Uncovering a Secret...

Thinking back, one of the main reasons I started this blog was to showcase my work in broadcasting. And this past week...my work was made available to the public thanks to one of my professors who posted a story I did up on the school radio station's site, TitanRadio.net.

Last semester, I took Broadcast Journalism, which focused on radio news. For one of the last assignments, each student had to produce a long-format radio news feature. I chose something that was not all that easy because it involved a lot of investigative work, but I love a challenge. I decided to discover the truth about Westminster College's Tunnel. Every time I walked through the lobby of my dorm, Browne Hall, I saw steps leading down to a RESTRICTED AREA. This made me wonder...what was down there? I soon found that behind the mystery was the college's tunnel, which had been blocked off to the public for more than a decade. However, this only made me think of more questions.

So when I had to pick a topic for the assignment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do; however, the main problem was who to talk to about the tunnel. After numerous e-mails and phone calls, I found my three top people to cover all angles: a current Westminster student (who could speculate on the rumors of the tunnel), a Westminster alum (who had walked through the tunnel as a college student and could offer a historical perspective), and most importantly the physical plant director (who could give me the inside scoop on why the tunnel was closed). I conducted the three interviews, captured some nat sound, and even did my "stand up" from inside the tunnel. (The physical plant director let me walk a couple steps into the tunnel just so I could see the inside).

It was an opportunity of a lifetime and an experience most Westminster students do not get to have at the college. I would tell you more about what I found out, but you should just click here to check out the exclusive story! I think it's really important to put yourself out there, so future employers can see what you can do. So my advice is, share your work and show your strengths!

A Lovely County Line...

This week was definitely about getting back into the groove. I worked at WKST for nine days straight the week prior, so I was exhausted trying to balance work and classes. However, I still had a lot of broadcasting to do this week. In particular, I was anchoring for our college’s television news magazine show, The County Line, for the first time this semester. Right now, we have seven anchors who rotate positions from week to week, so normally each one gets to anchor at least two times every semester.

Anyways, this past Thursday happened to be one of my weeks…I was really excited because it was also Valentine’s Day, and I had something perfect to wear for the job. Over Christmas break, my aunt gave me this red two-piece top. This ensemble reminded of similar outfits that anchors from my hometown news stations in Cleveland wore for the nightly news programs. Whenever I get the chance, I try to watch the local television news programs, so I can pick up on the “norms” for local television stations in the area; maybe down the line, it will help me get a job at a TV station. Also, when I anchored last semester, I wore a red blouse the one time, and the producer and my professor said that red was a good color for me that also stood out on our television set. I’m trying to be more conscious of what I wear when I anchor now: I try to pick something that complements my skin tone, but also works well with the college’s news desk set.

Back to the preparation…on Thursday, Pam, my fellow co-anchor, and I decided to write scripts early in the day; then, we went back and adjusted them once the producer finalized the rundown. During the show run-through, I was having trouble seeing the prompter; it was too dark, but thankfully, the chief engineer came in and fixed the problem. I was very impressed with our show crew this past week. We got done with our run-through 25 minutes before the show was supposed to start, which allowed both Pam and I enough time to read through our scripts a couple more times, until we felt comfortable with them. Overall, this had to be one of the times I felt the most prepared when anchoring, and it’s all because everyone worked well together. Broadcasting is truly all about teamwork.

Big Happenings in the Borough...

A lot is happening in the wonderful world of news here in New Wilmington…My first assignment for my Broadcast Journalism II class (TV Reporting) was to attend February’s New Wilmington Borough Council meeting with two other students, Jordan and Alex, and to develop a story (either a VO, a VO/SOT, or a package) from the meeting for television. It’s not like the borough meetings are foreign to me, but I had never covered them with this goal in mind. Last semester, I went to all of the borough meetings with my Broadcast Journalism I class (Radio News). However, the intent for that class was to come back with a story for radio news, either an ACT or a WRAP. Let me tell you…television stories take a lot more time to do, but it’s worth it!

I was excited to be assigned this meeting because the council was supposed to make their final decision about whether to sell the cable TV and Internet system or not to Armstrong Cable. (Comcast made a bid earlier on in the process, but their bid expired in December). I had been following this story for months for radio news since the council kept putting off the decision because members did not feel they had enough information to make the decision. If the council did not sell the system, it would have to pay for the upgrade of the system to accommodate digital and HDTV channels by 2009 per a FCC mandate. After reviewing a report from a hired consultant, the council voted 5-to-1 to sell.

Alex jumped on this story, so Jordan and I decided to work on two other top stories regarding the police department. One: New Wilmington police officers are now armed with Tasers. Two: The department was looking to hire another full-time police officer. With all the information we needed from the borough meeting, we set out to get some cover video. In the end, Jordan and I made two stories that would flow back-to-back: a Taser VO and a New Police Officer VO/SOT/VO. I enjoyed working with the police officer, because it made me feel like I’m really getting into the broadcasting business. And the best thing is…we’re done with this week’s assignment way ahead of the deadline!!