Two of NDTV’s well-known faces share tips on anchoring

Two well-known NDTV anchors -- Ms. Puja Talwar, Editor-Entertainment, NDTV, and Mr. Nikhil Naz, Editor-Sports, NDTV, conducted the Anchoring workshop on November 24.

Ms Talwar, who has been with NDTV for 18 years, regaled the students with her experiences of interviewing celebrities. She told the students how difficult it is to meet the conditions that are put up by the PR team of celebrities. “But you learn on the way. The important thing is to keep your cool, and play by the ear,” Ms Talwar said.
She also gave several important tips to the students. “It is essential that you research your subject thoroughly before going to interview a celebrity,” she said.

Another important requirement is neutrality. “You should never take sides, and never ask questions that can be considered offensive. The best is to ask questions on sensitive issues in a roundabout way,” she advised the students.
“You should also locate those sources who are not being interviewed by your rivals. They will be happy to be interviewed, and you will end up getting a good story,” Ms Talwar said.

“The most difficult part is pruning the story. You would like to include every byte. But then you may not have so much airtime. In such situations, you must ensure that the interview is edited in your presence. This way you will ensure that the meatiest parts are retained,” she said.

“You must also keep your questions short, and let the celebrity talk, “ Ms Talwar suggested.

The afternoon session was conducted by Mr Nikhil Naz , who joined NDTV as a sports correspondent and anchor in 2004, and has risen to become its Sports Editor. Mr Naz too gave valuable tips to students who want to get in sports journalism.

He also stressed the need to be on top of the technology curve, because the tools to create and disseminate news are changing. He shared his experience of covering the Rio Olympics, where he did not use a cameraman. Instead, he used a mobile phone mounted on a tripod to interview sports stars, and anchor his Olympic bulletins.
The anchoring workshop was attended by BJMC III, BJMC V and MJMC I students.

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