Codes and Conventions of TV News Broadcasts

Codes and conventions are the 'ingredients' that make up a news broadcast. They are what you expect to see and hear on a broadcast.

A TV news broadcast is an informative video that gives you information on what is happening around the world. They cover all topics ranging from sport to war. They will have both video footage and people talking about these different topics.

Codes and Conventions of a TV News Broadcast:

Studio News Presenters
Studio news presenters are essentially the face of the broadcast and the channel they are presenting for. They are used by News Outlets to present the news to the audience. They are there to inform you by relaying information that they have researched. News presenters conduct there own research on stories around the world and they write and read their own scripts as well as editing copy and conducting interviews. News presenter must be well presented and un-biased and also know the laws that go with journalism.

Field Reporters
Field reporters are like news presenters however they are usually out and about on location reporting a story from a scene, outside of the studio. There reports are sometimes pre-recorded. News outlets use Field reporters to report on stories such as breaking news stories, live events, sporting matches, war zones, ongoing news stories and interviews. They are used as filler to break up stories so that the audience is not just watching the same news presenter in the studio reading the whole thing.

Contributors
Contributors are used by News Outlets in News Broadcasts to add information to a story. These contributors can be experts, that add information to a story based on a certain topic. Experts are used because they are trustworthy and authoritative so the audience believes what they are saying. Witnesses are also contributors. Witnesses are people that give first hand accounts of something they have seen happen, for example a murder or a car crash. They give a realist response which adds colour to a news broadcast. Vox pops are also a form of contributors as they are the voice of the public. They are often used as filler but they also portray the public opinion.
Example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEsYrJ34GY 

Links to Studio
Links to studio is when one live news studio will cut to another live studio to give more information on a topic. This other studio could be anywhere around the world. Links to studio are used in news broadcast as filler so that the audience is not getting bored of the same presenter. They also add colour to a story as well as more info from different sources.

Actuality Footage
Actuality footage is real, raw footage that the new team have either recorded themselves or have sourced it from somewhere else. This footage is real and will relate to the story that the presenters and field reporters are talking about. Actual footage is used by news outlets to support a story and give a visual aid to better explain what is being spoken about.
Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XCs0Od-wxk

Report Structure
All TV news broadcasts will have a structure they follow. Usually it is the pyramid structure which means they start with the most important news story first and then go down in order of importance. They do this because the audience is going to want to find out about the biggest headline first as it will usually be the most shocking or interesting. The codes and conventions that go into report structure are piece to camera, cutaways, voice overs, interviews, vox pops, graphics, charts and final summary.
Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB7MnW7GEwE

Mode of Address
Mode of Address is the style of delivery. It is how the presenter addresses the audience. There are certain rules that the presenter and the news team have to follow in a TV news broadcast. They have to address the camera directly by looking straight at the camera talking to the audience. The presenter needs to be clear and fluent when speaking. The presenters don't usually have a distinct accent. The top stories are always announced first. The news bulletin should begin with a high angle or a long shot of the studio to emphasise the size. When an interview is taking place the interviewee looks off camera and at the reporter.