A VJ Speaks Up

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG0unrDNyNs[/youtube]

Mark Jones, a highly accomplished journalist with KRON/4 in San Francisco explains what it is like to work as a videojournalist and why he does it.

Jones is no ‘kid with a camcorder’. He has been in the business for nearly 30 years, and among other things has 26 Emmy nominations.  Many people think of the VJ as a kid who is going to drive the accomplished journos out of the newsroom.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 35 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.

5 Comments
  • Paul Evans March 24, 2009

    For those who still believe what is happening to newspapers won’t affect broadcasters comes the following disheartening news:

    • “Bernstein Research predicts a 20% to 30% drop in 2009 TV station ad revenue.”
    • “For the last reporting period, Nielsen Media Research said, CBS’s prime-time audience was down 2.9%, ABC’s down 9.7%, Fox down 17.5% and NBC down 14.3%.”
    • “According to Media Dynamics, the average price of reaching 1,000 households with a 30-second spot in prime time, has jumped from $8.28 in 1986 to $22.65 in 2008 — but effectively more like $32, because between 150 and 200 of those 1000 households use DVRs to skip past the ads.”
    • NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker recently admitted that he’s considering making NBC a cable channel. A CBS executive said much the same thing.

    Find the full article as a PDF here: http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/chaos_scenario_for_media.pdf

    Hopefully those TV shooters here understand what NBC and/or CBS going cable means — no more local affiliates. That means lots more professional TV guys soon will be competing with those VJs. Better hope those skills are all that matter. My newspaper experience tells me the corporate bosses may be willing to sacrifice a lot of technical expertise for a little cost savings. They will, however, assure you that it isn’t personal; just business.

    In many ways it doesn’t matter if VJ is a bad idea, to quote pencilgod. It’s here; it’s not going away. I’m not sure the constant reminders of how much it sucks changes anything.

  • pencilgod March 17, 2009

    How many times do I need to post you my work Cliff?
    In my professional opinion his shooting is well below standard… anyone’s standard.
    But then what do I know?

    Stephen Press
    2009 Best of b-roll International winner.

  • Cliff Etzel March 16, 2009

    neither of you has proven your case other than SAY that how you do it is better.

    What I’ve seen of so called Broadcast “Pro’s” so far has been to the contrary.

    Next….

  • $ March 14, 2009

    And the VJ award prize logo has the “VJ” with a camera on his shoulder!

    The poorly framed, under exposed stand up was another good laugh.

    Then the other standup where he is walking holding a camera and a laptop shot by someone else!

    Yep, that’s VJ work all right!

    But let’s be honest.

    That was a biased BJ/VJ report on KRON.

    BJ as in blow job.

    What was the guy going to say?

    He’s just trying to keep his job at a place that is failing faster and faster every day.

    That was four minutes of wasted time.

  • pencilgod March 13, 2009

    Not only was that was so badly shot it was factually inaccurate… good job of proving why VJ is a bad idea.