I've actually heard that a lot of local TV stations are starting to use handheld microphones for their newscasts less and less. I know this because my school has their own student-run network called NUTV, with shows and newscasts made by students. For awhile, they actually used Shure SM58s for their news reports. They still do sometimes, but they recently got these new AKGs. But at the last meeting I went to, they said they plan on going shotgun eventually. Do you know what this means? I always thought reporters liked handheld mics.
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Decline of Handheld Mics
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
Well it probably gives them something to do with their hands (or one of their hands). Each reporter is different. Some of them are very good at ad-libbing and doing the "walking around" that reporters do during live reports nowadays. Others are more comfortable with the "old-time" standby of standing there with a microphone talking to the camera.
I would have thought that stations themselves prefer the handheld microphones because it gives them the opportunity to put the station's logo on it for everyone to see. Without that, the logo wouldn't be prominently seen unless the reporter was wearing an article of clothing (hat, shirt, jacket) with the logo on it.
I would have thought that stations themselves prefer the handheld microphones because it gives them the opportunity to put the station's logo on it for everyone to see. Without that, the logo wouldn't be prominently seen unless the reporter was wearing an article of clothing (hat, shirt, jacket) with the logo on it.
I've noticed some TV stations using lapel mics for everything ... even guests in the field. Seems like a lot of work.
It's been seven years or so since I've been a TV reporter out in the field (and I don't miss it one bit), but here's my take on the question -
There are some newsrooms where handheld mics ("stick mics," as we called them) were used for everything, simply because that way the mic flag was in every shot - that, and a cheap stick mic (say, an EV 635, at $100 or so) is significantly less expensive than a good shotgun or lav (clip-on) mic.
At my newsroom, we had photographers who prided themselves on keeping their shots as clean as possible (and they had a shelf full of awards to back that up, I'd add.) That meant keeping the mic out of the frame whenever we could. Obviously, there's no choice when you're miking a news conference, but for almost anything else, the combination of a good wireless lav and a good wireless shotgun made the standard stick mic redundant.
It takes only a few seconds to clip a lav onto an interview subject, and once you get past the initial awkwardness of clipping it on, they tend to forget it's there, as opposed to having a mic stuck in their face throughout an interview. It also allows the photog a lot more flexibility in framing the interview subject, since the reporter doesn't have to be right in front of him/her holding up a mic.
My favorite mic, though, was the short shotgun - we used a Sennheiser MK-66. Great-sounding mic, very forgiving of bad placement, and even from three or four feet away, it sounded like a stick mic a few inches away from the subject. That was the go-to mic for impromptu interviews - you could walk up alongside someone, start talking with them, and never have the kind of "OK, we're starting the interview now" moment that tends to make people nervous.
I'd have to go back and look at my tapes, but my recollection is that we almost never did standups with the stick mic - I'd either put on a lav, if there was time, or just hold the shotgun out of camera frame and have my photog shoot fairly tight. (If it wasn't a very noisy location, sometimes he'd even hold the shotgun out as he shot...)
There are some newsrooms where handheld mics ("stick mics," as we called them) were used for everything, simply because that way the mic flag was in every shot - that, and a cheap stick mic (say, an EV 635, at $100 or so) is significantly less expensive than a good shotgun or lav (clip-on) mic.
At my newsroom, we had photographers who prided themselves on keeping their shots as clean as possible (and they had a shelf full of awards to back that up, I'd add.) That meant keeping the mic out of the frame whenever we could. Obviously, there's no choice when you're miking a news conference, but for almost anything else, the combination of a good wireless lav and a good wireless shotgun made the standard stick mic redundant.
It takes only a few seconds to clip a lav onto an interview subject, and once you get past the initial awkwardness of clipping it on, they tend to forget it's there, as opposed to having a mic stuck in their face throughout an interview. It also allows the photog a lot more flexibility in framing the interview subject, since the reporter doesn't have to be right in front of him/her holding up a mic.
My favorite mic, though, was the short shotgun - we used a Sennheiser MK-66. Great-sounding mic, very forgiving of bad placement, and even from three or four feet away, it sounded like a stick mic a few inches away from the subject. That was the go-to mic for impromptu interviews - you could walk up alongside someone, start talking with them, and never have the kind of "OK, we're starting the interview now" moment that tends to make people nervous.
I'd have to go back and look at my tapes, but my recollection is that we almost never did standups with the stick mic - I'd either put on a lav, if there was time, or just hold the shotgun out of camera frame and have my photog shoot fairly tight. (If it wasn't a very noisy location, sometimes he'd even hold the shotgun out as he shot...)
probably due to the popularity of Bluetooth hands free things. I see probably half the people at my gym now use bluetooth for cells and boy is it annoying.
They walk around talking to (seemingly) no body or they run on the treadmills gasping for air, shouting in those things. I can't imagine I'd want to be on the receiving end of the conversation, but people really seem to like them a lot.
They walk around talking to (seemingly) no body or they run on the treadmills gasping for air, shouting in those things. I can't imagine I'd want to be on the receiving end of the conversation, but people really seem to like them a lot.
Another issue is the increasing use of one man band journalists. It is hard to operate a video camera and hold a microphone at the same time.
Also...boom mics would require a third person. TV stations are already cutting cameramen, so I don't see how they could affored a boom mic operator. Generally, handheld mics are cheaper than lavalier mics (at least on the wired end...I don't know about wireless - no one likes to deal with cables).
Given how the logo is burned on-screen during all newscasts, the logo issue is non-existant. During press conferences where the microphones are lined up is where you definently want a mic flag so that anyone (from the competing TV stations to the local newspaper) can get the picture of your logo to say you were there. If you were interviewing someone and you are the only station there, mic flags really are not an issue.
Also...boom mics would require a third person. TV stations are already cutting cameramen, so I don't see how they could affored a boom mic operator. Generally, handheld mics are cheaper than lavalier mics (at least on the wired end...I don't know about wireless - no one likes to deal with cables).
Given how the logo is burned on-screen during all newscasts, the logo issue is non-existant. During press conferences where the microphones are lined up is where you definently want a mic flag so that anyone (from the competing TV stations to the local newspaper) can get the picture of your logo to say you were there. If you were interviewing someone and you are the only station there, mic flags really are not an issue.
I know of at least one TV station that got their News reporters to get out there at one point and, not only hold a microphone, but also hold the camera up to a mirror while reporting the news so there wasn't even a camera man!!!!
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