1. INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST JOURNALISM TRAINING | Tuire Nuolivirta, 1.4.2015
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INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST JOURNALISM TRAINING 1986 -
1995
Tuire Nuolivirta, Head of Training, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle, Radio and
Television Institute
SUMMARY
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In Yle´s Radio and Television Institute, which trained the company´s personnel, an extensive
international training programme entitled “Broadcast Journalism” was built up in 1986.
The programme intended to develop the journalist skills in situations where international events had
the focus of attention. Co-operation partners included the BBC/Great Britain, ARD/Germany,
Scandinavian Broadcasting Companies, NPR (National Public Radio)/USA, CNN/USA and some of the
most respected centres of expertise in the field, such as University of Cologne/Germany, CFPJ/Centre
de Perfectionnement des Journalists/France, Institute of Communication Studies/University of
Leeds/Great Britain and European Journalism Centre/the Netherlands. The programme required also
intense co-operative arrangements with Yle News and Current Affairs Programmes. Longer
attachments and strategic Training and Development Projects were also carried out at a Corporate
and Programme Department levels.
Broadcast Journalism Training involved going through the journalistic process bit-by-bit, the starting point
being themes suggested by Yle´s programme departments. The result was always a programme or an
interview which was then analysed in depth.
”Broadcast Journalism” Training developed skills in interviewing, package making, conducting discussion
programmes, researching, on camera presenting, filming and visual thinking and focused on journalistic
and technical points applicable to television and radio. Training was advanced, practical and experimental
and offered a combination of professional training and programme production. Best of the programmes
and news items made at the workshops during the training were transmitted on Yle’s Radio and Television
channels. Nearly 400 Yle journalists participated at least one five day workshop.
The on-going aim of the training programme was to develop quality journalism, to help Yle retain its
position as the best broadcaster in Finland, and to strive to meet the expectations of existing audiences as
well as reaching out to new ones. Training was unique, Yle was the only broadcasting company in the
world who arranged this type of training. in foreign languages,
INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES
Yle is a Public Broadcasting Radio and Television Company in which the ability to make interviews in
foreign languages played and still plays an important part in the daily news gathering activities. The aim
of the training was to achieve high standards in the international style of interviewing in which the inter-
cultural elements of communication play a vital role. Training was carried out in English, German, French
and Swedish.
Method
At that time live TV and radio interviews were bound to play a greater part in Yle´s daily news routines.
That is the reason why most of the interviews conducted by the workshop participants were live from the
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RTI studio, interviews such as News Bulletins, Five-Minute Interviews, Two-Handed Interviews, Studio
Phone-Ins and Telephone Interviews. If necessary, the Beta crew was also sent to work on location.
Interview Topics and Interviewees
The aims were pitched at a high level by paying attention to the current, advanced international nature of
the subject matters in news and current affairs, among others the Gulf War, the Gandhi assassination, the
Fall of the Berlin Wall, German reunification, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the break-up of
Yugoslavia, efforts to make piece in the Middle East, the metamorphosis of the South African government,
Haiti and Chinese orphanages.
24-26 interviewees of high caliber, who all encompassed a wide variety of experience and expertise, were
invited for each workshop. An example of a high caliber interviewee was Desmond Tutu, a South African
Anglican cleric who is known for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa, interviewed by
telephone.
Analysis
The Interviews were analyzed in detail and constructive criticism was the key issue. The interview´s story
line, introduction, questions and pay off were carefully scrutinized. A spotlight was turned on each
journalist´s communication skills and in terms of the interviews made in the studio environment,
interviewees´ comments were taken into account.
Satellite Interviews - making advantage of modern communication technology
Satellite interviews, also called Down-the-line interviews, whereby the foreign experts sitting in a studio
abroad, join the journalist in the home studio on a screen via satellite had become ever increasing features of
the news room routines also in Yle, due to the current speed of communication and reasonable costs involved.
From the journalist´s point of view satellite interviews were at that time most challenging. The question was
how to find the right avenue, to conduct the interview in a focused and professional way. Furthermore, the
distance between the interviewer and interviewee, as well as the lack of eye contact, created problems.
Technical, visual and sound shortcomings could also put journalists´ skills and flexibility at a premium.
Consequently the journalists must always keep everything under control. That is why Broadcast Journalism
Training adopted satellite interviews as a part of the English interview training
Live Satellite Interviews, practical arrangements
Live satellite interviews to London, by far the most difficult exercises of the workshop, were organized in co-
operation with Yle, Telecom Finland and British Telecom. Two hours of satellite time were booked for each
workshop. The British Telecom studio was available for the interviewees joining us from London. Yle covered
the costs of the satellite transmissions and the London studio. Broadcast Journalism Training selected the
interviewees and invited them to the studio according to a fixed schedule. Telecom Finland and British
Telecom were responsible for the technical arrangements in co-operation with the technical experts from Yle
Transmission Center.
Examples of Live Satellite Interviewees
All the interviewees chosen by Broadcast Journalism Training represented a very high standard of expertise.
As an example a couple of interviewees who joined the workshops by satellite in London:
1. A Russian Colonel , a former Soviet master spy and double agent, who was in the First Chief
Directorate of the KGB, and who spied for Britain for eleven years while working undercover as a
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diplomat in Denmark. He was betrayed to Britain in 1985. At that the time workshop was held he was
under sentence of death. His father was a colonel in the NKVD, Stalin´s secret police and his brother
was also a KGB agent. The interviewee had kept abreast of affairs in the CIS and could speak about
them authoritatively.
2. A Croat from Zagreb, who was the editor of “World Today Magazine”, published by the Royal Institute
of International Affairs at Chatham House. He was also the author of the book “On the Balkans” and
East European Correspondent of “the Economist” and the former producer in the BBC Yugoslavian
Service at the Bush House in London. The topic covered with him was Current Developments in the
former Yugoslavia.
Judgement
From the training point of view satellite interview exercises proved to be most successful. The workshop
participants made remarkable progress in their ways of interviewing in English. That is something to be
appreciated taking into consideration that live satellite interviews can be substantial test even for many on
screen, native speaker journalists.
Satellite links also made good economic sense
Judging by the results of the satellite interviews, Broadcast Journalism Training continued this form of
exercises. The goal was to give Yle News and Current Affairs journalists greater experience an enhanced
perspective in dealing with international news and current affairs subjects in an appropriate and skillful
journalistic manner. It was realized.
BROADCAST JOURNALISM - STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
PROJECTS
”RTI Euro” 1995
A yearlong project at Yle Corporate level, designed and conducted by Broadcast Journalism Training in co-
operation with British media professionals.
Finnish Membership of the European Union set the tone for the project, which was financed by the
company and the EU.
”RTI Euro” was designed for Yle journalists working in News, Current Affairs and Factual/Documentary
Programmes, with the direct intention of furthering production of high quality radio and television
programmes relating to EU for the benefit of the Finnish audience.
”RTI Euro” emphasised understanding of the Union’s character and following up the matters of central
importance from Finland’s perspective. In practise, training was combined with programme-making. It
involved journalistic work, problem-solving, process training and on-site work. The training was completed
with a ”Let’s Face Europe” programme making trip to Brussels.
The whole project contributed to a wider understanding of the European Union and consideration of its
future developments. 46 radio and television journalists and 20 members of production team participated
the training. The project resulted in more than 20 television and radio programmes and other relevant
materials keyed to current Euro issues for programmes, which were transmitted on Yle’s radio and
television channels during the year 1995.
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”Radio News Report” 1996
A three-month long development project for Yle´s Radio News Department, designed and conducted by
Broadcast Journalism Training.
The aim of the project was to help the Yle Afternoon Prime Time News, entitled ”Uutisraportti” (“News
Report”), to make the news broadcasts as compact, dynamic and interesting as possible for the benefit of
the audience, and to fully utilise the characteristics of the medium. It was carried out in co-operation
with YLE’s own foreign correspondents as well as with British, French and American professionals. It
included workshops on today’s challenging newscasts and a two-week, organised study trip to France and
the United States under the title ”Making Quality News”.
An evaluation report is available in Finnish.
Yle’s Breakfast Programme ”Ykkösen Aamu-TV” 1996 - 1997
A three month long development and training project for TV1’s News and Current Affairs Programmes.
The project helped launch Yle’s new breakfast programme, which started on March 3, 1997. The main
tasks of the project were to design a relevant on camera test for applicants interested in presenting the
new programme, to develop a presenting style to fit the requirements assigned by the management, to
train the presenters in presenting, conducting interviews and studio discussions as well as to assist
”Aamu-TV” regarding directing, TV grammar and the general visual impact of the programme. The project
was also involved in making of seven pilot programmes.
The project was carried out in co-operation with British and American professionals.
”Ajankohtainen Kakkonen” 1997
A two-stage training and development project for TV2’s Current Affairs Magazine Program, entitled
”Ajankohtainen Kakkonen”.
The project focused on supplementary ways of working to make ”Ajankohtainen Kakkonen” better meet
the requirements set for the weekly television current affairs programme with regard to structuring and
producing, package making, shooting, editing, use of music, set designing, use of graphics, etc.
The project decided to find the answers through professional discussions, to generate new ideas and new
ways of thinking through programme analysis, lectures and demonstrations. Specific involvement in a
planning and development process of one of the weekly programmes was combined with working on-site
with a British Producer/Instructor and a British film crew.
The project continued autumn 1997 with the intention of further developing presentation styles, as well
as improving the overall visual impact of the programme.
