First Week of Work

Ray Carter

My first week of work's been pretty interesting. We started off learning most of the computer systems at the station, and we also had to learn where everything's located in the newsroom. It was a very long and interesting day. I never realized how quick television newsrooms work. It seemed like everyone was constantly running around; they produce news almost every hour for several hours in the evening. It's interesting to see how everyone works under pressure.

I've been doing different things at the station, so I really don't have one specific thing that I'm doing. Last week, I was assigned to Metro Mix, and it was pretty fun. We had to set up for the Taste of St. Louis; It was interesting trying to find parking space. I learned about the different Gannett Websites and alot more about the company's new mission into the digital age. It reminded me of alot of the work that I've done with OWL at Purdue. A lot of the Web Producers do similiar work to what's being taught in PW classes that I've been a part of.  My web Producer Kristen and I had to come up with different Halloween Events for the College Crowd. I picked a few clubs and Oktoberfest Events that I thought were really cool.

I've also been attending  editorial/ web meetings, and they've been really fun. Alot of the reporters and producers have really good ideas during those meetings. Some of those ideas try to incorporate NBC programs with a local angle. During my first meeting, one of the reporters talked about using backpack "gear". It's a more hi-tech way of Fast Track, where the person has to shoot,edit, and prepare the video for broadcast. They asked me  future career goals and I told them where my interests where.Based on my Fast Track experience,  some my interests changed from being in front of the camera to behind it. I really enjoy shooting video and putting together the newscast.

Today, I had a long shift on the assignment desk, and it was interesting to see what's "newsworthy". It was interesting to see how the Assignment Editors Darrin and Ed determined where to send reporters. They had to help me along the way, because everything moved very quickly. I asked them lots of questions about their work and what exactly everyone's role was in their newsroom. They were very nice and explained television news in more detail. I also got to email scripts to CNN,which was fun! The actress Jennifer Lewis also stopped by for our afternoon show; everyone at the station seemed really excited. I considered it the highlight of my day. I'll update in a few weeks!