Newscast pacing is a great way to differentiate your news brand and have a direct impact on the feel of your newscasts.

Pacing is one of those elements of newscast production that can be much more of a subliminal thing that viewers may not notice on the surface but in reality can have a profound effect on how well (or badly) they respond to a newscast.

It’s important to remember that pacing doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the reading rate of your anchors, though this certainly is one of the more prominent elements of the concept.

Some of the other key elements of newscast pacing is how quickly packages roll after an anchor intro and the length of the stories themselves, whether packages or voiceovers. Other parts that play a role in pacing include stingers, wipes and other animations and even how fast the newscast transitions to and from commercial breaks. Also consider how elements such as reporter tags and cross talk affect the show’s pace.

Be sure to include those staffers who write scripts in your pacing plans so they can match their writing style to the rest of the broadcast. Reporter narration on packages should also be timed appropriately. Editors will also need to be aware of pacing decisions so they can match their work to other elements of the newscast.

Fast pacing is often associated with a fresher, hipper newscast that appeals to young viewers. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. For example, a tightly-written script that clearly and concisely gets more facts to viewers can still be equally appealing to older demos.

Remember that it’s better to keep pacing as consistent as possible within a single newscast to avoid an uneven, jittery feeling, though different dayparts certainly can benefit from different pacing styles.

A good, consistent pace will not only allow you to get more information to viewers faster, but it can also keep talents’ energy levels up by maintaining a steady “beat” throughout the show. The control room crew will also be more effective since they can learn to anticipate each other’s actions, making the final product flow smoother.

HT to Andy for his help with this week’s column.

NewscastTip is a weekly column with tips for your newscasts. See past editions here. The column is available every Friday in our e-mail newsletter and posted here the following Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter to get it delivered directly to your in box every week.

Michael P. Hill is founder and publisher of NewscastStudio. Contact him with your own tips and feedback.