Daily Schedule

The rest of the first week was great.

I spent a lot of time shadowing other reporters so that I could see how they typically spent their day and learn personal tips about the work. As you can guess, there are strict deadlines in the Broadcast TV world and time management is key to being successful, efficient, and creative.

Every reporter is assigned two stories for the day, one bigger and one smaller. The bigger story will be turned into a VOSOT for the 5, a package for the 6, and another VOSOT for the 11. The smaller story will be two VOSOTs, one for 5 and for the 6. Confused? Don't worry, there is a Glossary for this kind of stuff.

Here's a look at how I spent Tuesday:

9:30a - Arrive at the station to look at emails and prepare for the day.
10:00a - Morning Production meeting; The four or five reporters working the Dayside shift, the Assignment Editor, the Producer, and the Executive Producer attend this meeting to figure out ways to flesh out the day's stories.
10:30a - Make phone calls to set up interviews throughout the day.
10:40a - Leave station with camera, mic kit, portable light, and tripod.
11:00a - Interview and video shoot #1
12:00p - Unsuccessful in getting next interview. Calling all possible contacts.
12:30p - Still calling while having the rare sit-down lunch.
12:40p - Interview and shoot #2
1:15p - Interview and shoot #3
2:00p - Arrive back at station, begin uploading footage to computer.
2:10p - Log footage for possible soundbites
2:45p - Begin writing. The rule of thumb is to write for next show. Even if you haven't started the longer package for the 6:00 show, the 5 is always more important.
3:15p - After approval from the producer, start editing the video.
3:50p - Export video to VTR Database
4:00p - Begin work on videos and scripts for later shows.
4:30p - Head to location for live shot
5:05p - Go live on air
5:20p - Back at station finishing up work for the 6 and the 11.
5:40p - Head back to location for live shot
6:05p - Go live on air
6:15p - Head back to station
6:25p - Finish up work and prepare for future stories.
6:45p - Head home for the day!


It's a long, busy, and tiring day.
But trying to describe the feelings of excitement and accomplishment wouldn't do justice to the reasons why I love working here.