Television News Research was a venture to provide a video library of newscasters to be used by local News Directors to identify and evaluate likely candidates for employment as on-air talent.

As Editorial and Technical Manager I supervised a small video editing staff in the creation of a national video "talent bank" of newscasters. My staff and I logged and libraried recordings of local news programs from the Top 90 Television Markets across the United States, then edited representative examples of the individual newscaster's performance onto compilation tapes which were organized and cross-referenced by appropriate criteria.

In creating the compilation tapes, we also evaluated and rated the newscasters, and produced News Bank guidebooks with relevant information. The total task required technical expertise, the maintenance of rigorous standards, tight scheduling, timely product delivery and overall production quality control.

Scary Insight:

The video "sweeps" (when local tape studios recorded the raw news programs in each market area) were all done during the same 1-week period in late 1979. As a result, the 300+ lead feature stories that I edited .... and edited ... and re-edited ... all focused on the emerging shock and horror of the mass suicide at Jonestown. Again, and again, and again...

... all except for the Bay Area. Due to technology limitations, the video sweeps there were made a little later, during the week in which Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone were assassinated in San Francisco. Riots. The notorious "Twinkie Defense".

Interesting times... I had nightmares.

The Television News Talent Bank package was purchased by major broadcast news organizations across the nation and resulted in more effective talent recruitment for those groups.

Managed video editing staff. Delivered 3-minute On-air Talent Profiles for more than 1000 local news Anchors, Co-Anchors, Sportscasters, Weathermen and Special Reporters across the to 90 television markets in the US.

I put together a demo reel of the news talent that I felt were the cream of the crop. Several of my top "discoveries" from smaller markets appeared on the air in New York within a year: Michelle Marsh (from San Antonio), Ira Joe Fisher (from Seattle), John Slattery and Jane Hanson.

Media Collateral: Video documentation & Packaging, Video A/B Roll editing, 3/4" edit studio, process & personnel management