For proof that some shows are adjusting to broadcasting remotely better than others, look no further than Harvey Levin and his daily offerings, “TMZ on TV” and “TMZ Live.”
Levin, TMZ’s longtime managing editor, told TheWrap this week that he believes the shows — which feature Levin and the rest of the newsroom staff — look even better now than they did in their Playa Vista studio.
“I don’t have the words to tell you how awesome our technical team is but I think they’re about the best technical team in television,” Levin gushed, noting the TMZ team made the decision to work from home before any official orders came down to do so. “My technical team figured this out and didn’t miss a beat. The next day, they were taping the entire shows from home.”
Levin says he is “happy with the way the shows look,” before pointing out that the fan-favorite interaction between TMZ’s journalists is still possible using teleconferencing technology. “I think at this point, ‘TMZ Live’ looks better today than it even did in the office and that’s largely because of the group. I think it literally looks better the way it is now. I really — and again — this is just a testament to staff. They just did an amazing job on this.”
And if you thought TMZ would be hurting for content at a time when celebrities and paparazzi are staying home, think again. Levin says that aspect is just one element of what TMZ does and, in fact, there is “enormous content out there” right now.
“There is more material since we’ve all been at home than I have seen in years,” he explained. “There is so much material. On the website, we are posting more stories than we have in years. I don’t think we’ve ever posted as many stories per day as we’re posting now that there’s so much going on.”