Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

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  • Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

    I've Googled this to no end, but can't seem to find exactly what I need.

    Just need to know what goes on at say, a "Good Morning America" on a typical day.

    How many people are involved in getting a show like this on the air? Director? Exec Producer? What is the sequence, if any? Stuff like that.

    This isn't a central element of my script but it is a key scene(s). And I want to make it credible.

    Any help you can provide would be most appreciated.

    Thank you for your time.

  • #2
    Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

    There's a film coming out in the very near future that deals with this topic. It's called "Morning Glory". It stars Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams. Maybe you can find the script. Or wait for the film to open.

    There was a sitcom a few years back called "Good Morning, Miami". But it was about a local show with a few people.

    "Network" might be helpful, but technically dated.

    Or just call Matt Lauer.
    "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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    • #3
      Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

      Have you read this?

      http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,317206,00.html

      Reading it more closely, I see it doesn't say much, either.

      This might be a bit more like it, even if it is only from one persons perspective in a newsroom.

      http://www.helium.com/items/772727-b...he-tv-newsroom
      Last edited by Mountain Goat; 10-01-2010, 06:51 PM.

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      • #4
        Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

        Thanks, guys. Your input is appreciated.

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        • #5
          Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

          Strange how hard it is to find info on how they do their work. You'd they would have covered themselves in some form.

          If you're truly desperate you could always check out Al Roker's mystery novel "The Morning Show Murders". According to Harlan Coben "Al pulls back the curtain to reveal what really goes on when the cameras go off.-

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          • #6
            Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

            There's an Executive Producer (the boss); the host(s); a group of producers who "produce" the shows via research and preparing a "Focus Report" that breaks down each show by topic / theme, guests, background research, news clips / audio clips, and questions; a handful of interns that answer the phones, and TV execs, such as station and or program managers who drop in and chat at least once a day.

            If it is slow there will be a meeting once in a while to kick butt to generate ideas; when there is a show, part of the prep is for the producers to interview potential guests, if it is locally produced; otherwise, it's a lot of phone work.

            Every morning there's a show, so guests come and sit in a green room where you prepare refreshments; audience comes and you find a local food retailer, such as Just Desserts, that lay out tons of cookies and stuff for the freeloaders, I mean audience members, to munch on.

            When the show starts, that show's producer is off to the side off camera, often giving hand or other directions to the on-air hosts who might be on stage for the first part, then in the audience taking questions for the later part -- however, big point here, your Focus Report is broken down into segments, not unlike act breaks in a script; and you might have seven or so segments per show. Ist Segment: intro and chat; 2nd Segment, bring out the opposing guest, etc. Segments five through seven, for example, hosts in audience to field questions from the audience to ask the on-stage guests.

            Now: my experience is dated to the early 90's and it was local, which means a local station decided to produce a show on its own. You may notice that lots of stations have nothing but feeds and syndicated shows and might have only locally produced news shows.

            I wonder if there might be a handful of former Oprah, Sally, Phil, and other producers around in your area who could brief you what a big national show is like, not for the gossip, but for the nuts and bolts, like knowing what a "bumper" is: i.e., the music that plays opening and closing a segment; how to write intros and outroes.

            Also, it would be helpful to find a more recent producer who can tell you what it's like producing in a high-tech era such as now.

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            • #7
              Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

              Norm, that does help me quite a bit. Thanks!!

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              • #8
                Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

                I've been involved in a number of morning format shows
                (not big time like Today or GMA) and a few syndicated
                entertainment/talk shows.

                What Norm said seemed about right.

                Also, on a couple of shows I worked on there was
                a big board with the days of the week... that went
                out about two weeks ahead. We used color coded
                4x6's with segment names and/or who was booked
                and confirmed.

                It may all be done on computer now but I wouldn't
                be surprised to see an actual board somewhere that
                all could see at a glance.
                The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense - Tom Clancy

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                • #9
                  Re: Behind the scenes of a "morning show?"

                  This is all a great help. Thanks a lot!

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