Give a Gift to News 13
We’ve entered into the time of year in the news world where things seem to slow down. It’s strange that it is the case because during the holidays most things in life speed up. We run from this Christmas party to the next, write and mail dozens of Christmas cards and purchase gifts for people we see twice a year, including Christmas.
Here in the newsroom we often joke about pulling and having the new reporters re-voice last year’s stories on Christmas tree light safety, protecting your home from burglaries and great gifts for under $20. It seems all the holiday pitches have been done before. It may not just be the holidays with repeats. My news director says he’s heard ALL the pitches before just the names involved and the reporter change. I don’t know that I’ve been here long enough to experience that yet.
The reasons for the lack of stories are endless. Our ratings period ends Wednesday and that’s when the vacations begin. We have many staff members who are from other states and need to go home to see their families. Some even have to celebrate Christmas before it gets here. Luckily most of my family is 3 hours or less away.
Another contributing factor is there isn’t much going on other than Santa’s arrival at the mall, Christmas decorations around Lake DeFuniak and charitable organizations collecting donations for the holidays. Not that those things aren’t important, they are and we will be reporting on them. We just need more “news” stories.
What I’m trying to say is the best gift you could give News 13 for Christmas would be to let us know about your news story ideas. Yes, normally it is unethical for journalist to receive gifts but in this case I believe the news director will be just fine with it. Send your news tips to and we’ll open them up.
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About The Assignment Desk
When people ask "What does the assignment desk do?" I often have a hard time answering. That's one reason why I've decided to create this "Behind the Scenes" blog. This is a fast paced business that is very addictive to those of us who would most likely now be put on some kind of medication for ADD if we were still in school. The better question might be what doesn't the assignment desk do? I've heard many people equate it to air traffic control. I schedule our crews, assign stories, gather information on story ideas, answer phones, work with reporters on their stories, provide information for producers, work on special projects, fill in for producers and the list goes on and on. With a growing emphasis on web news, I am also very involved with the content on wmbb.com. This includes Heather's Headlines which previews our story line-up for the day. My favorite part of working the assignment desk is dealing with breaking news. It's such a rush and feeling of accomplishment gathering information, sending crews out where they need to go, and getting the news on the web and on our broadcast as quickly as possible for our viewers.
Recent Entries:
- It’s My Birthday
- Seeking Volunteers Who Love News
- Commission Super Tuesday
- Give a Gift to News 13
- Event Coverage
- Back to Normal
- Running in Circles
- Away from the “Desk”
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
