Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) and Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) conducted a two-week long workshop from8-19 July 2014 for the multi media journalists of FBC at their headquarters in Suva, Fiji.

The training program was designed to help the young journalist have a better knowledge of various aspects of broadcast. The participants were from their English, Hindi and iTaukeiservices.

The workshop dealt with topics like news writing, reporting, production and on air presentation.

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) and Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) conducted a two-week long workshop from 8-19 July 2014 for the multi media journalists of FBC at their headquarters in Suva, Fiji.

The training program was designed to help the young journalist have a better knowledge of various aspects of broadcast. The participants were from their English, Hindi and iTaukei services.

The workshop dealt with topics like news writing, reporting, production and on air presentation.

The training program started with brushing up their news writing skills. ‘Simple is good and less is more’ was the motto of news writing workshop. Different formats of news writing depending on the subject of the story were introduced to the class and exercises were based on the same. The participants were also shown reports, which gave them an idea on how to tell a story creatively while sticking to the basics. The news writing class also dealt with writing for sports, soft stories, newsbreaks, headlines & teasers.

Reporting was the next topic of the workshop; the entire news team of FBC, reports, shoots, writes and edit their own stories. The session covered, on ground reporting protocols, things to keep in mind while reporting for crime, court, and political and soft stories. Participants were made to do detailed coverage plans, which helped them plan their shoot better and save time.

The reporting workshop also covered in detail Piece to Cameras, their importance in a story, how they should be weaved into the script and which story need an opening, bridge or closing PTC. Participants were taught how to do live crosses during big events and newsbreaks. Content and presentation of these stand-ups what to keep in mind while telling a story live.

Production aspects like rundowns & editing were also part of the workshop. Importance of putting the stories in the right order, exploring all possible angles and deciding in which format stories will go in the bulletin. Since FBC reporters edit their own stories, trainer explained to them, how to chose the most compelling visual to start the story with, Importance of pre roll and post roll in edits. And how, simple cut-to-cut editing can tell a news story in an effective manner.

The last part of the workshop dealt with on air presentation and simulation.The trainer spoke about how reporters and anchors should look when they are in front of camera. How to use elements of impact like gestures, facial expressions, posture, voice, pitch, duration and pauses to make on screen presence more impactful.

The simulation part of the workshop was most enjoyed by all. The reporters shot, wrote and edited stories in the new formats taught in the workshop.

The training program was engaging, stimulating and highly interactive with lots of practical exercises. It was a valuable experience for a team of young broadcasters.

The trainer for this workshop was Ms. Poonam Sharma with 18 years of experience. Poonam has been part of the India Today Group as a Channel Head/ Anchor & at ESPNSTAR Sports as their main presenter and producer for Southeast Asia. She currently works for MediaGuru, a global media services company and looks after their foray in Southeast Asia.