It is 6:05 on August 1 in Minneapolis.  The I-35W bridge collapses, sending cars and people into the Mississippi river.  KSTP-TV’s assistant news director Lindsay Radford is in the station’s parking lot, heading for her car and an early night home.  Not a bad idea for a pregnant woman due in September. She is intercepted by a call from an intern -- and doubts what she's being told.

Over at KMSP-TV, news director Bill Dallman is scanning rundowns for the evening newscast and overhears scanner traffic about a bridge collapse.  He quickly moves to the assignment desk.

RTNDA photo Left to right: Bill Dallman, KMSP-TV; Tom Lindner, KARE-TV; Lindsay Radford, KSTP-TV; Jill Geisler, The Poynter Institute; Jeff Kiernan, WCCO-TV; Steve Murphy, WCCO Radio.

WCCO Radio's managing editor Steve Murphy is home listening to his station while doing dishes and cannot believe what he is hearing.

KARE-TV's news director Tom Lindner gets a call at his brother's house, abruptly ending his role in a traditional family flank steak barbecue.

WCCO-TV news director Jeff Kiernan is in Miami to represent his station group at the Asian American Journalists Association convention when he learns of the collapse.  He calls his newsroom.  No answer.  He sends an e-mail to his assistant news director saying, "If this is real, just go and stay with it."  He heads for the airport, feeling all the while that he is in a black hole.

RELATED

Links to organizations mentioned in this column: RTNDA WCCO Radio KARE-TV KMSP-TV KSTP-TV WCCO-TV WBZ-TV

I interviewed these five Twin Cities news executives recently at the kickoff to a leadership workshop held by the Radio-TV News Directors Association in Minneapolis.  Our goal:  to identify the important lessons managers can take away from coverage of a tragedy like the bridge collapse.  Specifically, what role should leaders play? The five managers offered these insights:

Being right is more important than being first:  KMSP-TV's Dallman says he’s known for his intensity, but he wasn't overwhelmed with the sense that his station had to be first on the air.  He cautioned his staff about verification before broadcast.

The work you do today prepares you for breaking news tomorrow:  WCCO Radio's Murphy thinks his  station's coverage was instinctive.  People automatically reported in for work and knew what role to play. Equipment was ready and it worked.  He thinks there might be something of a "homeland security" mindset that has newsrooms and other first responders more ready for worst-case scenarios these days. Radford (now acting news director at KSTP-TV) and her fellow managers knew that their news director Chris Berg was parting ways with the station soon, knew that a lot of people were on vacation, and knew that both issues could have an impact on the team's performance.  So they focused on what they believe themselves to be –- "a breaking-news station" –- and just rallied.

Leaders set a tone:  KARE-TV's Lindner believes managers influence the coverage by the way they communicate.  He took a cue from the story of the children rescued from a school bus shortly after the collapse.  "We can handle this. We can get through this" with optimism and strength.  Dallman says he hopes he set a "reverent" tone in the newsroom and in the coverage, one that reflected the community's response to the tragedy.

Think Web:  The managers know that while throwing massive resources at the on-air coverage, they must also be aggressive about their Web sites –- not always an easy task. Solicit photos, videos, eyewitness accounts and, as Kiernan advises, look carefully at what you post.  Ask if it is real or Photoshop.  Lindner says coverage on Kare11.com brought users from 160 countries to the site.

Think ethics:  Murphy cautions about the "experts" stations may put on the air at times like this.  He says people wanted to share theories on air about the cause of the collapse, and he’s proud "we didn’t get into wild speculation." He suggests that at the onset of a big story like this, stations focus on the public service aspect of their coverage: immediate safety, places to avoid, alternate routes to take.  Vet your experts to make certain they are credible.

Think tomorrow while covering today:  Kiernan (who got back to Minneapolis at 2 in the morning) says you sometimes have to force people to take a break.  His managing editor worked 36 hours straight and helped make WCCO-TV's coverage "seamless."  But, Kiernan says, "When he started talking a different language, we knew he had to go home."  Lindner tried to give people their scheduled vacation times. Radford paid close attention to each person on staff, believing each person needs individual attention and motivation.

Put everyone to work:  WCCO Radio was flooded with calls from other newsrooms wanting interviews –- from CNN's Anderson Cooper to outlets in Australia and New Zealand.  Steve Murphy assigned a staff announcer to do those interviews –- all night long.  Kiernan says sports producers slid right into news coverage and sales people drove staff to live locations and delivered food to the scene on day two.  Lindner appreciated the original reporting his anchors did –- via desktop computers on the set -– while they were live on the air.  

Small things count:  Dallman ordered $400 worth of pizza at 6:27pm.  Lindner recalls the barrage of calls from other media outlets to his station –- all wanting something.  The most refreshing, he says, were those who asked "How are your people?" before requesting use of their satellite truck.  Radford recalls the stress of the story, followed by a flood, the state fair and then the Senator Larry Craig arrest at the Minneapolis airport –- non-stop news coverage by a staff in a leadership transition.  She believes keeping people focused on the goal of quality coverage –- and even having fun while working hard –- was her contribution to the team.

Two themes ran though conversation: the importance of daily leadership and advance planning. Kiernan, now headed to Boston’s WBZ-TV as news director, still winces at being away from his newsroom when the bridge story broke.  But he says he comes to peace with it because of the faith and trust he has in his staff, and how well people responded in his absence.  He advises mid-level managers to insist that their bosses let them in on planning and strategies for big coverage and issues.  He advises top bosses to "let your managers lead on an everyday basis."









E-mail this item | Add/View Feedback (2) | QuickLink this item: A130142


SuperVision Archive

View items published between:		and
	(MM/DD/YYYY)		(MM/DD/YYYY)

MAIN | Back to Top