The news organiser is one of the most central roles in a newsroom as all feeds and live links are monitored by this person. He or she assists with co-ordination of work and the scheduling of the technical services needed by the newsroom.

The news organiser will be expected to liaise with news teams, gallery teams and archive staff and must be able to work quickly and accurately under pressure.

The news organiser will be responsible for all of the live bookings and feeds coming into the newsroom and must always know at which stage any incoming material is.

He or she will be expected to problem solve and be proactive in achieving editorial objectives with limited resources.

The news organiser will be able to maintain personal effectiveness in the times of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with tough situations. He or she will be able to work unsupervised and make decisions in a busy newsroom environment.

SKILLS REQUIRED

• Strong organisation skills and the ability to multi-task
• Excellent communication skills
• Can-do attitude
• Knowledge of studio facilities
• Diplomacy and negotiation skills
• Good team player
• Excellent basic IT skills and the ability to acquire technical skills and to operate technical equipment
• Good understanding of newsroom processes
• Staying calm under pressure and offering solutions
• A strong interest in new media and new technology, in particular the application of information management skills within these areas
• Ability to demonstrate editorial awareness and an understanding of news priorities
• Broad knowledge of national & international news & current affairs.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• To book crews, satellite facilities, and circuits from around the world.
• To liaise with news gathering and forward planning departments on planned coverage.
• To be able to proactively participate in the planning, organising, booking and coordination of bureaux and third party providers facilities
• To manage outside sources and port usage in liaison with senior editorial personnel and technical staff. To advise the senior output figure on potential conflicts in the use of outside sources.
• To inform archive staff on any usage restrictions on incoming media.
• To be familiar with different technical systems, including news production systems & show a willingness to learn how to operate new systems and to be able to adapt to different working methods.
• To liaise over sharing facilities and feeds.
• To be a focal point of contact for the newsroom team with respect to the news gathering operation.
• To work closely with the production team to manage the efficient use of news gathering resources including satellite costs.
• To communicate effectively with the newsroom team and keep them informed of progress and to clarify production requirements
The news organiser will be expected to quickly learn or already know:
• various satellite networks and booking procedures
• local market rates for satellite and crew bookings, including the ability to negotiate deals and preferential rates
• the methods, resources and costing involved in digital news gathering
• the different formats of video material