The finale

Today was my last shift at WMUR for this summer.

I talked to the executive producer about a possible summer job next summer and he said that sometimes they have openings for a temporary part time assistant producer... they write the show pretty much. I think after gaining more experience this year I will try for that.

I wrote an important reader tonight which was aired about the flooding in NYC, that was a nice wrap up.

Other than that I said my goodbyes and thank yous.

9hrs

The Climax of my internship

I am just about dying inside: Andy, one of the reports at the station who I hold in high regard and respect greatly has said that he will write me a letter of recommendation for a future job as a writer or producer. He says I show great initiative.

Today I wrote a VOSOT which means the anchor reads then the reporter voices over and then then it wipes to video. I messed up a bit because I'm used to writing packages and havent completely mastered knowing the differences and applied them. I understand both much better today and I'm sure "Writing for Broadcast" with Sakowich will solidify those skills next semester. I meant to ask Kria, a reporter, for a letter of recommendation for a Bangor station which she used to work at but she left before I could talk to her so I left her a note on her desk instead.

Andy also said that next week I can use his video and that I can make a package. Me. On camera. Reading what I wrote. I think I'm leaving this internship at its climax.

I asked the 11pm producer if I could write a VO and she told me to write about a dead baby. Last week I wrote about contagious fat. I'm learning the skill of word choice. I wrote a few more stories today and voiced them all over onto my tape. I didn't know that part of my internship was putting a portfolio of my work together so I'm trying to do a bunch of stuff now since I didn't save my earlier writings.

I also talked to one of the anchors, Tom, he is an older guy who has one pretty much everything. He told me I am on the right track to doing what I want to do.

9hrs

The Whirling World of News

Today I was a good intern. This means, in short that I both did the menial tasks that no one else wanted to do while also fulfilling my own agenda.

After writing a reader I collected the writings I could find and found a tape, I then brought them into the recording studio and recorded a voice over. I played it back and I sound like a real anchor, which I find SO SO SO exciting... makes me reconsider my future in broadcast.

I also shadowed a woman in sales. She explained to me her "exciting" job and others in the department.
Perhaps you haven't been in a station's building before; if not here is how ours is set up: As you enter there will be a beyond extravagant entryway with Cinderella stairs and marble floors (thank you political advertising), the first floor is all news- a busting shuffle of button-down shirts pushing past each other with a constant murmur of ringing phones. The room is full of television sets, they fight the incessant ringing with their horrifying pictures which flash simultaneously with their perky faux mid-western voices. The fluorescent lights highlight the bags under the eyes of each reporter and seem to extract the effects of the burnt coffee which cools on each desk. Hovering above this insanity is the second floor- sales. This floor is a different world from the ringing caffinated one below. Here everybody is quiet, the desks aren't scattered haphazardly but every person has their own sanitized glass cage with their organized desk and framed photographs hanging above them. Below reporters seem to be playing a game of musical chairs- switching desks, computers and resources like Wallstreet-natives. Here, in sales, each person knows their tasks; the ones incomplete from yesterday and the ones on the lists in their minds.
I felt the need to paint a picture, because that is exactly what it is. You would think they soundproofed each office. Having been in news all summer I feel a little bad for the sales hamsters. The woman assured me that they like their jobs stating she'd been there for 27 years.
I asked all the producers to write, as I always do, but this time I decided not to wait for them but to go ahead and write them anyway and if they delete them that is fine, I wrote about how fat is contagious. I don't make this stuff up.

I spoke with the "big guys" and they refused my request to leave the studio with a reporter to see the full process of how a package is made due to insurance reasons. I talked to a reporter who has taken a liking to me and told her that I would soon be seeking a part time job at a station in Bangor and she told me that she used to work at a station there and could refer me to someone there. I plan to take advantage of this. I told her I would probably end up behind a camera, she told me I was beyond that and should be a producer. I'm pretty sure my voice squeeked a "really?". I was shocked she thought that I could be a part-time producer with my lack of age and experience. I'll go for it.

Perhaps I should take to writing literature instead.

9hrs

Studious, again

Today I went back to my studious self. I started by asking my supervisor, who for the most part doesn't know what I do during my day, for a tour of the creative/sales/advertising departments. I told her that I'd been shadowing everyone around the station, she was impressed. I was relieved that she was impressed since she hasn't seemed happy with me since I cut down to only one day per week.

After getting the tour I shadowed Alex, he is the in-house advertising guy. He was really excited about what he does, statistics of who is watching, putting together in-house ads, comparing our station to others. After about 30 seconds of listening to that I was really bored. It's all numbers, complicated ones.

I also watched on with the teleprompter-lady. That wasn't very exciting either. Finally one of the producers asked me to write two pieces for tomorrow's show. Usually when we write stories we just re-write whatever the Associated Press has given us but one of the stories was local and required me to make calls and do actual research. It took a lot longer but it was interesting, I felt like an actual reporter rather than the plagiarist I usually feel like.

I spoke with the executive producer about contracts. I didn't know that people hired by stations in the US are required to sign one or two year contracts, specifically anchors, producers and reporters. He explained that once you leave a station it is often written in the contract that you may not work for a competing station in the area; he said this was so you did not take viewers with you to another station. He gave me advice on getting a job saying that I should try to get a part time job at a station while in school. I think this is a great idea, he said the positions available are almost always production, running cameras, etc. but I think this would be great to explore even though I know it is not what I want to do for my entire life. Unfortunately this semester will be too full of writing classes, editing and being an RA to do this, but maybe in the Fall. He also said internships were good and to do Something during them, such as write. He said to have something to show for it. I think I do already. I am going to talk to some higher-ups next week about going on the road with a reporter, it is against Hearst-Argyll rules.

Today was a good day, I felt like a participant again and it was noticed.

During my down time I worked on my paper for this internship; I find it unfair that it has to be 10 pages whether you take it for three credits or for one.

9hrs

Pizza Guy Revelations

Last night I "worked" at the station. I was so bored I left to go get a slice of pizza. When I went in the guy at the counter asked me why I was wearing a sweater in mid-summer. I said that where I worked was air conditioned. He asked me where I worked, I told him and he asked if I liked it, without giving myself any time to censor what came out of my mouth I said "No.".

It took a pizza guy asking me to figure it out. I don't like broadcast. It is the same four stories over and over and over again. Some of the most fun I've had this summer was a few days ago when I stayed up until 1 a.m. with Kevin, a police officer for a story for my paper. Everyday in print is new and exciting, you get to talk to people and learn.

I don't think it is likely that I will drop the broadcast specialization from my major because I'm too stubborn and it is interesting to learn about and a good backup, but if given the choice I think I'd choose print. Maybe I wont go after the New York internship for ABC's network like I intended to.

Thanks, Pizza Guy.
9hrs

Creative Leeway

Today I was again disappointed that the coffee machine was down. A man came into the break room and I asked him how to fix it. He introduced himself as the Art Director and gave me some insight to careers in broadcast. He told me that there was (almost) no creativity permitted in broadcast news writing, something which I've come to realize this summer. He and his workers often laugh about how the news dept. does the same story every year, he them demonstrated "A devastating car crash killed a (insert town name) man last night..."
He isn't wrong.
He also told me how the consolidation of the media... aka only using the AP, has led to more and more standardized news.
He is still not wrong.

It is a little depressing. Whenever I'm asked to write a reader I'm told to use the wires. There is only one wire, it is the AP. As he said: there really aren't broadcast writers, you re more like an editor.

I wrote another package for Andy today and logged his tapes for him. I'm getting better, he corrects me a lot less. I think next summer I'm going to work in radio.

O, and I finally met an intern who I can hang out with.

9hrs

Powerless Crazies

Never in my life have I heard so many complaints against the goverment.
I have been a little torn in what I think about this. As a lowly intern having to listen to 20minute rants about how 9/11 was a plot and tax dollars stolen, children taken and unresponsive government officials and media outlets I feel like "o my gosh, they are all crazy.". As a journalist though it makes me a little proud that local citizens are willing... and believe me they are willing to challenge big government and big media.
I have been yelled at from the beginning of the shift by people saying that we should expose expose expose and that instead we use "fluff" for news and are blind to whats really going on. Although the people who have called me do not speak with elequouence, which makes me think theyre just New Hampshire crazies this makes me so sad that I know as an insider that no matter what they say my assignment editors and producers wont care. They can talk and write and yell at me all they want but when it comes down to it gatekeeping is not only real but overwhelming. What my station says people listen to. Last week they were listening to how a cow got caught in a pool, today how there was a racoon with rabies.

Maybe the crazies are right. It is the same 4 stories over and over again.

Did I tell you about the guy who called about playing basketball with Osama Bin Laden in highschool?

Also, I had to explain how broadcasts were not covered by the 1st amendment to one man who called... and believe me he made me use everything I learned in my CMJ classes

9hrs