During our broadcast writing unit, my MEJO (Media and Journalism) 332 class on PR Writing got to visit the Carolina Week class, in which students put on a live news show. I really enjoyed getting to see all of the intricacies and drama without having to be personally stressed about what I needed to do. Here are 11 of my further thoughts on what this glimpse entailed.
1. Oh my gosh, everyone is screaming and I would cry if that was me. I could never do this.
CUE HER CUE HER!!
2. Wow few things are more affirming than those intermittent compliments and that I'm-hype-that-went-well-single-clap. I could maybe do this.
Aw what a family. I'm loving the love, especially after the yelling.
3. What the heck is going on with those graphics...how.
How did I not realize people have to do all of those things we see on TV? And in a perfectly-timed fashion?
4. Ahh so short anchors have to stand on dictionaries. Better practice my balancing skills.
No wonder the anchors are the same height. I wonder if that's to aid awkwardness or the steadiness of the camera.
5. This room is sooo cold… I guess so the anchors don’t sweat under the lights?
I wish I had a sweatshirt and leggings like the floor director does right now.
6. So about 10 things are going on at once… I had no idea the news took so many various skills and fancy, intricate, confusing machines.
And all students minus the anchor get to go in rotation. I wonder if each job is as stressful or chill as it looks.
7. Scrolling the teleprompter looks like a video game. I can’t tell if that’s fun or stressful.
Probably both.
8. The anchors really have that special ~anchor voice.~
Is there a handbook on how to talk that way?
9. People have told me I’m a good speaker. Maybe I should volunteer and apply for an anchor position.
It's a different kind of speaking though...and so much pressure.
10. No, probably shouldn’t, it requires too much time and training I don’t have time for, and it’s not my specialization.
I'm disappointed...but there's only so much I can do.
11. Overall, that was a very interesting and fun experience. Maybe there's a more lowkey way to get involved.
I'm sure the non-live news reports are more chill? Which ones are those?
While I don't have the time to get more involved with broadcasting on a committed level, I really found this experience to be interesting and entertaining. It provided a better understanding of what this career looks like behind-the-scenes.
