She is the director’s representative on the studio floor. He/She doesn’t have to make any decisions: the director’s instructions come through headphones. The floor manager organizes the work on the studio floor. The studio floor is the place where we can see studio audiences. The floor manager doesn’t use a microphone. He or she uses gestures or signs.

There are many other people who make television shows and programmes: screenwriters, vision managers, production managers and production secretaries, costume designers, make-up artists, and many others. Everyone mentioned above is necessary but a face of any TV channel greatly depends on its announcers.

announcer – телеведучий
Synonyms: broadcaster, anchorman, anchorwoman, anchor, host, presenter

An announcer is a person who announces something, introduces or gives information on television, who presents and coordinates a live television or radio program involving other contributors.

What is the right personality to give a face to TV programme who can attract the viewers? There are several answers:

a good appearance (an attractive face and a resonably good figure)
the ability to hold himself/herself well
intelligence and good memory
friendly and likeable manner
the right kind of voice is important
confidence and the ability to be posed and at ease before the cameras

Discussion

What people who make television shows and news programmes can you name?
What jobs in the process of making a show appeal to you most?
Name a successful host of some TV programme.
Do you agree that television created many popular personalities?
Name a well-known TV personality (announcer, singer, sporting reporter) and say what made him/her so popular.