A very satifying day

Before I go further let me say that I'm in no way glad that two people were shot at Jackson County Courthouse in Scottsboro late this afternoon...the reason why this day was satisfying to me is because it is my job to cover stories, and I think we kicked tail on our coverage at 10. Our job is to inform viewers but didn't overkill. To put it in perspective we had two reportes and photographers (meaning 2 crews) out there, 19 had three crews, and 48 had four...Three is probably the absolute limit on what you need to tell the story without overkilling and driving it into the ground (and we actually ran a 3rd story that we showed about a year ago about the secruity at that courthouse).

Earlier, Mikelyn and I were planning on doing a story about the new self-defence law that takes effect starting tomorrow. Jason and Justin headed out to Scottsboro we we heard, but it became apparent that we needed another crew out to fully cover that story. So Justin got the meat and potatos, so to speak, the who what when where why, while Mikelyn, dropping this other story, focused on the hero of the whole thing, dove into one of the who's and how's

Before we started editing we grabbed some dinner, as we were pulling out, our satellite truck was pulling up, LiveStar 31, wow! that thing is awesome (and twice the size of 19's and at least a 1/3 bigger than 48's!!)!!

The OTHER thing that was neat about tonight was getting to hang out more with some coworkers while inbewteen shooting and writing/editing...the COOLEST part of tonight, if it's true: we are apparently the CNN affiliate in this market and there was talk about them wanting our stories on this, like airing both of our packages!! How cool is that...it would be the second time that I'd have video on CNN (the first being from Tuscaloosa, exclusive video of Moore being transported to the Tusc. Co. Jail after killing 2 police officers and a 911 dispatch op. in Fayette).

Even more news today actually. The four of us missed a meeting partly about our eletion coverage and partly about the station sell. It's nothing new for news stations to switch hands, it's part of the business, like baseball teams. Apparently we've had 5 bids put in as of today (currently owned by Peidmont who is selling). For most of us that means a good thing, the possibility of money coming in, new equipment, a larger staff, possibly a pay or either benefit increase if this were the outcome.
They say we should know something more definate in a couple months, and that the new owners probably wouldn't take over until December. Bunch of stuff to go through with the FCC and the Federal Government to make sure that certain rules are being followed. So we'll see what happens next.

Side note - I took the live truck test this afternoon and passed, so I'm now certified to use our live trucks!

Long day to make up for yesterday

I got in about 10:30AM, after picking up Craig from his place. Went right over to Decatur to meet the Bob Riley Bus..which was late due to transmittion crapping out so they made thier way in the smaller one. We, Craig and I, were the only media that rode to Huntsville with him. Colby, assignment manager, rode with us to take the car back.

It was fun realized while on the bus that it was lunch time...hunger

Riley is a good down to earth guy. We talked about war movies, and don't even remember what else now after the official interview. Violet picked us up at the space and rocket center after that speech there.

Got back and Craig gave me the script for the package and I thought, uh oh. MY GOODNESS it was intense editing that. It took me an hour and 15 and that was being quick. GREAT story though, didn't see the other coverage but I'm sure we knocked it out of he park (HNT I never did see a crew from, AFF was there at the rocket).

So once done with that, with Justin going down to Union Grove in Marshall County (about 5:30 now). the meeting about the halfway house for meth addicts (they were opposing it in that area not it in general, they even came up with another plan...see here)
By about 8:30 we're getting back into town (stopped to get my second meal of the day...yes I was HUNGRY by that point!)
He writes and lays down a voice track for me by 9:20 and I'm editing until 9:55 and then run out to the "weather deck" to finish setting up his live shot, which he's mostly taken care of, thanks Justin!

So a long day full of news (I know Jason had a bunch of weather stuff, minor flooding and whatnots to get)! It makes the time go faster when I'm out getting stuff as opposed to sitting at the station all day.

sloooooow Memorial Day

...but what do you expect on a day that we are honoring our service men and women of the present and past.
I personally have a dad who recently retired from the Air Force after 25+ years, an uncle or two and mother and step father who were all in for a period of time, a grandfather who worked on radios during WWII, on the Japanese front, helping to intercept messeges. I have a good friend and his best friend in the Marines who both had a stint in Iraq and will be going to Africa for 8-9 months here soon, not to mention a cousin and several other friends that have served in Army, Navy, or Air Force for a period, including my all-time favorite reporter...All just so I have a job...seriously, we can broadcast just about whatever we want which means I have a job so that I can get holiday pay becasue I have to work it! And can write this freakin blog too!

So all I did as far as news was go back to Ditto Landing to get the kickoff of the Huntsville city summer concert series called "Concerts in the Park." My understanding is that most of the rest will be held in the park downtown...One a week, pretty cool, if only I didn't have to work! Tonight it was the Alabama Blues Brothers and Time Machine and one other that I don't remember.

I did get off early because I'll be heading to Decatur in the morn (about 11) to ride with Gov. Riley on his tour bus. It'll be Craig and I, and also people from WHNT and WAFF as well as the Times and possibly other outlets around the area I imagine. I'm excited because it's my first really big assignment. I've been making sure that my wireless mic is good for it's first usage. I'll go to bed here shortly so that I have time to swim a couple laps in the morn before heading out.

On a side note we ran a Jeanne Moos package tonight...I LOVE her packages. There's something about her voice for one, and then her attitude and sarcasm, oh yeah easily my favorite CNN reporter!!

Tour de Valley

Felt like old photoging days on a Tuscaloosa weekend, where I have half of the show...seriously, I shot and edited 5 of the first 6 minutes of the show, that's half of A-block!
Justin baled on me, took a long weekend to Atlanta I believe, so with no reporter there was much to do, and it was surely VObite patrol for me today.

-I started out by going south to Ditto Landing to get some video and sound with of people putting in boats and safty measures that they are taking.
-Procceded north on 231 (which is a familiar name from my 7 years in Dothan, AL) to Hazel Green down a road (I kid you not) Joe Quick Rd that lost power due to weather, HU out there putting up a new pole..there was also a flooded road over there.
I had to Joe quickly take that back to the station (about 25 minutes at 4:30) I'm not used to having anything on weekend but 10 still, due to my 3.5 years at WVUA. But I made it and cut it too before the show, I got it to the tape roller during the show open! It was top story
-Then right down Monte Sano to a cemetary that will have memorial day cerimonies, had US flags flying on many of the graves sites for military vets and police and fire vets as well.
-Get the call to go ahead and travel to Decatur to Point Mallard for Memorial Day festivities there...mostly people just goofing off frisbee or football or kite flying, later the hot air ballon glow (which is an impressive thing to see, couldn't stay for it this time, but saw one in Fayette, AL, about 2.5 years ago when working in Tuscaloosa. That was the night before I actually got to go back and take a ride in one the next morning, which was also amazing) and fireworks OF COURSE!!! eveyones favorites..I would've liked to have stayed for the festivities but had to get back and edit...took me just under 1.5 hours to edit those 7 or 8 tapes

And then came home to enjoy leftovers warmed up in my new microwave!! The little things in life! Oh yeah!

But I think I drove at least 90 miles today, wow! I got a nice tour of the valley, a good geography lesson, expanding my knowledge of my new home.

Bank Merger

Today Mikelyn and I did a stroy on Amsouth and Regions merging. She said that she was worried (as an AmSouth customer). I told her (as an AmSouth customer) that it couldn't be any worse than it is right now...I don't think very fondly of AmSouth right now to the point that I had started on a track of pulling money out to another bank...I might leave a little in now and see how they do as a merged bank.

I did some editing for the 6PM because the photog that shot that stuff had to go out again for another story...so just a VO and a VOB, not bad. I edited our package tonight in just at an hour, but that was trading back between 4 or 5 tapes also, or it'd a been less: her voice tape, a tape with a phoner with the Region's lady, a tape with some b-roll and some interviews and while she was logging that tape I got some more video on a 4th tape, I also used some b-roll off the VO from 5 and 6. I had a nice dinner break while I was shooting more b-roll. Talked to Dad a while ate some food and then back to the station.

A nice easy day, now time for my second weekend of working here..also my first payday tomorrow!! not very much with only 3 days on it...but it'll be good to be seeing one again...it's been about, well actually only 3 weeks I guess...so not too bad.

Going to Tuscaloosa again this weekend so, Huntsville, I see you again come Sunday!

Talk about slow news day

so today the biggest news was rumors of who the visitors will be that are apparently coming tomorrow. Are the owners coming? someone to buy us? etc. I don't worry about things like that, though I do like to be in the know...we'll see what happens, but buying and selling is a normal things at news stations. I've talked to many in the business who've gone through several, or are going through one!!

I worked on an Alabama angle to the American Idol deal (with Mikelyn agian today)...I care nothing for American Idol and someone made the joke, we're telling people to watch another station during sweeps..wow! Oh well that's what a lot of people want to know about so that's what we'll give em. We had some connections (that apparently HNT also had) about a party at a house of college friends of his that also used to play music with Taylor. I was kinda glad to see 19 there though because that was the first time in a long while that I've seen Greg Privett, he was news director at the college owned statoin in Tuscaloosa that I worked at for 3.5 years. I won't get into the rumors of why he left, suffice to say that newsrooms are all full of thier fair share of speculating and rumors.

LIVE TRUCK: didn't get to take my test today, had interview conflict and when we got back engineering had stuff they were working on. Some have said it might be a couple more days yet before I get certified, becasue engineering wants to make sure that you know what you are doing and what percautions to take before letting you loose.

Tomorrow is the end of my first full week!! Good stuff on the WAAY I feel it!

aNOTHER test?!

I thought school was over, but to be live truck certifed there is a test to pass...so I got this packet of stuff today that I read through...will look over some of the finer points before I take the test tomorrow and then I'll do a little training session (actually going through the motions) with one of the engineers.

Today was with Mikelyn again. Our story was about the Dixie Chicks retracting thier appology to W. right before thier new CD comes out...if they were aiming for publicity, it looks like it worked!
Justin and Jason went live with exclusive video at 5PM and then we learned that another station managed to get the video before the 6 so we had to run as a first on scene from there! That was exciting!
A cute ballet also for a fun type story, many cuties doing a little jig, proud parents beaming in the concert hall of the VBC!

That was about the day. I'm steadily getting faster at editing for news (linear editing), it's all coming back, just like riding a bike!

Wish me luck on my test tomorrow, Wed...which hey, means that I just made a week. I just made it through my first week as a full-time employee, wow crazy stuff. Heres to many more great weeks on the WAAY!

oh and before I go, couldn't help it, a pic from the station by night:

the upside-down looking cross is I565 and the parkway, the interstate being the brighter line going upper left to lower right.


and now its goodnight

No Guard for Our Vets

When I first walked in this Mon afternoon they said, "you're goin with the boss today!" I was kind of shocked at first, not that he would be out in the field (he says that he tries to do that every week or so), but that he wanted me to shoot for him, or maybe dayside was busy editing for the 5 and he had no choice :) ? It was a simple sound bite from the station's favorite lawyer (who apparently charges well over 300/hour for representation), legal go to guy, about the Siegelman case; Ben was a big reason why I chose Huntsville over my other choice.

I had met Ben twice (two years in a row at the Alabama AP convention) and saw what a super guy he was, got a personal tour of the station from him when I went to visit, and just knew that this was a guy I could love working for (after getting burnout from the news director in tuscaloosa, this was VERY important to me), and while circumstances were such that I couldn't get to meet in person my other choice's news director - beyond anyone's control really - this was one thing that made WAAY stand out a little above for me.

So enough brown nosing, that went, bang, bang, all good. Then with a new reporter (for me) tonight, Mikelyn (been at the station for 2+ years). This is why I like getting to work with different people/reporters: people talk about or tell you how people are like but I like to see for myself. I enjoyed working with her more than I thought I would from what some people told me about her. But then I've found that reporters usually like or have better relations with a photographer over anyone else (want things to look good, ya know!)
**For BP - when she heard that I had ties to Columbus, she asked if "that red head" was still working there. I had to laugh. I didn't know for sure that she was talking about your friend in the bureau but she was all I could think about fitting that description!**
She is rounding the late side of the 20s and engaged and we had some good talk about future plans and things to watchout for here in Huntsville, and things of that nature. Very enlightning really.

After we finished shooting talked to Jason, the promos guy, and he enjoyed that stuff I shot and had started putting together some of the new weather promos. Looking good! Glad that I could help even if only a shot or two.

Sarting to get back the hang of linier editing...I think I cut our story in just over an hour, turned out well for not having much video to cover with. Also learning some things about how they produce here, putting in certain codes and designations into the program that we use to create our shows (APNewsCenter), Ben made a suggestion today that I should try writting or at least learn some things about writing. That's the one thing (with reporting, anchoring, graphics and master control) that I never did really try or get to do in Tuscaloosa (if you don't count that package I voiced, which would bring it down to three things that i never really did or tried). So I'm taking baby steps in that direction. Its not my thing, but it would be good to know nonethelesss.

Beginning Week Two

So, week 2 has started after a short trip home to Tuscaloosa. Saw the fam and collected my last few things at the old apartment, sad day...

Sunday, looong day...in at 10:30 out close to the same time 12 hours later! WOW and no news to boot, slow news day as Sunday usually is...so Justin and I searched until Craig got there and then
we took a morph of what Justin saw from the AP wire (church shooting in Louisiana) with someing Craig knew about, people from a church leaving for a mission trip.
It didn't really effect them much they said because they were going to do the will of the Lord near or far no matter whatever else was going on. A neat little story.

So Justin wrote and I edited and then there was a wreck on the scanner, in Madison. We went out there to see that a car had swearved off of the road into a manmade pond/lake in front of a subdivision. Pretty cool actually, the two guys got out ok but they were all waiting on a dive team to go under and attatch the towtruck cable to the car so they could get it out; you could see the back lights under the water. Talk about a bad deal. And other than it being neat to call the dive team, not really news wrothy, especially for being about 9:30 and not much time to get it back and get it to the air.

So we went home, I stopped by Wal-Mart and awed at the fact that it's not 24 hours?!? there are such thing as non-24 hour wally worlds?

A good second day

First live experience today. I'm not certified yet so my reporter (backwords from most times) set up the stuff himself, because he was the nightside photgrapher before I got here. It was a good day, story from the courthouse, started at 4, not done intime to get the video or bites on at 5 so just the info and a graphic and then we went live with video and 2 sound bites at 6.

Interestingly enough this guy is an illegal immigrant from Mexico and ran a stop sign killing 4 and badly injuring another about a year ago..he got off on negligent something or other, I don't think it was homicide even, but like endangerment or something and an assult charge for the 5th person who lived. The judge decided to make his sentence concurent instead of consecutive...something like a year for each death and 6 mo for the injured...since he's been in jail for about a year that means that he has another 6 months left to go and then some probation. Needless to say the families weren't very happy and this one lady was ranting about the mexicans...anyway I wish we'd have been able to work some of that angle on it, but just no time.

Once I got back to the station helped the promo guy on some new stuff that he's working on, shot some video for him. Then helped get some video together for the 10pm producer because she is actually doing the morning show for Friday, covering for someone who's sick.

THEN I went to the control room for the 10 o'clock show! Since I've been in a control room for the past 2 years and now haven't in about 2 weeks, it was nice to get back in there, even if only to overlook things.

I have tomorrow and Sat off (my weekend) so I'll be using this first one to head back home to Tuscaloosa, Sunday will bring another new adventure...I'm really enjoying WAAY and Huntsville. Almost all the apprehension is gone and I'm pretty settled in, save several boxes...I could easily see calling this home, actually.

First Day

My first day went well. Everyone so helpful with getting me set up with stuff, helping me get back into the swing of photoging since I haven't done it in about 2 years.

On our first interview I forgot to check the focus until about half way through so we had to redo the first part.
Justin, who'll be my reporter it looks like most days, seems like a great guy, and I'm glad that we seem to already have a level with each other, as it looks like we'll be spending much time together and getting along with each other will only make things easier and better, and allow us to put a better product out there for our viewers.

Our story tonight: profiling some local candidates for state office. Everything fine save those first few question on that one interview, that we ended up not even usung and the edit bay giving some trouble.

I'm also getting to know Huntsville a little better and feel more comfortable in this town. It is strage being so far away from everything that I know, but I am really enjoying HSV sofar...some pictures from my first day:

View from Parking Lot

Part of Our Live Fleet

Welcome to Huntsville

ABOUT THIS BLOG:
To start off, I guess I should give a little background. I have just moved to Huntsville today. I have been hired as a "photojournalist" for WAAY-31 Huntsville, Alabama's ABC affiliate.

Niehter the station nor any of it's parties, subsidiaries, it's parent company, nor it's affiliate nor anyone affiliated with the companyy or station (save me alone) condone, agree with, or even approve of this blog. I thought it would be a good way for interested parties to see a little about what goes on into putting on daily news casts. Also it will serve as an insight into how someone not from Huntsville feels about the city and what he learns from and about it throught getting to see places and meet people through working in the news business

As a photojournalist (photog) my job will be to work with reporters, producers, and the assignment manager to get video of stories important to North Alabama (and some Tennessee) residents so that it can be shown to the general viewing audience.


ABOUT ME:
I've claimed Tuscaloosa as home for just shy of 8.5 years (where I went to High School at Central and College at The Univ. of Al where I got my degree in television production). Before that I lived in Dothan, Al for about 7 years and before that a couple different small towns that are basically subburbs of St. Louis, but on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

I shot video for news for about 2 years in Tuscaloosa (WVUA-TV) when I learned to direct live newscasts and did that for another 1.5 years. WAAY is my first full-time job, so needless to say I still have some to learn.

I also have good experience in free-lance video production, including plays, weddings, graduation cerimonies, commercials and promos.


My first day is tommorow, so we shall see what the day brings!