Job Shadows: Last Round

Here's the last round of job shadow reports I've received.  Take a look and see what you can learn from everyone's visits. There's a lot of good stuff here to help you decide what you want to do with your lives; what you need to be doing to get there; and what to expect when you do get there.

Please give each one of these a quick read, will you?

***** 

I decided to do my job shadow with Adam Tabor, a morning news editor for WWMT – the Kalamazoo, Mich. CBS affiliate. 

                  Tabor graduated from Western Michigan University this past spring and majored in film video and media studies. 

                  For Tabor, his day starts bright and early at 2 a.m.  He goes into the station and first takes a look at the news stories that WWMT will cover during their morning segment, and looks for the appropriate videos.  Some of these videos are shot by WWMT’s own cameramen, while other clips come from national news outlets, such as CNN. 

Each video is given a code, similar to a barcode, which is searchable in an online directory.  After locating the video clip, Tabor downloads said video, and converts it into the proper file-type, making it possible for WWMT to use in their broadcast. 

After this, Tabor must edit the videos to be sent to the studio and then used for the broadcast.  To do this, Tabor must first wait for the producers of the morning news to send him the script that the anchors will read for the story.  Within the script, the producers will leave instructions for Tabor to incorporate certain bits of the original video into their morning news broadcast. 

For instance, on the morning that I was there, WWMT was covering a news story about grandparents who had playfully placed duct tape around the mouth of their grandchild and posted pictures they thought were funny onto Facebook.  The script called for Tabor to edit together a 40 second video clip.  However, there was a script to follow – he could not have simply put together any 40 second video he pleased. 

For example, the script called for a clip showing one of the pictures of duct tape around the infant’s mouth just as the grandmother made a statement explaining the decision.  In the original video – taken from CNN I believe – the grandmother was shown talking to an interviewer, and the picture was shown after.  So, Tabor had to manipulate the video and cut bits and place them on top of each other to accomplish the goal of the picture of the baby showing while the grandmother spoke, rather than afterward. 

Another story that WWMT was going to cover was titled, “Nazi Sandwich” and was about a woman who received a sandwich from McDonald’s that had a Swastika buttered into the top bun.  The original video began with shots of the McDonald’s, and transitioned to an interview with the customer in her car, before showing the bun.  For this story, Tabor used only the shots of the McDonald’s exterior and the bun with the Swastika. 

After editing together all of the videos for the morning news broadcast, Tabor sends them up to the studio to be reviewed by the producers and later finalized for the morning news. 

This was a pretty rewarding experience for me.  Honestly, I had never even thought of a news editor.  I was ignorant to the fact that the position even existed – which, in retrospect, is pretty foolish and borderline oblivious.  Before I went in and sat down with Tabor, I did not like working with videos at all.  I was not comfortable with editing together video clips or piecing together bits for a news broadcast.  However, after spending a (very) early morning with Tabor, I realized that there is not much to it.  The program Tabor used did not look too difficult, and the videos appeared to be edited rather simply.  One of the aspects I liked best is that Tabor worked with a small group and only answered to a few people. 

*****

My day at The Holland Sentinel was truly a day to remember! I got up early and traveled with my mom and aunt to Holland Michigan. I arrived on time to the building and was greeted by the first floor desk attendant who told me I could go upstairs to meet Sarah Leach. Sarah Leach, the editor at The Holland Sentinel, was very excited for me to be there. She had assigned me to shadow the day of a reporter that had been there the longest and could answer all my questions. Her name was Andrea Goodell.

             Ms. Goodell’s official position and title is Staff Writer, and explained to me her job and it’s functions. The beat she works is political reporting. We sat and talked about what the life of a typical reporter is like, the make-up of a newspaper and what goes on at the Sentinel. I really enjoyed learning this aspect because I was indecisive about what interest or field of journalism I wanted to pursue, whether it is newspaper or broadcast journalism. Ms. Goodell cleared up the differences, by answering all the questions I had since she had worked in both fields.  She then introduced me to everyone in the newsroom.

            I met so many friendly reporters with great advice and stories, I even met a Spartan alumni who had just recently graduated. One reporter stood out to me because she gave me some really great advice and stories that made you want to be a reporter she also told me the serious cold truth.  Her name was Peg McNichol. She told me about her best and most heartbreaking stories. After listening to her I felt like it took a very special person to tell these stories and inform the world about it. I decided at that moment I truly wanted to be that person. After meeting everyone I attended their office meeting where everyone told the editor about ideas and stories they were working on. It reminded me of news-tips we do for class, except that it was verbal.

            Afterwards I asked if I could do something hands on. I wanted to see the career I had chosen face to face. So Ms. Goodell asked if I could shadow Ms. McNichol for the rest of the afternoon. I got to see a reporter do photography and interviews. We went to a place where they were giving out dinners to less fortunate people. It was great, I learned so much! The people were all so friendly, I got offered food and everyone asked me about my job shadow, goals and future plans.

            Ms.McNichol and I talked for hours I really valued all her help, she reinforced the information I learned in class, such as how important spelling names correctly is and getting things right so that you can be creditable. “ It doesn’t matter who’s first,” said Peg McNichol. She also showed and taught me that as a reporter you must always identify yourself on a scene and arrive early. Lastly, she explained how important networking and making good connections are. I’m very happy she gave me her email to keep in touch because she was very inspiring.

            Afterwards, she brought me back to the Sentinel and they were having a potluck and we all ate a nice lunch. My mom came in soon after, and I introduced her to everyone, as I said my goodbyes and thanked Ms. Sarah Leach for my wonderful experience.

            My experience at The Holland Sentinel taught me a lot and it helps me in deciding which type of journalism I want to focus on most. One thing I won’t forget is that being a good writer is very important, no matter what field you go into.  After this experience it has encourage me to better my skills and learn everything I can. Thank you, for the experience and I hope I can go on more job shadows to see where I fit best.

*****

I was able to shadow Kristi Love, a radio host for WFMK, on Friday, July 18. Love hosts the midday show on WFMK.

I arrived at the radio station during Love’s show on Friday afternoon. She walked out of a small room and shook my hand. She showed me to a seat in her office, which consisted of many computer screens and a microphone.

Love informed me that she was currently on-air, but did little talking. She explained that she often spoke in between songs for short periods of time. Love said that radio has changed a lot since she started at WFMK 11 years ago. In the past, radio hosts were busy changing tapes between songs, today however, everything is computerized.

Love said that technology has changed what it means to be a radio host. Instead of changing tapes, Love records commercials and writes blog posts for the radio station. She said both tasks keep her busy throughout the week.

Love explained several factors that have contributed to her success.

First, Love said she believed all individuals should be aware. Love explained that this meant being aware of current events that are vital to one’s career and professional development. One way Love stays aware is by reading Entertainment Weekly, in order to better understand pop culture. She said it helps her feel more confident when talking about news on-air.

Second, Love said no matter what career path one might choose, everyone should know how to read. Love said her love of reading is what sparked her interest in radio at a young age. She read aloud and created her own commercials. Love said if she had not had a interest in reading, she would not have been able to be successful in her career.

Third, Love said it is vital that all individuals become familiar with the technology used in the their chosen career paths. Love said that the evolution of radio has forced her to learn how to use new equipment in order to become more productive and efficient.

After Love described her keys to success, she recorded a commercial for Verizon Wireless. Love recorded her voice while she read off of a piece of paper and then edited the audio on her computer. Love cut out pieces of the recording she did not feel satisfied with and recorded them again.

Love said her ability to read well and with prosody is due to her upbringing. Love’s mother, an early childhood educator, frequently read to her as a child. Love said that her mother was a great storyteller; she read with excitement in her voice. Love said her mother’s love of storytelling prompted her to read aloud as well.

Love and I discussed the importance of literacy, especially in early childhood. Love said that her grandchildren enjoy reading with her because she makes characters come to life. She hopes to foster a love for reading in her grandchildren as they grow up in order to become successful in adulthood.

Love said, “I firmly believe that if you can read well, you can be successful in anything you choose.”

Love stopped her conversation with me, popped on her headphones, and turned to the microphone. She picked up a piece of paper and held it in front of her. The music ended and she began speaking into the microphone. Love credited the last two songs that were played and then read the weather.

Love explained that soon her show would end and another radio host would begin. Love said her favorite part of the job was the ability to learn from others in her work environment.

“You never stop learning,” Love said.

Love explained that her biggest current struggle has been learning how to blog on the show’s website. Love said that blogging is outside of her comfort zone, but it forces her to keep in touch with the world around her.

“It all goes back to being aware and not letting yourself become out of touch with reality,” Love said.

*****

            On July 21^st I got the opportunity to job shadow Audrey Dahlgren of WLNS sports. Audrey was a gracious host at the offices of WLNS on the border of Lansing and East Lansing. 

            Upon arriving Audrey took me into the offices and showed me how to save tapes on the computer from a shoot she had done earlier that day.  Audrey had visited the Lansing United practice and had to save all the footage so that they could make a clip for the 6 pm newscast.

            After saving the videos Audrey and I arranged to take a photographer with us to interview a fourteen year-old golfer who had recently committed to play at Michigan State upon gradating from high school.

            Audrey, the photographer and I all travelled to Hawk Hollow, a local golfing range, to interview Zach Rosendale. Zach may only be fourteen, but he is already committed to play golf at Michigan State when he graduates high school.

            The interview took approximately and hour. Audrey interviewed Zach and then took footage of him putting and driving.

            Upon return to the station Audrey logged the film and took me upstairs to sit in on the newscast that was just beginning.

            Thus, I got to sit in the studio while the newscast went on.

            Once the cast was done, I left.

All in all it was a very rewarding experience. I was able to see the ins and outs of sports journalism and had very constrictive conversation with Audrey.

 *****

On Wednesday, August 6, 2014, I was given the lucky opportunity to do a job shadow with the Metro Times. Throughout a four hour period, I followed Michael Jackman, a managing editor at the Metro Times Magazine, to see and get an inside view of the duties of an entertainment journalist.

The Metro Times main headquarters is located on Woodward Ave. in Ferndale, MI. From the outside, the buildings look like a small typical office, but upon going inside you find the office is actually very high-tech and very aesthetically impressive. Similar to what I said to Jackman, the office looks like a mixture between a movie scene in “I, Robot” and the newspaper office Peter Parker worked in, in the movie “Spiderman”.

            After walking into the office and checking in with the secretary at 11:00 a.m., I waited in the reception area for about 40 minutes until Jackman came to meet me. Once meeting me, he apologized for his delayed response time – telling that he was doing a recording session for the radio, which came up at the last minute. He immediately took me to his two-person cubicle, which he shared with his co-worker and assistant editor, Lee. Adjacent to his cubicle, and in front of the desk I was sitting, was an intern from University of Chicago named Emma.

            After he introduced me to Emma and Lee, Jackman began describing what exactly his job entails. He told me that since he is more of a local entertainment and food review journalist, an area he has been working in for 10 years, his job requires a lot of “ground work”. He only reviews small venues or lesser-known small food chains so it makes his job somewhat difficult when trying to find new places to review. He gets his “tips” and recommendations for places to review from word-of-mouth of his friends, family, other free-lancers in the office or co-workers, people who call in, or just places he happens to stumble upon.

            The day that I visited him was a day where everyone in the office more so focuses on editing their stories so they can get ready to be published. Because of this, I mainly just sat at the cubicle throughout most of my job shadow while I watched him answer inquiries’, emails, and look for people to interview on a story he was planning on doing about an old apartment building he used to live in. I was lucky enough to see him conduct an over the phone interview with the owner of the apartment complex, Allen Schaergs.

            Periodically throughout the job shadow he would turn away from his computer and ask how I was doing and what kind journalism I was looking to go into. I told him that journalism is kind of my fallback option just in case my plan of becoming an actress and a singer doesn’t work out. I told him that I more so wanted to focus on the Hollywood entertainment journalism rather than local entertainment and I also wanted to go into Broadcast Journalism – so essentially I want to be working for a place such as TMZ or E! News. He seemed rather impressed when I told him and jokingly said, “Well you better make sure you get a good pair of shoes!” He then asked me if I have been doing anything to build up my journalism portfolio. I quickly responded telling him that other than a few freelance WWE topic articles on the website Bleacher Report, and working for IMPACT 89FM Radio at Michigan State University, nothing else.

            He told me that I was doing pretty good so far getting my foot in the door, especially since I’m only a sophomore in college. He told me a lot of advice and tips about becoming a successful journalist saying to always remain optimistic about this career field – even when times seem to be low. He also gave a few tips on how to write successful journalistic story such as never start an article with the words “it” or “there”, a quote, unless its interesting, or talking about the weather – something I can unhappily say I’ve been pretty guilty of doing lately.

            However, other than the advice and the periodic small talk we would have, the job shadow, for the most part, was pretty quiet and a little boring. I definitely enjoyed my time at the Metro Times because it gave me a first-hand look on what magazine and internet journalists have to do in order to publicly post up an article or a story, however, the job shadow definitely confirmed that I would rather be a journalist who is able to get in front of the camera rather than behind it.

*****

After searching for the right candidate to follow around on a job shadow there was so many options. However, there was one that really stuck out that I really wanted to learn from. Chris Solari accepted my request to see what he does on an every day basis. Solari is a journalist at the Lansing State Journal and focuses on sports reporting. One of his main assignments is to cover the Michigan State University athletics.

            Since he covers my hockey team I have got to know him well over the past few years. He even has written a story about former MSU hockey player, Troy Ferguson, who performed my surgery on my sports hernia and used me as a source to the story. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn from someone I know and trust is a great journalist.

            To start the job shadow we met at Grand River Coffee. There we just casually talked about journalism in general. Talking about the positives and negatives of the current styles and technologies impact on writing. He loves the fact that news can get to the general population so fast now with the use of social media. Yet he does not like how the professionalism of journalism is slacking. Now people can write something and post it as soon as it is finished within minutes. When previously journalist took time to perfect the story and publish it in the papers the next day.

            Solari also spoke about what it takes to be a journalist. Many long hours and late nights of reporting and continuously reviewing your story until it is perfect is the non-glorious side. However, he made sure not to discourage me as he said there is awesome perks of being a journalist. To prove this he did a phone interview right in front of me with a local high school baseball coach since he had to cover playoffs. Solari has got the chance to meet many coaches and athletes from all over. I think that would be an awesome opportunity.

            We were going to go to his office at the central location for the Lansing State Journal but decided not to because he could show me what he does by just going out in the area. Watching the football team’s summer practices with no pads just to see who was practicing that day and who wasn’t. Getting that type of information by simple observation was key, he said. He made sure to get the point across that as a journalist you always have to keep an observation on what you are reporting, and maybe what you are not reporting about. You never know when a story can open up right in front of your eyes, he said.

            He was working on a small project at the time I met with him. It was about injuries in athletics and after showing me the work he had done so far I was quite impressed. Just with basic information it looked like it was going to be quite the spread in the paper.

            To end the job shadow he showed me how journalists have to become more visual and more well rounded as an employee. Simply just writing is not going to get the job done anymore, he said. After snapping a few photos he went back through his library and showed me his Rose Bowl photographs he took.

            He told me about how his boss told him to go out there and get the story. Yet he had to capture all his own images and videos. This task would not be so bad in the local area where he is known and can gain access to good spots to shoot. However, at one of the larger college events it had to be daunting. His images were awesome and it showed me what I have to become to be a successful journalist.

            This job shadow really gave me the insight on my future. I want to write about sports and Solari gave me plenty of tips. He will be someone I refer to frequently in the future. 

*****