TV Journalism & Programme Formats312. When a PTC occurs in the middle
of a packaged news story, then it is called a Bridge PTC. This is to be used when the reporter is explaining something for which visuals are not available. When a news report ends with a PTC, it is
called the End PTC or ClosingPTC. This is meant to be a brief byline to the story. A byline is not merely a summary of the story, it is meant to bean opportunity for the reporter to
appear onscreen with a brief, balanced observation about the story, much in the same way that a print reporter mentions his name at the beginning of a report.
This is also the reason why, the last line of a Closing PTC consists of the Sign-off, which consists of the reporter stating his name and the organization he or she works for. Opening PTCs and Bridge PTCs must be used as little as possible. This is because the strength of television is that it can show visual evidence. Only when shots are not available for some reason
should Opening and BridgePTCs be given. A special variety of the PTC is the Walk-Through. This is a PTC in which the reporter does not stand atone place but walks in anyone direction, and the camera follows him. This is usually used when interesting elements of the location are so spread out that they cannot be captured in a static shot.
To deliver a good PTC, a reporter must look good and speak well. One must comb one’s hair properly before delivering a PTC and speak in well-chosen words with good pronunciation. The overall confidence of a reporter is reflected in the PTC he or she delivers. This confidence comes not from swaggering assertion, but from knowing one’s subject matter thoroughly and having a good command over words.
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