Competition is a concept prevalent in all aspects of life, from the economic marketplace to evolutionary biology. Competition similarly exists in the promotion of scientific research. There are millions of stories being pitched but very few that actually get print space, or screen time. Creating public interest and generating awareness about scientific developments and issues are difficult for researchers and science writers alike. People are wary of science, and often have to be spoon-fed bits of information that can be made applicable to their daily lives. Medicine and public health concerns are the main science-based issues that make it to mainstream media. All the rest must compete with celebrity gossip and breaking news.
Scientists and science writers are posed with a real challenge: how do they to present their research in ways that appeal to both their audience and, more importantly, the assignment editor? In a talk conducted by Discovery Channel’s supervising producer Penny Park, participants discussed the issue of communicating research and pitching scientific stories to television stations’ assignment editors. Park has a lot of experience in the television business, first as a scientific journalist at CBC News before moving to the Canadian Discovery Channel. “Forget the host, forget the star, it’s all about the assignment editor,” says Park.
As supervising producer of a national science channel, Park is well aware of the difficulties of getting people to watch factual TV. The television business has competition down to the minute for screen time. If material isn’t presented in an innovative and engaging way, it won’t get the attention of the viewer or the assignment editor. Daily Planet is a popular program on Discovery Channel Canada. In some behind-the-scenes footage shown at the talk, it was apparent that absolutely everyone is pitching a story. It’s the assignment editor’s job to ask questions like: Why should I care? Will viewers care? Is it practical? What will it cost? Does it have visuals? Park offers some helpful insight as to how a science writer or researcher should approach an assignment editor, as well as their own story idea, so that it gets chosen and has maximum viewer satisfaction potential.
One of the most important tasks is getting to know your assignment editor. Get familiar with the channel or program and see what kinds of stories are normally aired. Keep in mind that sometimes the same story has to be repackaged in order to be sold. Penny says to “give the assignment editor the story on a silver platter.” There’s tons of competition for screen time, so you have to prove your story is reliable, straightforward, and possess some creative element. One strategy is to use compelling characters when telling issue-based stories. Tailor the story to the program, the target audience, and the assignment editor.
With today’s technologically inclined society, the TV audience has decreased. Internet viewing and gaming have become more popular with viewers young and old. The audience likes to be engaged, and Internet games create the opportunity for education to occur through interaction. Whether online or on-screen, originality and creativity are key. Scientific ideas are often easier to comprehend when accompanied by animations and visuals. According to Penny, “no matter how big or small your story is, if you can incorporate those aspects […] you’ve got it made.”
