My second week, and second day, on the scene with Sydney provided me again with new insights on the life of a reporter. I knew the days were long and strenuous, but the more time I spend the more doable the schedule seems. Although it would be very difficult and time consuming, I'm realizing that it is exciting work that sharpens a wide array of skills. From video, to writing, to public relations, the job requires skills.
We were in the courthouse by 10:15 reporting on a rape case. Having never actually been to a court hearing, it was interesting to me simply being there.
After the hearing, we sprang to capture footage of the perpetrator. Then, we asked his mother for a short interview. After she refused to be on camera we realized we would not have enough information for a full package and that story would have to simply be a MUGVO.
Back in the office, we pursued more stories. A VO about Kerr Lab Exit on Highway 3 being closed until February, a MUGVO for a child abuse by injury case, and "efforting" a package over the Songwriters of Ada event happening on the next day.
For these, we drove to take footage of the closed exit, attending the court hearing of the man charged with child abuse for B-roll, and scheduled an interview with the creator of the songwriters event.
By this point it is 1:45. The interview for the Ada event is scheduled for 2. As we wait for the interview Sydney puts in the information we already have for the two MUGVOs and the VO. This includes typing out the script for the news anchors to read on AP ENPS, editing together the footage we have taken throughout the Day on Sony Vegas Pro, and then adding the video to the AP ENPS software before sending it to the news producers on Dropbox.
From here, the producers will make any necessary edits and the days work will air on either tonight's 6 o'clock or 10 o'clock news.
Cumulative Hours: 11.5 hours
Friday, January 27, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Week 1: 7.5 hours
I spent a full day with Sydney this past Friday. From arriving in the office, to finding, writing, and turning in the news story I experienced a full day in a reporter's shoes.
Upon arriving in the office I had no idea what to expect. The space was tiny, with a double screen computer, office phone, and police scanner on the desk next to the computers. On a table in the corner was the classic reporter's camera bag and tripod. The bare necessities for a reporter in a small district.
After a brief introduction Sydney filled me in on what the day was going to look like. She was online searching through news outlets and social media to find her story for the day. Which she has to do every single day. A new story. Every. Single. Day.
This should not be news to me, seeing as she works for a news station that produces daily news and since nobody can see the future it needs to go on a day-by-day basis. But still, that's a lot of work. As she was telling me about her days work she rattled off a lot of jargon that was unfamiliar to my untrained ears.
Examples:
OCDR: On Demand Criminal Records (Public access website that gives great information on criminal activity)
MUG-VO: Mug shot with a voice over shown on the news. (We would go on to prepare three of these for the day)
Package: (Not what you're thinking, you nasty) Full news report including video with B-roll and voice overs that include the reporter talking about the story with 3 reputable sources and a MOS)
MOS: Man on the street. This is when the reporter asks people on the street their opinions on the story she/he is covering.
SOT: Sound on tape
I did not hear or comprehend all of these terms straightaway. First, we had to wait for the News Director, Matt Griffin, to call in the office. This is a conference call that takes place every morning between the reporters from all the coverage areas. The coverage area for KXII includes Ada and surrounding counties, Ardmore and surrounding counties, Sherman and surrounding counties, and Paris, Texas and surrounding counties.
During this conference call, each reporter pitched their ideas for the day and Matt approved them or changed them. After the call, it is crunch time for the reporters.
It was a relatively slow day in Ada on Friday, so we decided to pursue stories about three men from Garvin county who had appeared in court that day. For this, we had to travel to Pauls Valley to get affidavits and mug shots. Once we had the basic information we approved the stories with Matt, and continued to try to get an interview with the police sherif and video of the men's houses'.
At the end of the day we did not get enough information for a full package but rather three MUG-VO's. Sydney showed me how to put this together on their video editing soft wear and how the news line-ip looked for the night.
All-in-all it was a good day for learning and I look forward to learning much more from the reporter who just so happens to be a year younger than me as well as much farther advanced in her career than I am.
Cumulative Hours: 7.5
I spent a full day with Sydney this past Friday. From arriving in the office, to finding, writing, and turning in the news story I experienced a full day in a reporter's shoes.
Upon arriving in the office I had no idea what to expect. The space was tiny, with a double screen computer, office phone, and police scanner on the desk next to the computers. On a table in the corner was the classic reporter's camera bag and tripod. The bare necessities for a reporter in a small district.
After a brief introduction Sydney filled me in on what the day was going to look like. She was online searching through news outlets and social media to find her story for the day. Which she has to do every single day. A new story. Every. Single. Day.
This should not be news to me, seeing as she works for a news station that produces daily news and since nobody can see the future it needs to go on a day-by-day basis. But still, that's a lot of work. As she was telling me about her days work she rattled off a lot of jargon that was unfamiliar to my untrained ears.
Examples:
OCDR: On Demand Criminal Records (Public access website that gives great information on criminal activity)
MUG-VO: Mug shot with a voice over shown on the news. (We would go on to prepare three of these for the day)
Package: (Not what you're thinking, you nasty) Full news report including video with B-roll and voice overs that include the reporter talking about the story with 3 reputable sources and a MOS)
MOS: Man on the street. This is when the reporter asks people on the street their opinions on the story she/he is covering.
SOT: Sound on tape
I did not hear or comprehend all of these terms straightaway. First, we had to wait for the News Director, Matt Griffin, to call in the office. This is a conference call that takes place every morning between the reporters from all the coverage areas. The coverage area for KXII includes Ada and surrounding counties, Ardmore and surrounding counties, Sherman and surrounding counties, and Paris, Texas and surrounding counties.
During this conference call, each reporter pitched their ideas for the day and Matt approved them or changed them. After the call, it is crunch time for the reporters.
It was a relatively slow day in Ada on Friday, so we decided to pursue stories about three men from Garvin county who had appeared in court that day. For this, we had to travel to Pauls Valley to get affidavits and mug shots. Once we had the basic information we approved the stories with Matt, and continued to try to get an interview with the police sherif and video of the men's houses'.
At the end of the day we did not get enough information for a full package but rather three MUG-VO's. Sydney showed me how to put this together on their video editing soft wear and how the news line-ip looked for the night.
All-in-all it was a good day for learning and I look forward to learning much more from the reporter who just so happens to be a year younger than me as well as much farther advanced in her career than I am.
Cumulative Hours: 7.5
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