LIVE at Noon!

I think it's true that you don't really experience the career world until you're part of it. That's the way I felt, after my internship this past summer with Newschannel 5. No matter how much practice I received at school, producing, reporting, directing, and anchoring, I wasn't able to get the full effect and feel the pressure of a newsroom and the always pending deadline!

Everyone I met at Newschannel 5 was very helpful and understanding; however, I definitely learned the most from the Noon News Producer, with whom I worked with every morning, for a good chunk of the day...if not the whole day. Ellen McGregor has been producing live shows for many years, and her experience showed in the quality of the shows she produced.

I respect people who take pride in the work they do, instead of just doing it because it's their job. Ellen made sure the show was set as best she could (although you couldn't always get everything done ahead of time, because of breaking news!); she tailored to every last detail. Ellen was precise and to the point in her writing, but considered her local audience.

Not only was Ellen great at what she did, she gave me plenty of opportunities to explore this avenue, myself. Within the first couple weeks, I was writing scripts that the anchors would read: interview segments, VOs, VO/SOTs, anchor intros to packages, and much more. Also, she made sure I got to go out with a couple different reporters (sometimes there wasn't really room for me in the vehicle, but she worked it out!) And before long, she even had me producing a majority of the show one day: picking the stories, finding the video, picking the soundbites, etc. And I sat in master control, playing the role of producer one day, too. Ellen made me realize that I could do producing for a career, if I really wanted to, and that's worth more than I can express.

Granted, I still don't know how she does it every day, day after day...but it's thrilling, exciting, and ultimately fun! I love producing and reporting, and Ellen definitely helped me develop a sense of confidence in the newsroom.