Media Matters: Blake Doyle, ABC Newcastle
In the latest edition of Media Matters, we catch up with TV and radio presenter, journalist and news director - Blake Doyle. Blake is currently the deputy editor of news at ABC Newcastle.
Where's your journalism career taken you?
My career in journalism started in the classroom in primary school. For ‘show and tell’ I used to read clippings from the newspaper. I probably put my classmates to sleep but I felt like I was doing a service informing people.
My first media job was in radio in Townsville in a two-person newsroom under a no-nonsense news director. The learning curve was pretty steep but it helped in later jobs. I worked for WIN TV in Cairns and a start-up radio outfit in London (for 50 quid a week). I was a journalist with NBN Television News, the 6pm producer for seven years, then head of news for 14. I now work as the deputy editor of news at ABC Newcastle.
What's your most memorable news story?
I was fortunate to travel to East Timor while at NBN Television. We were covering ‘Exercise Bosslift’ where Army reservists showed their bosses what they were doing as part of the peace-keeping mission. Experiencing the world’s youngest country, was fascinating but firing a machine gun and defying gravity in a Blackhawk took things to another level. I had a really capable camera operator with me who made all the difference to the final product. We both won awards for that story, which made it even more special.
What's one thing people should avoid doing when working with media?
Organisations that put media releases out after an event thinking it will get coverage. News is about what’s just happened or about to happen, not something that happened a few days ago. It’s a waste of everybody’s time and effort. Spruiking products and services under the guise of news doesn’t really work either unless there’s something totally unique about the story.
What's your top tip for people wanting to gain media coverage?
Have a solid news angle. Humanise the story with a case study. The personal story trumps everything. Ask yourself in the planning stage why or what’s in this story that the media would go for and is also interesting to the general public. You only get so many chances if you are pitching something irrelevant.
What's your top tip for presenting well - presenting like a pro?
Know your stuff. Have back-up notes or mental dot points that you can go back to if you get off track during an interview or presentation. If television or photography is involved be nice to the camera operator not just the journalist because they can make you look bad. Sometimes it’s about putting the overworked journo at ease, so you establish a rapport before an interview.
How do you relax away from work?
Music is a big part of my life. Making it and listening to it. My greatest relaxation comes from surfing, so it’s a shame the last time I was in the water was last winter. I also get way from screens where I can, but this line of work means you are behind one or have one in your hand most of the time. More effort to relax on a few fronts is needed there!
To send Blake a news tip (read his tips above first) email doyle.blake@abc.net.au