producing...part 2.

i got to produce for real yesterday.

not that the first time didn't count. just that i had no idea it was happening until after i was already in the newsroom.

this time was good. i went to the story meeting on friday and found out what my reporters were going to be doing stories on (mostly sports and general conference) and had time over the weekend to dig through news and decide what i wanted for my show.

i woke up bright and early on monday (4AM!) to bake muffins for the people in my newsroom (three kinds -- pumpkin chocolate chip, blueberry, and mini chocolate chip) and watch the early morning news. i browsed the wires before my e.p. got there (she was running a little bit late) and had the show mostly stacked before she got there. there was lots of good local news over the weekend so it was pretty not-too-bad. and then all the news-people started pouring into the newsroom and everything got all busy.

i assigned stories to my a.p.'s...kept tabs on my reporters...sent my photog out for some video...asked the assignment desk editor to make some phone calls...helped the tape editor get set up...coordinated camera shots with the technical director...got my reporters up to speed with the newscast...wrote teases and headlines...made sure everyone was staying on task and meeting deadlines...all sorts of crazy things.

and then it was time for the show. everything went pretty smoothly -- all the reporters were done on time, the graphics and video were sent and minus a few minor mess-ups, it was a great show. i kept my cool and helped everyone along, cutting one break for the sake of time, and then just let it go from there.

the best part?

my news director's facebook status after the show -- "GREAT newscast today... I'm working with some strong future professionals!"

oh. and everyone loved the muffins ( :

oh. i'm a producer.

i produced my very first newscast today!!

who knew? well...not me, when i walked into the newsroom today. i sort of knew we were all going to have the chance to do it sometime, but i wasn't sure when we were going to start doing them. and then...SURPRISE. today was apparently my day. aside from a total lack of preparation, it was actually really fun. it's a funny feeling when you know exactly what is happening throughout the newscast, and yet have no idea what the specifics of anything are. plus you are in charge.

the important thing was that we got on and off the air on-time, but there were moments in between that were awesome too. it was cool to work with my fabulous anchors and help them relax and get ready for a great show. this is not to say i didn't make mistakes, but i learned to fix them and keep on moving, and otherwise to learn from them and continue anyways.

basically, today has taught me how cool producing is. it is such a communication-based project and it's important to make sure everyone is on the same page when changes are made. also, as a producer, i need to keep a level-head while not stressing too much.

because, in the famous words of ross -- "it's just tv."

end of my 10tv summer.

crazy to think that my internship has been over for more than a week now. i had so much fun with the 10tv crew and now i am back at school...working in a totally different newsroom (the daily news) and returning back to college life.

so many good memories from the past few months though...hanging out with ritter...asking ross crazy news questions...doing standups with andy...waking up at 2 AM for the early show...writing (and re-writing and re-re-writing) with lindsey...learning how to be a sweet reporter with mo...making billions of phone calls for the producers...tagging along on glenn's super-far-away stories...learning about h1n1 with cara...doing breaking news...practicing my shooting skills with nate...so many school stories with tanisha...being desk neighbors with kurt...working on my voice with brittany...convincing people to do interviews with kevin...crimetracking with angela...getting to work with so many awesome and talented people on a daily basis -- award-winning photogs and reporters and producers and the fun people at the desk and editing...what a great summer.

it's definitely one i will never forget.

almost the end.

this is going to be my last week at my station. i can't believe it.

my internship requires me to write about my "discoveries" and things i've learned and i don't even know where to start. this summer has been a whirlwind. i feel like i have learned so much and yet still i have no idea what i'm doing! but i'm always trying harder and i want to be a good reporter someday.

the best thing for me at my station was the people that i got to work with everyday. everyone was so supportive and friendly and helpful...they believed in me before i did. i credit them with everything i was able to accomplish over the past few months. if i ever get a job in tv news broadcasting, it will be because of the reporters, photographers, assignment desk workers and producers that i worked with here.

i've started working on my thank you cards. there's so many to do! it's not hard though because i seriously have so much to be grateful for and everyone has helped me in different ways. after monday and wednesday i will be done at channel ten...and yet i secretly hope i will be back. maybe for another internship (if i can't find a job next summer) and maybe someday i might be good enough to work there...in a long time

my resume tape is coming along...i have done about 12 full stories this summer and am choosing the best couple for my dvd. what an adventure it has been. i am sad that it is almost over but i am going to love every minute of the next few days. because that's all you can do, right? love it while you're here, learn as much as you can, and then move on to whatever life has in store for you next.

election night.

that's right. tonight was my very first election night as a member of the media. and it was pretty interesting.

we only had two issues on the ballots:

issue 1: a 1/2 percent income tax increase to save jobs of firefighters, police officers, etc.

issue 2: school levy to allow sports and extracurriculars in the southwest city school district

issue 1 passed 51% to 48% and issue 2 failed, 50% to 49%.

i can't really complain about either issue. it's too bad for the kids who go to sw city schools and it's too bad for the people of columbus who are going to have to pay more taxes for the rest of their lives (since taxes like that are never really repealed). what i do think is kind of dumb is this number: 18.5%

that is the percentage of people who voted. out of almost 600,000 people who could have cast their ballot, only about 110,000 chose to do it. now, i don't like to get too excited about government and elections and stuff. but seriously. this is america. it's supposed to be "by the people and for the people." but when most of the people don't show up...that's not exactly democracy at work.

so overall it was a good night. we got our numbers out before the other competitors, which was the goal, and i got to interview a guy who was against issue 1 and he had some interesting things to say. i just wish more people cared about what was going on in the community instead of just complaining about it all the time. that's all i have to say about that.