Running in Circles
Do you ever have those days where you feel like you are running around in circles but you never seem to get any where? The last few days have been like that here. With the start of the boot camp trial jury selection and people on vacation, it’s been even more hectic than the regular daily grind.
On Monday, we began covering the jury selection. National media outlets and our sister stations within Media General requested material from us. It can be quite challenging at times to find a balance between getting our coverage and sending it out to others who need it. Of course my top priority is to get our reports completed. When we have stories like these often we are requested to feed them to other media. We do the same when they have a story we are interested in. For instance today we are requesting ABC Tallahassee’s story on the make-up of the boot camp trial jury.
Megan Albright covered the student demonstration outside the Marina Civic Center where jury selection was taking place. She was back in house early so I was able to send her scripts and get her materials loaded up in time for 5:00 p.m. shows for others.
Tuquyen Mach is covering the trial and selection. In her case it was a little more difficult to gather materials to send out very early. I sent what information we had and a small video clip along with Megan’s stuff. With high-profile court cases it’s very difficult to put a full piece together for the early evening shows because most often they are still going at news time and information can change so quickly. That’s why we often have our reporter live in the field.
Things were moving along pretty well or so it seemed. I had the 6P show all laid out and everything was ready for air. Then around 5:00 p.m. we found out about the circuit judge’s ruling to remove the property tax amendment from the presidential primary ballot. So Enocha Van Lierop, our 5P Producer, and I began frantically writing it up for our shows. My focus was on getting the information to the website and sending a breaking news alert since I still had a little time before News 13 at Six. Next I got on the phone trying to reach our representatives. I was unable to get anyone. Then Sen. Don Gaetz returned my call and I was able to get a comment from him. I added that to the 6P show and the website. Later I put the information in the planner for us to follow-up on the next day and we did so.
Tuesday wasn’t as bad. We just had a hard time gathering information for one of our stories. I think it all worked out okay in the end though.
Wednesday was crazy. I think throughout the day I probably had 3 different stories leading the show. We had so many good pieces to choose from nearly all of them could have been the first story. Then around 5:20 p.m., I got a text message from Tuquyen that a jury was getting ready to be selected. We print our scripts about 30 minutes before our show so it was time to get moving and fast. At least now we had a clear lead. First I got our breaking news alert ready and sent it out. Then I changed Tuquyen’s web script. Next I changed the intro to Tuquyen’s live shot. And finally I added a recap at the end of the show which was some what written. When I looked at the clock, I knew it was time to print. I went ahead and did so. I finished the recap, printed and took a copy in to everyone. By this time the Six had already started. Thankfully we have a great director, Chris Golden, who is capable of having everything under control, even without a producer in the control room.
Running around in circles makes me a little dizzy. Who am I kidding? I live for days like these.
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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
- Behind The Scenes - Heather Kretzer
- The Resident Gator - Megan Albright
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Bloggin' From The Beach - Bree Sison
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
- ... and yes, my hair is naturally curly - Jessica Foster
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- Cracker Cat - Jeannie Weller