WEEK TWELVE: News 20 at 5 Monday Newscast

April 16, 2012

The end came much faster than we expected..

Today was our final day working for News 20 at 5. The experience that we've gained through putting on a live newscast is very rewarding. Nevertheless, here's how our day went:

Reporters covered the following stories:
1. Virginia St. Shooting Update - VO (originally VO/SOT/VO)
2. Frenchtown Health - VO/SOT/VO
3. Alcohol Awareness Month - VO/SOT/VO
4. Graduating Engagements - PKG
5. Mental Health Records - PKG

Our day started fairly slow, with an abundance of outdated local headlines. Our morning meeting ran a little longer than usual, because we were forced to think of story ideas for the reporters. Two reporters worked on a package, while the third reporter did VO/SOT's. One of the packages was situated within E-block. The show was stacked light, so I thought the package would not pose a problem for timing. Well.. it did, and it caused me to cut the package while on air - not the best way to end my last show producing for News 20 at Five.

However it is good to end with a great appreciation for news, and the work that we've accomplished. This is definitely a memory that will stay close to my heart when I think back to my college years. I hope to keep up with shows during the next semesters via live stream.

WEEK ELEVEN: News 20 at 5 MONDAY Newscast

April 9, 2012


Reporters covered the following stories:
1. Ocala Rd. Hit & Run - VO
2. No Grand Jury for Martin - VO/SOT/VO
3. No March for Champion - pkg
4. Sexual Assault Awareness - VO/SOT/VO
5. FAMU i-Grades - VO/SOT/VO
6.Charter School Groundbreaking - VO/SOT/VO
7. Star Metro Hearing - VO/SOT/VO


This week's A-block was practically full to capacity. There were two live shots from reporters Alexandria and Christian. Alex was live from the chroma wall, while Christian was live from the anchor desk. Aside from a few audio issues, this block went fairly well. All content was very relevant and timely.


There were some issues that had to be corrected on-air that needed to be proof read before 4:00 p.m. For example, the story leading into weather tease was very hard (North Korea Nuclear) and didn't leave the anchors with much room for conversation. I've always been told to end this block with something light and conversation friendly. Also, the "Goodbye", which is the last segment of the show was completely skipped, and remained a template until the anchor asked me to adjust the script.


The next show will be our last show as a news team here at News 20 at Five. I would like to leave on a good note, and finally accomplish that "perfect show" that we always speak of.


Next week's goal: Meticulously scan the entire script for errors and do not make errors learned during the early weeks of production.

WEEK TEN: News 20 at 5 MONDAY Newscast

April 2, 2012

Reporters covered the following stories:
1. 911 Emergency Dispatch Issues - Pkg
2. Lowe's Shooting Update - VO
3. Vincent Binder Anniversary - VO
4. Uptown Cafe Report - pkg (did not air)

This week our news team was introduced to the I-Team section of the newscast, which includes investigative reporting. The Uptown Cafe Report was a package by Christian A. showing a local restaurant that failed a safety inspection. The restaurant manager was approached by our cameras, and provided News 20 at Five with an interview. The 911 Emergency Dispatch package was an informative and investigative package about issues surrounding slow response times and faulty dispatchers. 

The Uptown Cafe Report was dropped from the show due to problems with the reporter's file. This package will be aired tomorrow. Dropping the package made my show light by about four minutes. My news director informed me to always keep a back-up package in case a problem arises. To make up time, I included an extra weather segment at the end of the show, as well as a longer break before E-block. We ended up finishing with about ten seconds to spare. 

Next week's goal: Continue to improve decision making and organization. Remember to always have backup package on deck.