Senior Year....Coming to a Close!

My Capstone project is something that I will always hold near and dear to my heart! It gave me an opportunity to express my creativity and to show how my internship experience really helped me with the rest of my time here at Westminster. It also gave me a chance to work with my mentors again at the station! I don’t know what I would’ve done without their advice. Last spring when Mr. Weaver first told us that we would need to do a project at the end of the fall semester, and have a mentor who we could go to for advice I thought it was a crazy idea. At that point in my life I thought I knew all there was about putting a resume tape together, but boy oh boy was I wrong. They helped me to learn how to sequence everything, how to choose what has the most impact, and what looks good! I can never thank them enough! I just hope that if I am ever given the opportunity to have this much impact on a student’s career and future that I can be just as helpful!

After the conclusion of my project it taught me to always look at my work from a different light! What may not look good to me or impact me in my everyday life could really impact those who watch me on television. I never really understood the point of video-journalism or “VJing” until I decided that that is what I wanted to do and started doing it. In the end doing all of this on my own (shooting, editing, reporting) will help make me more qualified when it comes to my job search and it will make me stand out. I mean, how many other people do you know who actually like to carry their own gear, spend a great deal of time editing, or coming up with their own questions…..I do! In the end I will get to be creative, I will get to show my passion towards the story, and it will be exactly what I want! It may take a lot of time, but it will be what I want in the long run and that is all that really matters!

It Only Takes One Person to Make a Difference!

This is one of the hardest entries that I have had to respond to in awhile. I am supposed to deconstruct one of the presentations that I have seen thus far. The truth is besides mine, I have only seen three others and they were ALL fantastic! If I had to chose one though I would like to deconstruct Shayna Marti’s Documentary just because it was so different. Shayna did a documentary on a faith based community volunteer project called “His Hands Ministry.” Members of area churches get together and volunteer in the summer to help people up-date and maintain their homes because they are just not able to do it themselves.
Shayna worked hard all summer to shoot this project while it was going on and her work paid off. She had fantastic footage and even took pictures to put in her documentary that really helped add that special component to her documentary. She told the story of what happened everyday from beginning to end days 1 thru 5. Her story was so compelling that it made me want to be active in the community and get out in volunteer. I come from a town and family where we are used to having everything done for us…I don’t have to worry about yard work, or painting the house. We have people that do that for us…but we pay them and this is volunteer. After watching this documentary I felt like a spoiled brat and I felt like I just wanted to get out and make a difference in the world.
If I could think of one thing that needed work it may be the story telling. It was written really well, but the way Shayna talked over the shots it just seemed like she was in a hurry. This isn’t her fault but rather a habit. We are all used to reading our newscasts for the radio and we only get two minutes to tell the story. For this though should could have as much time as she needed to tell the story…so it might have been a little more effective if should we have just slowed down and read more like she was telling a story not reporting.
Shayna did a fantastic job! It seemed like this was a project that she was really passionate about and it showed. Everytime I watch one of her documentaries it just makes me feel like I am superwomen and can accomplish anything! Great Job!

One Step Closer!

I never thought I would be standing in front of my peers, faculty, and my family giving my Capstone presentation as a Broadcast Communications major. I came to Westminster with the intent of becoming a dentist…which meant that I would be a biology major. The short version of the story is that I was not interested in Bio, I couldn’t understand what I was reading or why I was dissecting animals when all I wanted to do was work on teeth? When it became time to switch majors and try something new and exciting it was hard for me to think of things that I had an interest, but then the light bulb turned on…I love sports!

I wasn’t very interested in going into the field of sports management or sports medicine…that would only mean more bio and math classes. By Mom was actually the one who suggested going into broadcast communications. Should told me that speaking in front of people and being an overall “people person” this could definitely be something that I was good at. The rest is history!

Monday I did present my senior capstone project which was my resume tape. Since my internship I have become very interested in Video Journalism and of course even more intrigued by anchoring! So I decided that my project was going to be to put together a sports package for Titan-Town sports every other week, and to meet with my mentor Bill on what makes a good resume tape, and then present his advice and my resume tape as my capstone presentation.

It seemed to go over well. I had my family, friends, and professors watch my tape and then they were able to give me feed back. All of my hard work seemed to pay off considering the past few weeks that I have been putting this resume tape together everything that could go wrong has, but that’s behind me! The reason is because I felt like I did a great job and so did everyone else who came to support me (which meant a lot to me!) I even had two special guests. Bill Castrovince and Joe Allusio (another sports anchor at the station I interned at)! They were such a hit! Everyone got to talk to them and they are such down to earth guys….I even got my picture take with them which is the one I posted so make sure you check it out! Since I was the first one to go in my class I can now just sit back and relax! I feel like I have a big weight lifted off of my shoulders now that I am finished with my project I also feel that my project was a great accomplishment! I am now one step closer to stepping out into the “real world!”

Let the Games Begin!

Our Capstone assignment this week is to choose a job we would like to apply for and then create a cover letter in response to the job.

I REPEAT this is just a class assignment!

Sports Reporter / Anchor
Job Description
Make your mark in Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the nation, programming 58 stations located in 36 geographically diverse markets, with 33 of those in the top 47 markets in the United States. Our success is the result of extraordinary employees and an exemplary management team who believes in a vision and is dedicated to making Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc a communications powerhouse. We are advancing the world of Broadcasting and we want YOU to join our winning team! If you love sports... this is the job you have been waiting for! WKEFABC 22 AND WRGT FOX 45 in Dayton, Ohio has an immediate opening for a full-time Sports Reporter/Weekend Anchor. WKEF/WRGT maintains a strong commitment to sports... covering everything from high school to the pros. We need a proven utility player... someone who has the ability to report, shoot, edit, produce, and anchor. We have DVC Pro cameras and AVID editors. You may be trained to operate a live microwave van. We're looking for creativity and energy. Flexibility is also important... expect frequent schedule changes to accommodate coverage needs. No phone calls please.

( Sample Cover Letter)

Dear Mr.Casey:
I am writing in reply to the Sports Reporter/Anchor Position. I am perfect for this position because I am very dedicated, creative, and like challenges. I am knowledgeable in most sports, and have a passion for telling people what is going on in the world of sports. I have played high school and collegiate tennis so that is one sport I am extremely bright in.
For the past year I have been the sports anchor for our college cable television show Titan Town Sports. I have been taking the Video Journalist approach where I have shot packages, edited them, and then anchored them during the segment. During the segment I not only focus on local sports, but surrounding professional sports as well like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians. I am also the executive producer of the show where I create the rundown and make sure everything runs smoothly. The one thing I like about producing is that I get to demonstrate my creativeness by thinking outside of the box. I have done this by doing packages on The Special Olympics Bocce Program in Lawrence County and how New Castle Thunder Owner Anthony Razzano was severely burned in a garage fire, but has overcame that slim chance or survival and has started two organizations.
Thank you for your time. Although I may not know every detail about every sport, I am willing to learn. I hope you give me that opportunity and will consider me for this job. I promise you won’t regret your decision.
Sincerely,

You Want Me to Do What?

Classes aren’t usually something that I struggle with…. Of course they are challenging but not something I struggle with. Until I had to take a theatre class as part of my broadcasting major requirement. I’ve always been interested in theatre and have been in a few plays, but I have always been a little shy. Maybe even a little embarrassed and scared that I am going to do or say something that is going to make me like stupid. Not feeling confident in my abilities and most importantly myself is sometimes hard for me, but the feeling of getting up in acting in front of someone just made me feel uneasy. I know I have mentioned this class before but it was voice and diction.
When I walked into my first day of class I didn’t know what to expect. I am a very curious person so I did my research. I asked around to older broadcasting majors about what the class was going to be like. I kept getting the same response " That class is quite the class." So what would you think if someone said this to you? I just kept thinking to myself, "okay so is that a good thing or a bad thing." After my first day of class I knew exactly what kind of class this was…. a bad one! Just when he was going over the syllabus I heard three words that I dread hearing…. in front of. We would have to do a monologue in front of the class, do exercises in front of the class, AND practice all of this stuff in front of the class I knew from that point that I wanted to just curl up in a ball somewhere and forget that I ever heard any of this. I know why would I ever be scared of doing anything in front of people? I am on the radio and host a television show, but just think for a moment…. I am never really in front of people. On the radio, you stand in a studio by yourself most of the time and talk to people and relay information. In television, of course you have to read in front of people, but they are all part of the crew and are broadcasting majors. So they are either people I know, or have to go through the same things I have to. This class though was an Intellectual Perspective class, which to sum up for you means that anyone could take it.
One of the scariest things I ever did in that class was recite my monologue. I had to get up in front of everyone and recite something from memory…. oh yeah…and become that character. This was the hardest thing for me, but guess what, I did a great job. I didn’t miss any of my lines and Dr. Mackenzie even mentioned how great of a job I did! Although this was done towards the end of the semester it helped me feel very confident in myself. I knew that if I conquered this I could conquer anything! Now I like to act, scary huh! I never would’ve guessed in a million years that I would ever say that! This class helped me realize that I am unstoppable…I can do anything I put my mind to!

Politics, News, Sports?

I have always been interested in politics. It’s not like I know anything about Politics or even like to discuss them, but at the same time I am fascinated by the topics. When people talk about politics in conversation, I really admire them because they know a lot about something I really don’t. I guess this is the fascinating part. If I were traveling back to Westminster ten years from now Bill Sadler is definitely the person I would like to see how his life has been going. He’s a very well rounded person so I could see him doing anything, but going in to politics I could definitely see him, who knows maybe even be the mayor.
While at Westminster Bill has been involved in several broadcasting areas, meaning I have seen him do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I have seen him on camera, anchoring our cable television show The County Line, directing, and behind the camera shooting. He’s very gifted and has been blessed with so much talent that I could see him even doing something behind the scenes or anchoring the news. He is one person in our class that I feel is determined to be a success. One trait about Bill that makes me curious is he has a direction he wants to go in, which I believe is anchoring, but it will be interesting to see what path he takes. Is it anchoring sports, news, a political show, or is he the mayor of a town. I guess that is a good reason for me to keep in contact with him after graduation, or just be curious everyday after until I meet up with him again. No matter which path he takes I know he will do fantastic! I just want to wish him the best of luck…it’s a tough business but he will standout no matter where he goes in it!

I Think He Really Does Know Everything!

I have to admit this is one of my favorite entries, yet! The one upcoming Westminster Broadcasting Major who I know and admire is Andrew Borts. I have been in many classes and practicums with Andy because although he is a year younger than I am because I came into the major late so I was with first year students during my first year as a Broadcast major. Long Story..I know! Anyway the first time we met we were in a high school football remote. He came walking down bragging about how he worked at a big radio station, and in high school he did a lot of work with cameras and other related equipment. I am not going to lie I was pretty intimidated! He is pretty big into radio, and although he does a little bit of television, its obvious radio is his passion.
Andy is not only great at what he does; he’s a great friend too! Although he intimidated me at first, last fall we had a shift together anchoring the news and he showed me the ropes. I had never been on the radio before and I know it didn’t sound very pretty at first, but Andy never once made me feel like I was terrible even if I was. Whether you need help writing, editing, shooting, or just have a question in general Andy is always eager to help! He has such a bright future ahead of him! He is someone who I look up to, and am not afraid to admit it.
One of my other fondest memories was when Andy spent 2 hours helping me fix an audio problem that I had tried fixing on one of my packages. I tried day after day, hour after hour, and could not figure out the problem. Instead of letting me take a zero Andy helped me until the problem was resolved! When he makes it big in radio one day, or even maybe television I know that he will do a fantastic job! He knows so much, yet doesn’t let it swell his head! When in comes time for him to apply for jobs, any station would be crazy not to hire him!

Sports 101!

I know that I didn’t have to choose a Broadcast Major for this prompt, but I had to. The Westminster graduate that I know and admire is DJ Yokely. DJ was a transfer student who was a broadcast communications major. He was the host of our "Coach’s Corner Segment" in which he would interview the Head Football Coach at Westminster and a player. I really admire him for doing that show. I know what it is like to host sports show, but mine deals with every sport, and gives me the opportunity to do feature packages. His show focused on football. He had to do tons of highlights, play-by-play, and set up an interview segment for both the coach and player. He did an exceptional job!

DJ was also in my sports broadcasting class that was taught by Bob Hannon! DJ was an intern for the same station and before the merger was working there part-time. One of the greatest memories I have is when DJ and I were teamed up for a feature package for our class. He wanted me to do a stand up and pitch the story as if I was hosting sports show live. It was the first time I was ever in front of the camera in college and let me tell you I was so NERVOUS! He guided me along, and made sure that I was comfortable and that was something that I always remember when I step in front of the camera. Funny story is that he is back at the station doing some "VJ"work! No matter where I go, or what I do, I will always remember that first opportunity he gave me to stand up in front of the camera! I have loved it ever since! He could have done that stand up or pitched that story himself since he had so much experience, but he gave me that chance! I am forever thankful!

Student By Day, VJ & Anchor By Night!

Well I know that you would never guess in a million years what my capstone presentation would be about, right? Actually, I bet you would guess it…. Sports! My presentation is on Monday November 10th, 2008 at 7 PM. I debated on where I should do my presentation, but I found the perfect spot. I am going to present in the field house conference room.

Have you ever wondered if sports anchors shoot their own packages? As the anchor for our cable show Titan-Town Sports I can answer that question for you, I do! Its called being a video journalist or "VJ." Stations can hire fewer people to do more work and save money in the long run. I know that I have talked about this in previous blogs because the station that I interned at was doing this. I know that it was a lot of hard work, but everyone there seemed to get everything accomplished and didn’t have to worry about it being a crazy news room because of all of the people. I am going to show examples of how I went out every other week and not only shot my video for my packages, but I put them together and anchored them as well. The packages range from 1:30 to 2 minutes. If you aren’t a football fan no need to worry as I have worked very hard to do a variety of feature stories. Focusing on other sports such as high school soccer and the Special Olympics. No matter what your interest is, everyone can relate. I have taken all of these packages, as well as the episodes that I anchored Titan-Town Sports to my mentor Bill Castrovince for feedback. Bill is from WYTV33 the station that I interned at, and is a great story teller and video journalist. His input helped me to work hard to improve everyday not only on my editing and shooting skills, but my anchoring delivery, too!

I Bet You Will NEVER Guess Who I Chose?

Many of you may not know who the great and legendary John McEnroe is. If you don't I must say that I am disappointed but will get you up to speed. McEnroe was one of the most accomplished players in the history of tennis. For four consecutive years he was the world's No. 1 player. He also reached the No. 1 ranking in doubles. Total he captured 77 singles titles, including four US Open titles and three Wimbledon championships. McEnroe also won five times playing doubles at Wimbledon and four times at the US Open. He also won the mixed doubles title at the 1977 French Open with CBS analyst Mary Carillo. http://www.usanetwork.com/sports/usopen/theshow/characterprofiles/mcenroe/index.html
These are just his major accomplishments as an athlete. McEnroe is also lead tennis analyst for USA Sports. In case you did not know this, USA Sports covers the US Open.

I would do anything to meet McEnroe. He has accomplished so much in his life so far. He has not only played tennis for a long period of time he has also excelled in my dream job....a tennis analyst. Tennis has been a major part of my life. It is the sport that I know the most about and the sport that I have the most passion for. I admire him in so many ways. One that seems to stand out to me is that he was accussed of steroid use. Wheather he did or did not use steroids is irrelevent. http://www.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/01/11/mcenroe.steroids.ap/ I admire him for not letting it affect his love for the sport. He could have just walked away or disappeared but he didn't. He has went from being a fantastic player to an even better analyst. He has proved this by being nominated twice for a Sports Emmy Award as "Outstanding Analyst" from USA, CBS, and NBC, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July 1999. I know that I will never make it to play at the US Open or Wimbledon, but as long as i enjoy playing and can teach it to others I am the happiest person alive. No matter where this journey after college will take me one thing is for sure I will always have tennis in my life.

Yoga Stretches in a Voice Class?

There are a lot of faculty members at Westminster that have had some impact in my life in one way or another, but there is one who stands out. When the spring semester came around during my sophomore year I couldn’t believe I had to take a class taught by a theater professor. All I kept thinking was that I was going to have to get up in front of people and act, dance around, or pretty much just make a fool out of myself. Scott Mackenzie’s Voice and Diction class turned out to be one of the best classes that I have taken at Westminster. I mean I will admit that when he had us do stretches, or yoga type warm up’s, I was a little skeptical on how that would help me dictate better and help me to be a better broadcaster, but it did.

Dr. Mackenzie was not what I expected at all. He wasn’t out to embarrass people or make them feel uncomfortable. Instead, he wanted to help shape us to be great speakers, and for our “accents” to not hold us back from getting a job. We did have to do some odd warm-up’s like rubbing eachother’s backs, stretching our legs, or putting our hands on our partner’s diaphragm, let me tell you what this stuff helped. These exercises helped to open up and expand our diaphragm, and helped us to regulate our breathing. Breathing is very important to how we speak. Dr. Mackenzie made it a point that everyone, no matter what their speaking experience was, learn and demonstrate the importance of breathing and articulation.

Everything that I learned from him in his class will only help make me a better broadcaster. I mean some of my family members make it a point to tell me how much I articulate the ending’s on my words. I actually think they get annoyed by it, but its habit for me, and a good one if I must say. This is a class that I hope they never get rid of at Westminster, and I hope Dr. Mackenzie will continue to teach it for a long time. He knows so much, and is really concerned with what his students learn and how they retain that information. These are the kind of classes and professors that should be at every learning institution.

A Role Model.....A "Valley" Legend!

I know I say this from time to time, but this blog entry was quite easy for me. I knew exactly who the person was that influenced, helped, and shaped me the most professionally during my years at college. My internship was such a great experience. I can’t think of a better influence than Bob Hannon.
Being a women isn’t easy in the broadcasting field, let alone being a women in sports broadcasting. I thought to myself that if this is seriously what I want to do, I need to know the in and outs of sports. So an idea popped into my head….why not take a class. Bob Hannon was teaching a course about sports broadcasting during the fall semester. I learned so much from him. He taught be not only everything I needed to know about sports, but he taught be that even if I am a girl I can be just as knowledgeable and professional than any male sports guy. I even proved it, because I know for a fact that I had one of the highest grades, if not the highest in the class. He helped to make me feel comfortable and confident going in to sports broadcasting.
During class Bob had mentioned that in the spring they would be looking for interns. I guess you could say I was just a tad bit eager, because I sent him an e-mail right after class. That is how I landed my internship at WKBN/ WYTV. While going to my internship, Bob was a great role model. He was always on time, professional, and a prominent figure in the “Valley.” No matter whom he saw in public, whether he knew them or not he always greeted them with a smile and hello. To the people of Ohio, and even sports fans in Pennsylvania, Bob was the guy to inform you about sports. He taught me so much in such a short amount of time. All things I am going to take with me when I leave Westminster. I want to be like him, but a girl of course, but not exactly like him. Although, he was great at what he did, one thing he taught me was to find my style and stick with it…and that’s just what I am going to do! I’m sad that Bob is no longer in the Sports broadcasting field because he was an excellent person to learn from. I’m even sadder because future broadcasters will not have the opportunity to learn from him. I will never forget everything he has taught me and when I make it big one day, hopefully in ESPN, I can thank him for everything he helped me accomplish!

One of my best professional experiences....my internship!

I know that my main focus last semester was informing you all about my internship at WYTV 33/ WKBN 27. So why would you think that my first entry would be any different? The reason I am writing about my internship right now is because it truly was on of the best professional experiences that I have ever had that helped shape me.

My internship at the station taught me the importance of being on time (or even early), how to dress, shoot video, edit, and overall just how to be a professional while being out in the field. I'm not going to lie, most of the time I am an early bird and am always on time, but there are the occasional times when I was a few minutes behind. While interning at the station I learned the importance of being early because in news or even sports there is always things that can happen and throw everything off. PLUS it really impresses your employer when you are on time!

Being out in the public it's really important to dress your best and look professional! Being a college student, I'm sure most of us are used to wearing jeans and sweats, but this is not the job field for those articles of clothing. Being a broadcast major at Westminster we are give plenty of opportunities to shoot video and edit our packages. The only thing that made it more different when I would do those things at the station was that I felt pressured to complete everything in a timely manner and do the best that I could do because these were actual sportscasters who were going to critique my work!

All of these things are going to help me with hosting Titan Town Sports this year! My capstone project is to make a montage of all of my packages that I do (Bi-weekly) for Titan Town Sports! Since I want to be a sportscaster all of these things are only going to help me even more! Not only am I going to look and sound more professional, but I'm going to gain hands on experience which is a great pay off!

All Good Things Must Come To An End!

Who knew, way back in January, when I wrote my first entry, that I would have had one of the most enjoyable and valuable learning experiences of my life. My internship with WYTV/WKBN will be missed dearly. It was one, of a few things, that I looked forward to doing every week. It was so exciting and I never knew exactly what was going to go on, or where I would be going. I have also experienced a lot of firsts with this internship, such as stand ups, indoor arena football, election night, ice hockey, and how can we all forget, an RBI.

I have experienced a lot of happy and exciting events, as well as a tragic event. All which I will hold dear to my heart. My first stand up is something that I will never forget. Most of my broadcasting experience has come from reading scripts. So when I was practicing what I was going to say I stumbled a lot, mainly because I was nervous. This stand up was with Bill and he is such a great storyteller that I was just as nervous doing it in front of him. I was so pleased with how it came out. Bill did such a great job making me feel comfortable and so proud of what I accomplished. One of the best pieces of advice that Bill gave me was to tell a story as conversationally as possible. This is something that was very hard for me at first, but with practice, I have seen a major improvement.

Something else that really stands out is my first experience covering indoor arena football and ice hockey. I was so energized and ready for just about anything. I am so glad that I got to experience these kinds of things while doing my internship. I also picked up a few pointers when I went out with Joe to get some footage for a feature story on the Mahoning Valley Thunder. These are pointers I am going to take with me and continue using. One of those pointers I will always remember is that you don't always get to find out background information on the people you are interviewing or about the story you are going to do, so when you do a stand up you just need to be simple and to the point, and feed off of what the interviewee says. This I believe will not only help me in my final year here at college, but in my future as a broadcaster.

There are also many other things I will not forget. One of those things happened to hit close to home. That was when I went out with a news video journalist for the day and ended up covering a fatal accident that was a young student here at Westminster. It really hit me, because in sports, what goes on is a lot of exciting action, in news it’s not always as joyful. Some days you may cover something that is going on in the area that is very joyful and giving, things charity related. Then there are the things like covering a tragedy, whether it is a fire or an accident that are never easy. There are even times when you may know or be close to the person you are reporting on. That is just the difference between news and sports.

My time at the station went by so fast. I am still going to keep in contact with all of them. Bob is actually going to be looking at my packages that I am going to be doing for Titan Town Sports as part of my senior project. A lot of people I have talked to said that during their time at an internship they did not get hands on experience and that a lot of what they were doing was running errands or going on mail runs. I can honestly sit here and say that this was an amazing internship. I met a lot of nice people, learned a lot about myself, and gained a lot of knowledge. I was very blessed to be given this opportunity and to have worked with such great people!

Things That Happen Everyday in the Newsroom....

My internship this week was different than most. This week Bob asked me if I wanted to go out with a VJ in the news department. Since before in the past, I haven't got too many opportunities to go out with someone in news, so I thought this would be a great opportunity. Little did I know that Tuesday would be life changing for me.

Early that morning we received a phone calling telling us that there was an accident on the interstate. All I kept thinking was that I was hoping it was nothing serious because I have never been one for the sight of blood or anything worse. We drove on the interstate and saw the tow truck. We had to park on the opposite side of the road. Guess what that meant? We were going to be running across the interstate and as if that wasn't dangerous enough we were going to be running across the road with equipment. These are things though that happen all of the time when you are in news...you never know what's going to happen or what to expect.

We got some footage of the accident and then met with the trooper to get details about the accident. The only thing we found out was that it was serious and the driver was life- flighted to an area hospital, and a one vehicle accident. We left and after being back for awhile it was time for the noon news. The competing station had declared the accident fatal, but the officer had told us it wasn't. We finally got confirmation, and the accident was fatal. I kept thinking about it, and was glad in a way that I did not see the accident as it was being handled, but just saw it being cleaned up.

Later that night I got news that the driver of the car was from my college. I didn't know what to feel at that moment. My heart kind of sank. I was sad for her, her friends, and her family. I had only known of her, so I really didn't know her. In a way I was kind of glad that I didn't, because if it had been one of my friends out there I don't know how I would have reacted. This really hit home to me.

This is something that could happen at any time when you work in news. You never know what to expect. News is a lot different than sports. When in sports everything is pretty much happy, and fun. Most things I've seen in news so far have been very emotional and serious. I think people who are in news deserve a lot of credit. They witness things that are really serious and can too be in harms way, just like police officers and firefighters. I really hope that I can get a job in sports right away, but if now I guess I know ahead of time what I will be in for if I go in to news.

What...an RBI?

The past few weeks I've been talking a lot about doing hands on things at the station, like doing my own packages and stand ups, but this week I gained sports knowledge. Sports have been a big part of my life since I was 5 years old. Since I was a girl, I couldn't play sports like football, baseball, wrestling, etc. So most of the sports knowledge I have is from the sports I have played, and I know them in and out. Sports like tennis, soccer, volleyball, and track & field. I grew up watching football with my Dad and Uncles, so I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to that, but softball and baseball that was a different story.

It is spring sports season and that does mean baseball and softball coverage. I guess this week was as good of a time as any to learn. I mean I do want to be a sportscaster, and baseball is America's favorite past time. Joe was the lucky guy to teach me the in and out's of baseball this week. I already knew the basics like how many innings in major league, how many strikes and balls the batter get's before they are out. Joe told me what an RBI was, there are only 7 innings in high school ball, and that a K means strike out. These are very important things to know if you want to be a sportscaster. When I would keep stats before I would just write what he told me to write. This week I was actually catching on and writing down what happened before he even told me.

When going in to this internship I thought that most of what I would learn would be technical things. Things like editing, or learning tricks of the trade. It's been more than that. I've been learning new things each and every week and this week was no different. Most of a sportscasters knowledge comes from experience of playing or watching a certain sport. I could sit down and read books on rules of sports or articles in magazines, but that just not how I learn. Joe would explain what was happening as it was taking place and I caught on right away. Baseball just wasn't something I was ever interested in, but I'm sure glad I've become more knowledgeable about it and now know what's going on a little more. This is something that can only help!

Welcome to the World of Arena Football!

I know the past few weeks have been me talking about the excitement of doing packages. This week I got to do something a little more different. This week I not only went out with a different sportscaster, but I was introduced to the world of arena football. There is an arena football team in Youngstown Ohio, which I didn't know. Where I live this isn't something that is offered, so it was new to me. I'm a big football enthusiast, but I didn't know how the two would compare. Not only was I excited to go see what arena football was all about, but I would be going out will Joe. Joe anchors sports at 10, and although I've met him before, I've never got to go out and see how he does everything.

I usually go out with the same person when I film, and I've picked up a lot of good pointers from him. This was my opportunity to go out and pick up a few more from someone else's point of view. When we arrived there I was so overwhelmed, yet excited! The first thing I noticed was that the field is a lot shorter than a normal football field. Joe explained to me that the reason the space is smaller is because it's played an arena and the space is limited. The field is the normal length of a standard NHL hockey rink. I also found out that scoring is the same as in the NFL with the addition of a drop kick field goal worth four points during normal play or two points as a post-touchdown conversion.

Like Bill, Joe is also a video-journalist. He interviewed a player for the Mahoning Valley Thunder, shot a stand up, and then shot some b-roll. I found all of this to be so fascinating because I've never been introduced to the world of arena football before, and I learned some new pointers, such as you don't always get to find out background information on the people you are interviewing or story you are going to do, so when you do a stand up you just need to be simple and to the point, and feed off of what the interviewee says. I was so fascinated by all of this that I'm going to go and watch the Thunder play tonight!

On My Own!

My internship was amazing this week! I was finally on my own editing. I still had a few finishing touches to add to my student athlete package that I told you about last week. So I figured now was as good a time as ever to put my finishing touches on that package, and do it on my own. I was amazed how fast I learned my way around everything. I'm a very hands on kind of learner. If I just watch what is going on, but never try it myself I won't learn a thing. If I just explore everything, and learn what everything is chances are I will be able to remember what I did and even pick up a few tricks along the way. The only thing I wanted to make sure was that I couldn't mess anything up that would cause the news to not run or change the order or anything, I mean anything is possible when I'm around!

It all worked out wonderful, I mean one day when they were showing me the editing system I was just thinking to myself, "There is no way I'm ever going to remember that." A week later I was finishing up my own package with very little help. I mean I'm not a professional or anything at this system, but I was proud that I was learning something and had showed progression. I felt so confident that I even asked Bob if I could do another package on this week's athlete because I had shot my own stand up when we were at the tennis club, plus it dealt with one of my loves....tennis! He agreed, and was excited, I think mainly because I was excited and so enthusiastic to do something else on my own.

It took me a little longer than the average package I would do here because I was still learning where everything was and what it all does. I put my sound-bites in, wrote my script and voiced it, and last but not least was the editing of the video and putting it all together. I really liked how it turned out and so did Bob. He told me that I wrote into the bites really well and that my stand up looked good. I know he was probably thinking that I was talking too fast or that I was too stiff, but he never said anything like that, maybe I was just thinking that and was being too hard on myself. I'm just one of those people who like to learn and practice, yet be critical of myself because there's always room for improvement.

Overall, it was a great learning experience and I'm pleased with how they both turned out. Although, my favorite was the tennis package because I did it all by myself! Now I have two more things I can take with me when I leave my internship!

Stand up!

So I know I have been writing a lot in the past few weeks about my creation of student athlete. Well I have some new updates on that project, as well as some new ones. This week when I went in for my internship I had Bill read over what I had wrote to go along with my student athlete story. He was impressed, but gave me a few suggestions on how to make it sound more conversational. I re-vised it, and then I began starting the editing process. Bill had to fill in for Bob during the 6 PM News so I asked him if he would mind if I messed around with the editing system so I could find out where everything is and how it all works. That is just how I learn, I am a very hands on type of person. He told me that it was okay, and I went on my way. It's very similar to the system I use here at school so it wasn't too hard at all. So not only did I finally finish my athlete story....but I did it all by myself by exploring the program!

Bill had a suprise for me up his sleeve. He asked me if I would want to go out with him to do another student athlete with him who is a tennis player. In case you didn't know, tennis is my life. I have played for almost eight years, and even taught lessons at our Country Club last summer, so I was very excited! There was a twist to this though, not only would I be going out to hear this student's story about tennis, but I would be shooting my first stand up. I can't even describe how I felt at that moment. I was so excited to shoot my first stand up and since I know so much about tennis I knew it would just flow right out of me because I know so much about the sport and what's going on.

We did the interview, got some shots of the athlete playing, and then it was that time....stand up time! I'm so used to reading from scripts and with stand ups, well atleast this one, there would be no script included. I knew what I wanted to say, but with Bill being there it made me a little nervous. This is a guy who's been doing sports and stand up's for awhile...what if I fell on my face! I didn't! I kept stumbling when saying it out loud to Bill, and he suggested that we turn on the camera and begin recording it. My first take came our perfect, it was like since the camera was on the mood just changed. I was no longer nervous but excited. I felt like such a professional. We did a few takes and Bill told me I was a natral. When we got back to the studio we watched it, and I was so proud of myself! I just need to learn to use my hands more or create movement when describing what I'm talking about!

I actually think I'm going to put together another package on this athlete so I can include my stand up! It helped me to feel more confident in myself! If I didn't know before, I sure do now, that this is exactly what I want to do with my life!

Student Athlete...Take 2 !

So I know in my last entry I talked about being able to do my very own student athlete of the week story. Well I have some bad news to report... our footage got erased! SO it was back to square one, again! Bob called to let me know what time to come in on Wednesday and asked if I would like to go out with Bill to film this week's student athlete of the week. I was so excited, yet confused, because I though I would be working on my athlete story from last time not filming a new one. He explained what had happened and I was very anxious.

On our way there Bill explained to me that this week's athlete is not only Valedictorian of his senior class, but is also a three sport athlete. This is something very hard to come by and I was ready to hear the story behind this kid. When we arrived, they were just getting finished with practice. We set up the equipment and began asking our questions. The athlete wasn't nervous at all, more excited than anything, and we found out some interesting stuff about him. One of the most intriguing things I fould out was that for all three sports he plays, he has kept the same number all through high school. I could tell just by his responses that this kid's first priority isn't sports, but academics, and this is something hard to come across in today's society.

I just finished up working on the story, and next week i'm going to be adding my voice and editing all of the sound bites and footage that I am going to use. I'm even more excited to do this story than the last. Tune in next week, as I talk about how the final version turns out!

Student Athlete

So with basketball season coming to a near end, I've had some extra time to work on my student athlete assignment. Bob asked me to go out with Bill while he filmed a student athlete of the week so I could see what it was all about. My assignment would then be that when I returned I would be writing a story for student athlete, editing it, and voicing it as well. This could be something I could use in the future for my resume tape, or just to have as a keepsake from my internship. I've been pretty excited about starting to work on it, but with basketball season in full bloom a few weeks ago it made it hard. So I've now got my opportunity to start working on it and seeing what direction exactly I wanted to go in with it. I knew right away that I wanted to talk about her academic achievements, teamwork, and advice her Father gave her when she first began her basketball career. On our way back from filming, I talked these ideas over with Bill and these were things he definitely was going to mention in his student athlete story. This was a good thing, because I then knew I was on the right track, and if these were things that caught my ear I'm sure it would catch the listeners ear as well.

I can't wait to go back from break and start editing. Their editing program is different than what I'm used to using at Westminster, but I'm sure I can pick it up and catch on. I have already wrote everything I want to voice for it, I just have to add the sound bites. I intentionally didn't watch the student athlete segment on the news that way I wouldn't be tempted to write it the way Bill did, but instead be able to be creative and write it the way I wanted to do it. I think this was a great suggestion because it gives me another great opportunity to work on different equipment and to write and report stories. These are all things that I like to do, and they are giving me yet another opportunity to show them my creativity, and may be another thing to help get my foot in the door.

Election Night!

Well I had an intresting offer this week, and it was one that I could not pass up! Bob called and asked me if I could come in Tuesday night instead of Monday because Monday was pretty slow and Tuesday would probably be a little more busy. I didn't think anything of it until I glanced down at my planner and saw that it was the Ohio primaries. All I kept thinking to myself was how awesome it would be if I got to do something with the news at that time because this primary was so crucial for the Democratic party. I was checking my e-mail a little later and Bob sent me an e-mail asking if I could come in until after the 11:00 news was over and help keep track of the Election results in the 4 counties they cover and I would be in the news department. This was such a great opportunity because I not only got to do something different, but I would be working with the News Director. This was a great opportunity to show him that I'm a hard and organized worker...and he would know my name!!! That's one step closer to getting my foot in the door than I was before.

I arrived there and didn't know what to expect. At first I was almost star struck because I was surrounded by such talent. All of the evening news anchors were there and I couldn't help but watch them and see what they were doing. I was surrounded by some of the people that I look up to as being great in their field. It was pretty slow at first because there was a shortage in ballots so they would not release the results until 9 PM. Once that time came around it started to pick up, and I was getting calls with the results and entering them into the computer. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but it was such a great opportunity. I got to be surrounded by the talent of the evening news anchors (all whom are very nice to me), and I got my foot in the door. When jobs are so scarce in this field you need to take whatever you can that will help these people remember your name and stand out...not every opportunity you get is going to be fun and exciting, but if it will help get your name remembered and one day get me to my dream job I will do it!!!

Change in Plans!

I know I told you all that I would be meeting with the Newsdirector at WKBN/WYTV, but with all of the snow we had this week some adjustments were made in the schedule. So I will be meeting with him this upcoming week, but I know I've been telling you guys a lot about the whole Videojournalist experience. This week I got to add to that. I went out with Bill to cover to high school playoff games up by Cleveland. The one game that we were going to was Northwest & Canfield. Canfield has a player on their team that we were going to be interviewing for WYTV's Student Athlete. Bill shot student athlete all by himself. He first set up the camera on a tripod, whitebalanced, and then checked to make sure the student would be in frame. Next he got the mic out, tested it to make sure there was audio, and then began the interview. This was great hands on experience because I got to see the whole product from beginning to end on just what it was like to be a videojournalist.

After the interview on our way back, Bill gave me some surprising news. He said that I was going to write a story on this athlete and this upcoming week I was going to be able to put a package together from the footage we filmed on her. This was really exciting because this is my first big opportunity to put together such a good story and hold onto it so I can one day use it for my resume tape because I helped film and would be writing my own story. I was so overwhelmed and excited at the same time that I began writing a story right away on our way back to the station. I first thought about the sound bites I had heard during the interview and what I was going to use out of them for my story. Most likely what caught my ear will catch the viewers ear as well. I began to write my story, and as with most beginning journalists you tend to write long bites and not as conversational as it should be. Since Bill was with me I would write a bite ask him how it was, and then if I wasn't satisfied (which was most of the time because I'm a perfectionist) I would stick to the same thing I wrote before but shorten it.

One of the best pieces of advice that Bill gave me was to just imagine you are reading this to a friend, would you really talk as formal as you are, or would you be more conversational. This really helped because I would read my story out loud and realize that I would never talk like that to my friends if I were telling just how great of an athlete this player really was. Another thing that I realized was that with the Student Athlete profile that they do on area athletes they really focus on players who are both academic and team leaders. The girl that we did this week was not only going to be going to Pitt to play in the fall, but she had an academic GPA of almost 4.0. Bill told me that this is a common theme with all of the athletes they chose. I can't wait to finish this story next week and see how it compares to the actual one that showed on the news segment lastnight. I didn't watch it purposely so I could compare what I wrote to that of a professional. I will let you all know how this goes next week! Just maybe being a videojournalist is in my future after all!

Upcoming Meeting With the News Director!

Wednesday my assignment was to go out with Bill and cover boy's high school basketball playoff games. I was pretty excited because I don't mind doing stats for basketball at all. On our way to the game I was filling Bill in on how much i enjoy doing everything from editing to shooting and reporting, and he had a suggestion for me...one I didn't really expect! He told me that I could shoot a little bit of the second game that we were going to and I was really excited about that. We didn't end up staying at that game very long, so I didn't get to shoot, but the news just kept on getting better. He suggested that I have Bob talk to the News Director and introduce me because that is what New Vision (the company who merged WKBN & WYTV) is all about "video journalists". I mean reporting or anchoring is what I one day want to accomplish, but at the same time I don't mind shooting and editing it's kind of like my way of showing creativity. When I first heard what a video journalist was this fall I never really considered it to be something that I would enjoy doing in the future, but the more I started editing and putting packages together in my Video Production class the more I enjoyed doing it! Yesterday, the news got even better when Bob e-mailed me to say that I was going to be meeting with the news director next week. I mean how exciting is this, I thought when I signed up for this internship I was going to be gaining a lot of experience and building upon the knowledge I have already learned, but now I am going to be meeting with the news director which may possibly land me my first job! I'm so excited, and Bill told me that New Vision really wants to hire video journalists just out of college because they can hire one person who can do everything instead of worrying about hiring editors and photographers....it sounds like they are looking for people just like me! This is going to be my first big opportunity!

My New Love!

Since I signed up to do my internship in the Spring, I knew I wasn't going to get to go out and cover one of my favorite sports football, but it would most likley be basketball. Basketball is a sport that I'm not really in to watching until March Madness rolls around, but if I want to be in the business of sports I need to be well rounded in all sports.

When I first began a lot of what I was doing was keeping a log of what was happening during a high school basketball game, so that when we arrived back at the studio it would save a lot of time just knowing what we wanted to use and where it was all at. Basketball is a very fast paced sport and when logging you really need to be paying attention to everything that is happening on the court. Little did I know that when I arrived they were going to be sending me out to cover a sport that was not basketball and a sport i didn't know so much about.....ice hockey.

I was shocked and amazed at the same time. All I kept thinking to myself was, do I know enough about this sport, what if I get hit in the head by a puck, or some big brawl happens in the arena....and most of all what did I get myself into. This was one of the best experiences I have encountered with my short time at the station. It was nothing like I expected. The team I was going to watch was the Youngstown Steelhounds. They are not an official NHL team, but more of a minor league. The camera man and I stood right behind the glass, and it was the best! You could hear the players smashing up against the glass, and the sound of the puck hitting the glass and outside of the ring! All I can say is that I hope I get to cover it again it was such a rush!

An Evening With The News Crew

So Monday night i arrived at the WKBN station to find a suprise waiting for me. I was informed that I was going to be going out with a news reporter instead of going out and covering high school basketball games. I was shocked and excited all at the same time because I have often debated on whether or not I want to go into news or sports.

I went out with a reporter to Salem to cover a story on "Project Prom" where four local schools are asking for donations of gently used prom dresses to help out girl's who are having a hard time affording gowns for this year. I really liked the topic that we were covering because anytime it involves helping out a community I am always interested, plus we do something very similar in my hometown so I thought it would be interesting to compare them.

When we arrived we automatically interviewed the senior student who was in charge, and then shot footage of the meeting taking place. The reporter that I was with while shooting the interview had in mind before he got there what exactly he was looking for for a sound bite so it made the editing process a lot easier.

When we went back to the station to put the story together he had in mind already the direction he wanted to go in, so it was all pretty much just capturing the video and adding the sound bites to the footage you wanted to do. One thing I realized though, was that this reporter was very picky about how he worded everything, which is something that I don't usually see with the sports guys.

Overall, I was pleased with how the final product turned out. It was a very good experience because I really like to report on stories that people can relate to, so in that aspect I wouldn't mind reporting news. On the other hand though, I really enjoy sports a lot more and still believe that I want to be a sports anochor one day, but it's always good to experience new things and this experience helped me to decide what area I truly belong in.

Covering Two Area High School Basketball Games

So I've been telling you about some of the differences I have personally noticed while doing my internship with WYTV 33 in the WKBN Station, and this week I noticed one major difference. When I arrived on Wednesday, I knew I would be going out with Bill to cover an area game, but I didn't know which game it would be. Bill said that we would be covering two area girl's basketball games. I automatically thought that it would just be 33 covering the game, but towards the end of the fourth quarter I noticed another competing station covering the game as well....but it was then that I noticed that the 3 stations who merged have an advantage over other local stations. Not only do they get to form a close bond together with one another and learn from eachother, but when one of the three stations cover an event, the other 2 go out and cover other games as well and then they all share their footage with one another. They may use the same footage, but not always run the same stories. This now means that they can cover more games than they normally would because they are working as a team and can go out and cover more. So the other competing station who didn't merge which is 21 usually doesn't get as much footage from area games like the other three.....how cool is that? This merger is becoming something we may see more and more in the future and could really benefit people in their viewing areas because they can give them more local news.

BC Capstone & Internship @ WYTV 33

One of my first assignments for my senior capstone class was to create a blog & to write weekly posts. With this blog I would like to talk about my first hand experience with the WYTV 33 /WKBN 27 & WYFX 17-62 station merger in Youngstown Ohio. I am currently doing an internship in the sports department with Bob Hannon at WYTV 33, but all three stations share the WKBN building. This is not only a new experience to me, but to everyone who works there. Not only are anchors anchoring, but they are shooting, editing, and writing to the stories as well. They are now becoming what is known as a one man band or video journalist. I would like to one day be a sports anchor and am getting first hand experience at a station that is merged into one building with two other stations. When I first walked in to the sports department I was amazed to see four desks in one office. The wierd thing was, that besides the two sports guys who report sports for 33 there was also one from 27 & 17....all sharing one office! This is something that could happen in the near future to other stations as well.