Sunday, May 24, 2009
confusion
OK, so I've been using Twitter a lot since Friday when I opened my account. But I don't understand what the hell any of these acronyms or special symbols do - I know what # and @ do, but what is RT?
Selling out, or staying on the curve?
I was very anti-Twitter for a long time, and to an extent I still think it's dumb. But I created an account and I've spent some time on it. It's okay, I feel I've seen bigger technological or social networking breakthroughs (Facebook, to me, is still king), but I understand the reality we're in where everyone needs to know what's going on at all times. I feel like I've sold out and lost some of my personality (i.e. being original and against the popular thing), but at the same time, it's interesting. I can't knock it anymore!
I'd say in the last 24 hours I've overhauled my internet accessibility:
I'm creating a Flickr account now - should I upgrade to the bigger account? I have a lot more pictures I'd like to put online. I like how the pictures seem to be optimized. The quality is a lot better than Facebook's picture area.
I updated my KOMU Social Networking page. I'd like to see that area grow - it'd be nice to get more viewers on there and interact with them more.
I've added a Twitter feed to this page, as well as KOMU headlines.
A week ago I acquired a Blackberry. Since then, I've added the Facebook app and synced it with my contacts, so those with Facebook have their profile pictures show up on their contact page. I've also synced the Blackberry with Blogger and Twitter, so I can update stuff from the road. Long overdue, I guess.
I'd say in the last 24 hours I've overhauled my internet accessibility:
I'm creating a Flickr account now - should I upgrade to the bigger account? I have a lot more pictures I'd like to put online. I like how the pictures seem to be optimized. The quality is a lot better than Facebook's picture area.
I updated my KOMU Social Networking page. I'd like to see that area grow - it'd be nice to get more viewers on there and interact with them more.
I've added a Twitter feed to this page, as well as KOMU headlines.
A week ago I acquired a Blackberry. Since then, I've added the Facebook app and synced it with my contacts, so those with Facebook have their profile pictures show up on their contact page. I've also synced the Blackberry with Blogger and Twitter, so I can update stuff from the road. Long overdue, I guess.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Chillin' at the Capitol
This past Friday I fired up the Acura for an extra-credit trip down Highway 63 to Jefferson City. It involved meeting with Phil Brooks, the Missouri School of Journalism's political guru, and taking in some inside-access of the Capitol. I left very early from Columbia assuming we had to be there at 12:15, but really, I messed up my schedule so I didn't need to be there until 2. So when I got to the Capitol, I tried to get into Brooks' office but the door was locked. I moseyed around the 1st floor and checked out some of the interesting historical displays. After giving him about 30 minutes, I left to get lunch at a great New York-style pizza place in Jefferson City, "Kate and Ally's". I've been there before with a friend of mine, and it's pretty good. It's not quite full-legit NY Pizza, but it's definitely the best I've had in Mid-Mo since Columbia's "NY Pizza" closed last spring - the place attached to the former Athena nightclub.
So after lunch I returned to the Capitol and promptly met up with Brooks. We waited around in his office while other B2ers slowly filtered in. Once everyone had arrived, we were off to return a legislative journal that Brooks "borrowed" from the Senate Secretary. Brooks told us that his little newsroom operation was the only oen of its kind in a state capitol - something I definitely believe. I haven't spent much time in other Capitols but I know for certain that Trenton, New Jersey and Albany, New York are MUCH less accessible to the media. Brooks also showed us MDN - Missouri Digital News - and all its amazing information. It seems like an incredibly valuable resource for political reporters.
After looking at the newsroom and getting the others acquainted with the building, we went to the Senate debate chamber. I had no idea we could not shoot video in the Senate without prior approval - in which we must register with the Senate Majority Leader, in this case, now Kevin Engler. Brooks explicitly said that men must wear a coat and tie while in the Senate chambers - another good dress code issue to know. He made the point that there is always a Christian pre-debate prayer that everyone must participate in, regardless of their religion. Another important rule I did not know was that legislators cannot refer to each other by name - instead, they must say "the gentleman from the 18th district" and such when trying to single one out.
After stopping to chat in the Senate room, we moved on to see the House chambers - an area I've been before both for KOMU and for a Political Science class. Brooks reemphasized that reporters must shoot video from the side galleries. Reporters also cannot enter the debate floor.
We then looked at the Senate lounge - the room with the awesome mural, before going downstairs to the committee meeting rooms. Brooks had us find the XLR connections in the rooms so that we know where to set up audio cables if we have to cover a meeting in one of those rooms. Since we were on the ground level, we proceeded out through the garage (where Brooks would later tell us he learned of the late Governor Mel Carnahan's death) and found the parking spot for KOMU - a spot I have been to!
I chatted with Brooks after the tour "ended" just out of curiosity about dealing with Missouri politics - he had previously mentioned that former Govs. Holden and Blunt were terrible at dealing with the media, so I was curious why/how those administrations were not open with the media, and what he thinks of Governor Nixon's accessibility now.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
School violence in 1927
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103186662
I stumbled onto an interesting NPR StoryCorps story about a school bombing in Michigan in 1927. A man angry about property taxes being used for public schools decided to plant dynamite in the basement of the town's school - killing 38 students, 45 people in total. The man was the caretaker of the school building and had access to many of the underground areas. The StoryCorps piece features two of the bombing's survivors. You can tell by their voices they're VERY old but the memory of the bombing remains fresh to these two men. I've always liked the StoryCorps pieces because they let the interview subjects express a lot of emotion. They're incredibly powerful at letting people tell stories without much interference from an anchor or reporter.
I also like that these stories generally tend to coincide with a bigger issue; in this case, the tenth anniversary of the Columbine shootings, so it's fascinating to find out that violence at schools is not a recent phenomenon.
As far as newsgathering process goes, I haven't had any shifts since Spring Break. I need to sign up for one more (easy to fit in the schedule!) so I'm not worried about coming up with some good story ideas in the meantime. Plenty has been going on, too, with state lawmakers in action in Jefferson City, spring weather, and upcoming high school spring sport championships.
I stumbled onto an interesting NPR StoryCorps story about a school bombing in Michigan in 1927. A man angry about property taxes being used for public schools decided to plant dynamite in the basement of the town's school - killing 38 students, 45 people in total. The man was the caretaker of the school building and had access to many of the underground areas. The StoryCorps piece features two of the bombing's survivors. You can tell by their voices they're VERY old but the memory of the bombing remains fresh to these two men. I've always liked the StoryCorps pieces because they let the interview subjects express a lot of emotion. They're incredibly powerful at letting people tell stories without much interference from an anchor or reporter.
I also like that these stories generally tend to coincide with a bigger issue; in this case, the tenth anniversary of the Columbine shootings, so it's fascinating to find out that violence at schools is not a recent phenomenon.
As far as newsgathering process goes, I haven't had any shifts since Spring Break. I need to sign up for one more (easy to fit in the schedule!) so I'm not worried about coming up with some good story ideas in the meantime. Plenty has been going on, too, with state lawmakers in action in Jefferson City, spring weather, and upcoming high school spring sport championships.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Excellent Journalism...
I've lagged in writing about excellent journalism. My apologies.
I caught a great story on Nightly News about "bird strike" data and airplanes. Here's the link:
I thought this was a great example of "computer-assisted" reporting (it seems all reporting we do now is computer-assisted) but computer-assisted in how the data was used. I'm in David Herzog's computer-assisted reporting class, and this story really reminded me of some of the assignments we've done in that class. I enjoyed how the reporter compared the massive spike in bird strikes from 1990 to 2007; clearly this is not an easy category to find data on, especially as we've seen in his class, it's difficult to pinpoint certain things when there is no uniform standard for that data. Since the system in place is a "voluntary" reporting of bird strikes, descriptions of a bird strike can vary. One could say "hit birds in path" or "struck flock" and, for the most part, they mean the same thing to the general public. I also get the sense it would be pretty difficult to find data on the bird strikes, as I would imagine the FAA might try and claim their privacy for national security reasons. In addition, to have found 166 emergency landings because of bird strikes is a nice job of reporting, too. I think Tom Costello's note in his standup that "only 20% of bird strikes are ever reported" is very interesting, because he highlights my point above - that even if the bird strikes are voluntarily reported, they can vary in description. And, it makes us question how common these bird strikes really are. Is the "mechanical problem" delaying my flight caused by a goose in the engine? Too many feathers in the flaps? Wonderful to consider, especially when my parents are flying out here this week.
My next story, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/25/60minutes/main4891800.shtml, details the observations of Frank Devine, who produced the interviews with Barack Obama on 60 Minutes. I thought this article was very interesting because we never really hear about the producer's role in high-profile interviews like that. We also learn that this producer, an experienced vet of the field, had met with Obama before and kept a good rappoire with his communications staff. I liked that he was able to stay above the drama of an interview and remain objective in trying to fulfill his role as a media watchdog. He understands that President Obama is not immune to criticism or tough questions. I liked how he characterized the president as "He still has a way of engaging you while simultaneously observing the scene as if from afar. It's a kind of detachment that is common among writers." I've never read that before about Obama, and it makes perfect sense. I think that sort of perspective - being in the moment but remembering the bigger picture about an interview subject - is what gives Devine a good reputation in the field.
-----
Newsgathering/Reflection
As I dry up the tears I left in last week's blog post (just kidding) I feel the remainder of the week went very well. Thursday, I arrived at KOMU with the plan to do a story on rising (again, unfortunately) gas prices. But, Lauren Whitney was Assignment Chair for the morning shift and she had a press release from the Governor's office regarding a bill signing. It seemed more pressing and doable than my vague gas prices story idea. Me being a political geek, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to be in the same room as Jay Nixon. I headed down to Jefferson City, managed to find the KOMU parking spot outside the Capitol, and lugged the equipment into the luxurious Governor's office on the 2nd floor. I got there with plenty of time to set up the gear. It was a pretty standard political event - staged speeches, a reaction speech from the opposing party sponsor, and a brief Q&A from the present media. I didn't ask any questions because I had no need to, but some of the beat reporters were grilling Nixon on the "Militia report". It was very interesting give-and-take, as Nixon would respond with a generic, political "This was not my doing, this was the previous administration's, and I support all law-enforcement methods provided they are legal" while facing some tough questions, not the least of which came from the J-School's Phil Brooks. Brooks essentially got him to admit that he condoned the report in body language and non-verbal communication, but on the record, "against" the militia report.
As the press conference ended, I followed some of the beat writers outside of the governor's office where they were interviewing a state Senator. After they were done, I figured he might be useful to the story for a soundbite (as he was from the Republican party but still supported the bill). I asked him 2 questions but didn't use them since the lighting in the hallway was bad, and I didn't really frame him on-camera very well.
I then wandered the halls of the Capitol for a little while, trying to figure out where to go from there with the story. I found my way into the House chamber, where session was just beginning. It turned out that the Kirksville state championship wrestling team was going to be honored for their victory, so in case I needed another story, I interviewed the 2 state champions and shot some b-roll of them being honored on the floor of the House. I never ended up getting to use it, but I'm glad I had a backup in case my bill-signing story went to the crapper. I decided to take a break for lunch, so in the downtime I had while standing on line at seemingly the only decent lunch place close to the Capitol, I spoke with the dayside producer, and she told me to try and get some reaction from anyone. I told her it would be difficult because the law was a unanimously passed, bipartisan bill, so it'd be very difficult to find someone against the law. She advised that the state treasurer would be a good place to look, so I went back to the Capitol and went to Clint Zweifel's office. Taking a total shot-in-the-dark, I asked the secretary if he would be available for an interview during the afternoon.
I went back to the car and shot a standup outside of the Capitol. It was a pretty worthless standup - I'm not showing the viewer anything besides my squinting face. By the time I was finished, I miraculously got a call-back from the Treasurer's office telling me he could meet me in 20 minutes. I told them that would be perfect, and went up to his office. His media relations organizer was very helpful and had me into his office within minutes. Zweifel was very cool, calm, collected and seemed at ease in describing the new law's affect on the state treasury. I did my best to make small talk with him off-camera to try and loosen him up, but he seemed very well-oiled at speaking in soundbites. Obviously, that makes our job a little easier, but at the same time, they're not authentic answers. Overall he was very accessible and helpful to putting together the story.
It really helped to have his soundbites for the VOSots and package. I had very little in the way of storytelling video (aka almost nothing!), so to have numerous bites from various officials was good for the reality of finishing the story. I liked what I was able to do for the story, I think it would have been incredibly difficult to do more with it on such short time. I also enjoyed the Jefferson City experience - being in the same room as Gov. Nixon was fun, and seeing him go back and forth with reporters was very interesting too.
---
I had another dayside reporting shift for the next day, Friday. I arrived with the same story idea from the previous day, rising gas prices. But, as with the previous day, I was handed a press release and told to go to that story. This time, it was a factory adding (!) jobs in Glasgow, MO. I was immediately up for it, as I love any story outside of Columbia. The only [slight] problem was that the event was scheduled for later in the day when we had to have it in for the 6pm newscast. So, I called the people in charge and asked if they would be OK with having me come earlier in the day to interview them and shoot some video - they were fine with it.
I got to Glasgow and discovered that it's a town in transition. In a town of roughly 1,500 people, its lost jobs from the weak economy while its bridge crossing the Missouri river, a thoroughfare to other towns, has been demolished and a new one is slowly built in its place. Meanwhile, the little downtown has a major railroad spur going through it and the buildings are all full of unique, bizarre little shops and restaurants. I would later dine at one of these fine establishments.
So for the story, I found it to be very interesting. The previous ownership of the factory had apparently laid everyone off, so in swept a new owner determined to keep the factory alive and active in the community. The plant once employed 350 people, but at its initial closing, it had less than 40 people at work. It re-opened with about 15 workers, then grew to its current size of about 50 workers. So, to be in good condition in tough economic times was very interesting. I interviewed the new owner, and several employees, and they had some candid remarks about what it was like to have their jobs axed in a small town heavily reliant on industry.
I got some good video too of the people at work sewing sleeping bags and blankets. It was very easy to shoot in sequences, since the workers were doing the same thing all day. It reminded me almost EXACTLY of the corn-cob pipe video we worked with in B1! Except of course, this in high-definition!
It was very easy to make a package out of it, and to have a VoSOT for the 10. Anyway, I've written too much and have to get off my computer.
I caught a great story on Nightly News about "bird strike" data and airplanes. Here's the link:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
I thought this was a great example of "computer-assisted" reporting (it seems all reporting we do now is computer-assisted) but computer-assisted in how the data was used. I'm in David Herzog's computer-assisted reporting class, and this story really reminded me of some of the assignments we've done in that class. I enjoyed how the reporter compared the massive spike in bird strikes from 1990 to 2007; clearly this is not an easy category to find data on, especially as we've seen in his class, it's difficult to pinpoint certain things when there is no uniform standard for that data. Since the system in place is a "voluntary" reporting of bird strikes, descriptions of a bird strike can vary. One could say "hit birds in path" or "struck flock" and, for the most part, they mean the same thing to the general public. I also get the sense it would be pretty difficult to find data on the bird strikes, as I would imagine the FAA might try and claim their privacy for national security reasons. In addition, to have found 166 emergency landings because of bird strikes is a nice job of reporting, too. I think Tom Costello's note in his standup that "only 20% of bird strikes are ever reported" is very interesting, because he highlights my point above - that even if the bird strikes are voluntarily reported, they can vary in description. And, it makes us question how common these bird strikes really are. Is the "mechanical problem" delaying my flight caused by a goose in the engine? Too many feathers in the flaps? Wonderful to consider, especially when my parents are flying out here this week.
My next story, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/25/60minutes/main4891800.shtml, details the observations of Frank Devine, who produced the interviews with Barack Obama on 60 Minutes. I thought this article was very interesting because we never really hear about the producer's role in high-profile interviews like that. We also learn that this producer, an experienced vet of the field, had met with Obama before and kept a good rappoire with his communications staff. I liked that he was able to stay above the drama of an interview and remain objective in trying to fulfill his role as a media watchdog. He understands that President Obama is not immune to criticism or tough questions. I liked how he characterized the president as "He still has a way of engaging you while simultaneously observing the scene as if from afar. It's a kind of detachment that is common among writers." I've never read that before about Obama, and it makes perfect sense. I think that sort of perspective - being in the moment but remembering the bigger picture about an interview subject - is what gives Devine a good reputation in the field.
-----
Newsgathering/Reflection
As I dry up the tears I left in last week's blog post (just kidding) I feel the remainder of the week went very well. Thursday, I arrived at KOMU with the plan to do a story on rising (again, unfortunately) gas prices. But, Lauren Whitney was Assignment Chair for the morning shift and she had a press release from the Governor's office regarding a bill signing. It seemed more pressing and doable than my vague gas prices story idea. Me being a political geek, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to be in the same room as Jay Nixon. I headed down to Jefferson City, managed to find the KOMU parking spot outside the Capitol, and lugged the equipment into the luxurious Governor's office on the 2nd floor. I got there with plenty of time to set up the gear. It was a pretty standard political event - staged speeches, a reaction speech from the opposing party sponsor, and a brief Q&A from the present media. I didn't ask any questions because I had no need to, but some of the beat reporters were grilling Nixon on the "Militia report". It was very interesting give-and-take, as Nixon would respond with a generic, political "This was not my doing, this was the previous administration's, and I support all law-enforcement methods provided they are legal" while facing some tough questions, not the least of which came from the J-School's Phil Brooks. Brooks essentially got him to admit that he condoned the report in body language and non-verbal communication, but on the record, "against" the militia report.
As the press conference ended, I followed some of the beat writers outside of the governor's office where they were interviewing a state Senator. After they were done, I figured he might be useful to the story for a soundbite (as he was from the Republican party but still supported the bill). I asked him 2 questions but didn't use them since the lighting in the hallway was bad, and I didn't really frame him on-camera very well.
I then wandered the halls of the Capitol for a little while, trying to figure out where to go from there with the story. I found my way into the House chamber, where session was just beginning. It turned out that the Kirksville state championship wrestling team was going to be honored for their victory, so in case I needed another story, I interviewed the 2 state champions and shot some b-roll of them being honored on the floor of the House. I never ended up getting to use it, but I'm glad I had a backup in case my bill-signing story went to the crapper. I decided to take a break for lunch, so in the downtime I had while standing on line at seemingly the only decent lunch place close to the Capitol, I spoke with the dayside producer, and she told me to try and get some reaction from anyone. I told her it would be difficult because the law was a unanimously passed, bipartisan bill, so it'd be very difficult to find someone against the law. She advised that the state treasurer would be a good place to look, so I went back to the Capitol and went to Clint Zweifel's office. Taking a total shot-in-the-dark, I asked the secretary if he would be available for an interview during the afternoon.
I went back to the car and shot a standup outside of the Capitol. It was a pretty worthless standup - I'm not showing the viewer anything besides my squinting face. By the time I was finished, I miraculously got a call-back from the Treasurer's office telling me he could meet me in 20 minutes. I told them that would be perfect, and went up to his office. His media relations organizer was very helpful and had me into his office within minutes. Zweifel was very cool, calm, collected and seemed at ease in describing the new law's affect on the state treasury. I did my best to make small talk with him off-camera to try and loosen him up, but he seemed very well-oiled at speaking in soundbites. Obviously, that makes our job a little easier, but at the same time, they're not authentic answers. Overall he was very accessible and helpful to putting together the story.
It really helped to have his soundbites for the VOSots and package. I had very little in the way of storytelling video (aka almost nothing!), so to have numerous bites from various officials was good for the reality of finishing the story. I liked what I was able to do for the story, I think it would have been incredibly difficult to do more with it on such short time. I also enjoyed the Jefferson City experience - being in the same room as Gov. Nixon was fun, and seeing him go back and forth with reporters was very interesting too.
---
I had another dayside reporting shift for the next day, Friday. I arrived with the same story idea from the previous day, rising gas prices. But, as with the previous day, I was handed a press release and told to go to that story. This time, it was a factory adding (!) jobs in Glasgow, MO. I was immediately up for it, as I love any story outside of Columbia. The only [slight] problem was that the event was scheduled for later in the day when we had to have it in for the 6pm newscast. So, I called the people in charge and asked if they would be OK with having me come earlier in the day to interview them and shoot some video - they were fine with it.
I got to Glasgow and discovered that it's a town in transition. In a town of roughly 1,500 people, its lost jobs from the weak economy while its bridge crossing the Missouri river, a thoroughfare to other towns, has been demolished and a new one is slowly built in its place. Meanwhile, the little downtown has a major railroad spur going through it and the buildings are all full of unique, bizarre little shops and restaurants. I would later dine at one of these fine establishments.
So for the story, I found it to be very interesting. The previous ownership of the factory had apparently laid everyone off, so in swept a new owner determined to keep the factory alive and active in the community. The plant once employed 350 people, but at its initial closing, it had less than 40 people at work. It re-opened with about 15 workers, then grew to its current size of about 50 workers. So, to be in good condition in tough economic times was very interesting. I interviewed the new owner, and several employees, and they had some candid remarks about what it was like to have their jobs axed in a small town heavily reliant on industry.
I got some good video too of the people at work sewing sleeping bags and blankets. It was very easy to shoot in sequences, since the workers were doing the same thing all day. It reminded me almost EXACTLY of the corn-cob pipe video we worked with in B1! Except of course, this in high-definition!
It was very easy to make a package out of it, and to have a VoSOT for the 10. Anyway, I've written too much and have to get off my computer.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Spring Break: Columbia, MO
I'm hanging out in a coffee place in South Columbia right now because my internet stopped working at home. The router is on the other side of the duplex, and it's locked, so I'm SOL for now. I've had a fun few days of PA announcing for Mizzou Baseball and various shifts at KOMU. Mizzou Baseball won a big series against Texas A&M over the weekend and had a chance to complete the sweep on Sunday but fell short. They lost last night to Illinois-Chicago (very bad loss) and have a chance to redeem themselves this afternoon against the Flames. Should be very interesting. Meanwhile, I've been SLOWLY recovering from a terrible sinus infection - more on that later.
As for my KOMU shifts, I started the week on Monday with a VO Patrol. I had a few story ideas, but upon getting to KOMU I realized they had already been covered. After the story meeting, I found a story about the Missouri River Regional Library receiving a grant to update its website. I arranged an interview with the library's manager, and it seemed fairly straightforward. After I got off the phone, Randy Reeves came up to me with a press release about a "DECA" conference in Lake Ozark - basically, a big gathering of high school students with an interest in marketing and business. It sounded good to me - I didn't have anything else to do that day, and I was 100% up for a drive to the Lake. Randy also mentioned that the newscasts would be very light, so the more I can get, the better. I figured it would be an interesting story to at least talk to students and see how they feel about their efforts as the economy sags. I figured it would be a better story than the library grant, so I called the manager back and apologized, saying that something had come up and we had to try for another day. So, I gathered the gear and hit the road. As with most trips to the Lake, it was a nice drive but I was bummed that I lost reception on 1580 (ESPN Radio)!
The trip took me down US-54 into the Lake region. I drove across the Bagnell Dam, which I've never seen before, so it was pretty cool. The whole drive was pretty spectacular as well with elevation changes, curves, plenty of foliage, etc. I'd never really been into the heart of the Lake's tourist areas, so this was a good opportunity to check it out. The main drag on Business loop 54 through Lake Ozark reminded me a lot of a combination of the Jersey Shore and Laconia, New Hampshire. Plenty of kitsch and riff-raff but most likely a lot of fun for everyone. I'll have to get down there this summer to experience it in its full glory. But I digress.
I arrived at the Lodge at Four Seasons, and found my way inside. The media contact, Chris Young, was a recent Mizzou grad and he showed me around - overall he was very helpful. Here's what was going on: students would be given a scenario and X amount of time to come up with a proposal or presentation on what they would do, then present it to various professionals from the business world. Their proposals would be judged, with the best groups or individual presentations earning a trip to the National conference in California. Entering the hotel, I was shocked at how many high schoolers were there. Kids from every corner of the state were dressed up in "professional" attire. Chris Young took me to a room where students would be presenting, so I set up in there and shot some video of different groups presenting their proposals. I thought my video was pretty good - it could have used some extra light, but I really liked my cutaways and sequences. It wasn't the most visually-appealing story to tell, but I was able to get plenty of people in it - not BOPSA, but close ups and angles that I thought were good for showing the kids' enthusiasm and efforts.
I interviewed several students from all over the viewing area. I met two young men from Hickman who had some interesting stuff to say - my one problem was that the lighting was not good. Their faces have a bit of shadow on them. I also didn't frame one of them very well - part of his head got cut off on the aired story. It looked OK in Avid and on the camera, I'll just have to remember to be more careful next time with the framing bars so that people with non-HD TVs can see it. I interviewed a few other students, and only used one more - a young woman from Tipton High, and she actually had a good bite. Two students from the KC Area had some filler comments, but I figured they wouldn't be as good since they were not from the viewing area. Altogether I was pleased with this story. Holly Edgell said she liked how I mixed up my shots and sequences. My writing was decent but Kent Collins suggested making my lead more interesting for one version. It was something to the effect of "Your intro line just says 'conference' and boring stuff. Make it more interesting." I definitely agree with him - in retrospect I would have changed that. I also learned that "Lake of the Ozarks" is not a town or city, so my locator at the beginning was wrong for the 5 and 6. Stacey Woelfel and I changed it to "Lake Ozark" instead for the 10. To be fair, the Tiger Chairs did not catch it for the 5 and 6, so I feel like it's an innocent mistake, but I should have known better. So, I felt good about that shift and hope I can enjoy future shifts as much as I did on Monday. I was basically at KOMU from 7:45am to at least 7:00pm - no problem at all, I enjoyed it. Here's the link.
Tuesday's VO patrol was a completely different story.
As I mentioned above, I have been suffering from a TERRIBLE sinus infection that leaves me severely congested, coughing, and in general very tired. I've been suffering from it for over two weeks, just trying to soldier through it, and it had improved somewhat, but not nearly to the point where I can be 100% active. I finally got so fed up with it on Tuesday morning that I made a doctor's appointment for the afternoon, so I didn't have much time to put in at KOMU like I did on Monday.
So, I went out to shoot some video for the red light camera contract approval in Columbia. What I didn't know was that those cool little cameras on top of various intersections in Columbia don't actually record red light runners - they just "monitor" traffic. So, essentially I had barely any good video to use for the VO because most of my video was of traffic cameras in Columbia. I managed to overcome that with some crappy sign shots - Providence, Business Loop 70, Rangeline, etc. and several generic shots of traffic lights. No sources called me back for this story, and in the limited time I had before my doctor's appointment, I couldn't wait around for someone to get back to me, so I went without a SOT for the 5, 6, and 10. I also noticed I had several typos in the script - "the average fine is could cost close to one hundred and twenty two dollars." Obviously, the "is could" is not good. Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I'm honestly embarrassed by my work on Tuesday. I just hope I can get back in there and do a better job tomorrow when I GA report.
As for my KOMU shifts, I started the week on Monday with a VO Patrol. I had a few story ideas, but upon getting to KOMU I realized they had already been covered. After the story meeting, I found a story about the Missouri River Regional Library receiving a grant to update its website. I arranged an interview with the library's manager, and it seemed fairly straightforward. After I got off the phone, Randy Reeves came up to me with a press release about a "DECA" conference in Lake Ozark - basically, a big gathering of high school students with an interest in marketing and business. It sounded good to me - I didn't have anything else to do that day, and I was 100% up for a drive to the Lake. Randy also mentioned that the newscasts would be very light, so the more I can get, the better. I figured it would be an interesting story to at least talk to students and see how they feel about their efforts as the economy sags. I figured it would be a better story than the library grant, so I called the manager back and apologized, saying that something had come up and we had to try for another day. So, I gathered the gear and hit the road. As with most trips to the Lake, it was a nice drive but I was bummed that I lost reception on 1580 (ESPN Radio)!
The trip took me down US-54 into the Lake region. I drove across the Bagnell Dam, which I've never seen before, so it was pretty cool. The whole drive was pretty spectacular as well with elevation changes, curves, plenty of foliage, etc. I'd never really been into the heart of the Lake's tourist areas, so this was a good opportunity to check it out. The main drag on Business loop 54 through Lake Ozark reminded me a lot of a combination of the Jersey Shore and Laconia, New Hampshire. Plenty of kitsch and riff-raff but most likely a lot of fun for everyone. I'll have to get down there this summer to experience it in its full glory. But I digress.
I arrived at the Lodge at Four Seasons, and found my way inside. The media contact, Chris Young, was a recent Mizzou grad and he showed me around - overall he was very helpful. Here's what was going on: students would be given a scenario and X amount of time to come up with a proposal or presentation on what they would do, then present it to various professionals from the business world. Their proposals would be judged, with the best groups or individual presentations earning a trip to the National conference in California. Entering the hotel, I was shocked at how many high schoolers were there. Kids from every corner of the state were dressed up in "professional" attire. Chris Young took me to a room where students would be presenting, so I set up in there and shot some video of different groups presenting their proposals. I thought my video was pretty good - it could have used some extra light, but I really liked my cutaways and sequences. It wasn't the most visually-appealing story to tell, but I was able to get plenty of people in it - not BOPSA, but close ups and angles that I thought were good for showing the kids' enthusiasm and efforts.
I interviewed several students from all over the viewing area. I met two young men from Hickman who had some interesting stuff to say - my one problem was that the lighting was not good. Their faces have a bit of shadow on them. I also didn't frame one of them very well - part of his head got cut off on the aired story. It looked OK in Avid and on the camera, I'll just have to remember to be more careful next time with the framing bars so that people with non-HD TVs can see it. I interviewed a few other students, and only used one more - a young woman from Tipton High, and she actually had a good bite. Two students from the KC Area had some filler comments, but I figured they wouldn't be as good since they were not from the viewing area. Altogether I was pleased with this story. Holly Edgell said she liked how I mixed up my shots and sequences. My writing was decent but Kent Collins suggested making my lead more interesting for one version. It was something to the effect of "Your intro line just says 'conference' and boring stuff. Make it more interesting." I definitely agree with him - in retrospect I would have changed that. I also learned that "Lake of the Ozarks" is not a town or city, so my locator at the beginning was wrong for the 5 and 6. Stacey Woelfel and I changed it to "Lake Ozark" instead for the 10. To be fair, the Tiger Chairs did not catch it for the 5 and 6, so I feel like it's an innocent mistake, but I should have known better. So, I felt good about that shift and hope I can enjoy future shifts as much as I did on Monday. I was basically at KOMU from 7:45am to at least 7:00pm - no problem at all, I enjoyed it. Here's the link.
Tuesday's VO patrol was a completely different story.
As I mentioned above, I have been suffering from a TERRIBLE sinus infection that leaves me severely congested, coughing, and in general very tired. I've been suffering from it for over two weeks, just trying to soldier through it, and it had improved somewhat, but not nearly to the point where I can be 100% active. I finally got so fed up with it on Tuesday morning that I made a doctor's appointment for the afternoon, so I didn't have much time to put in at KOMU like I did on Monday.
So, I went out to shoot some video for the red light camera contract approval in Columbia. What I didn't know was that those cool little cameras on top of various intersections in Columbia don't actually record red light runners - they just "monitor" traffic. So, essentially I had barely any good video to use for the VO because most of my video was of traffic cameras in Columbia. I managed to overcome that with some crappy sign shots - Providence, Business Loop 70, Rangeline, etc. and several generic shots of traffic lights. No sources called me back for this story, and in the limited time I had before my doctor's appointment, I couldn't wait around for someone to get back to me, so I went without a SOT for the 5, 6, and 10. I also noticed I had several typos in the script - "the average fine is could cost close to one hundred and twenty two dollars." Obviously, the "is could" is not good. Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I'm honestly embarrassed by my work on Tuesday. I just hope I can get back in there and do a better job tomorrow when I GA report.
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