1. Behind the Scenes in TV News Words and Expressions

2. 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).

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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).

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

14. 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.