Behind the Scenes in TV News Words and Expressions

challenge a demanding task or situation a new or difficult task that tests sb’s ability and skill: an exciting / interesting challenge / The role will be the biggest challenge of his acting career. / to face a challenge (= to have to deal with one) / Destruction of the environment is one of the most serious challenges we face. / Schools must meet the challenge of new technology (= deal with it successfully).

newscast noun (especially NAmE) a news programme on radio or television

associate having shared function or membership but with a lesser status associate professor noun (in the US and Canada) a teacher at a college or university who has a rank just below the rank of a professor.

exercise use or apply (a faculty, right, or process) to use your power, rights or personal qualities in order to achieve sth: When she appeared in court she exercised her right to remain silent. / He was a man who exercised considerable influence over people.

operation ORGANIZED ACTIVITY [C] an organized activity that involves several people doing different things: a security operation / The police have launched a major operation against drug suppliers. / the UN peacekeeping operations

cover REPORT NEWS [vn] to report on an event for television, a newspaper, etc.; to show an event on television: She’s covering the party’s annual conference. / The BBC will cover all the major games of the tournament.

wire service (especially NAmE) an organization that supplies news to newspapers and to radio and television stations

collaboration 1[U, C] collaboration (with sb) (on sth) | collaboration (between A and B) the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce sth: She wrote the book in collaboration with one of her students. /The government worked in close collaboration with teachers on the new curriculum.

collaboration /collaboration between the teachers and the government / It was a collaboration that produced extremely useful results. 2[C] a piece of work produced by two or more people or groups of people working together

rundown rundown (in / of sth) (BrE) a reduction in the amount, size or activity of sth, especially a business: a rundown of transport services rundown (on / of sth) an explanation or a description of sth: I can give you a brief rundown on each of the applicants.

clean slate a clean 'sheet / 'slate a record of your work or behaviour that does not show any mistakes or bad things that you have done: No government operates with a completely clean sheet. / They kept a clean sheet in the match (= no goals were scored against them).

retake the act of filming a scene in a film / movie again, because it was not right before

ad lib verb (-bb-) to say sth in a speech or a performance that you have not prepared or practised SYN improvise: [v] She abandoned her script and began ad-libbing. [vn] I lost my notes and had to ad-lib the whole speech. ad lib noun: The speech was full of ad libs. ad lib adjective: an ad lib speech ad lib adverb: She delivered her lines ad lib.