We will add more job shadow reports to the blog as they are completed. Please give each one of these a quick read, will you?
*****
When I arrived at 8:45 p.m. at channel 6 and met Fred
Huemann, the sports anchor for the six and eleven o’clock news, we got right to
business preparing for the eleven o’clock show.
Fred’s show that evening featured the Detroit Pistons season
opener, the recap of the World Series, the Michigan vs. Michigan State football
game. Also, his show featured the upcoming Michigan State Men’s basketball
first exhibition game.
He had so much he wanted to put into the show about each
topic but he only had 5 minutes of airtime and in television that isn’t a lot. He
showed me that there was a script used each night that included time slots of
each feature and description of anyone in the clip or what it was about. Each
clip that Fred entered into the script he had to cut it himself, write out
where and when the clip should come in and let the producers know what he would
be saying live on the show.
Fred said he has been in this business so long that he
memorized the acronyms of scripts, the keys on the computer and just anything
he needed to help him prepare for the days job. He has such a strong
personality and knows his stuff, which has helped him be in positions like
channel 6 in Lansing and channel 10 in Detroit.
This job spoke a lot to what I want to do in my career. I
love sports and have been around it all my life that I would be stupid for me
not to follow my heart. It was amazing to see how easy it was for Fred to make
his script for the show and how long the preparation of just a 5-minute segment
could be. It was also an eye opening experience as well because there are so
many little things in this business that you should know that will help you
future your career. This job shadow has helped me want to work harder and make
connections to get better each day.
It’s one of the most sacred
rivalries in the entire state of Michigan; a weekend that college football fans
look forward to all year — the Michigan State University Spartans traveled down
the road to Ann Arbor to take on their arch-nemesis, the University of
Michigan. With the historic ending of the 2015 game between MSU and U-M, the
2016 edition garnered attention from media outlets far and wide, and dominated
the Metro-Detroit market, including the award-winning ABC television affiliate,
WXYZ. Using my connections made through networking opportunities presented by
the MSU school of Journalism, I was able to reach out and shadow WXYZ’s lead
sports anchor, Justin Rose, and observe his pre-production, preparation, and
presentation techniques in a live airing of their weekend sports show, The
Sports Cave, the morning after the MSU vs. U-M game.
Mr. Rose, a graduate of the MSU
journalism program, invited me to a recording of the show a few weeks prior
when we met a press conference held by the MSU football team. The Sports Cave
records live every Sunday at 12 p.m. eastern time, so I arrived at the WXYZ
studio located in Southfield, Mich., around 9 a.m. After being escorted in by a
security guard, I was greeted by Justin and walked to the sports pod in the
Channel 7 Newsroom. After briefly discussing with one of the show’s producers
about a mishap that happened on the previous week’s show, he promptly escorted
me to his desk where he showed me an itinerary of the show’s agenda. After
going through a rundown of the show, we walked over to a nearby computer which
had Final Cut Pro open, and Rose was working on preparing all the b-roll for
the show. The day prior, Rose covered the MSU vs. U-M game at Spartan Stadium
and shot b-roll of the football game from the sideline, player interviews after
the game, and even the exchange of the Paul Bunyan from MSU personnel to U-M
hands. After splicing together audio with the video, he exported the project
and put it in a drop box for his producer to use during the show. After going
through the show’s rundown again, Rose let in his featured guests, MSU
historian Jack Ebling and U-M historian John U. Bacon and went through the show
with them — then went into the studio. Rose and his production team then
recorded the show, and afterward I was able to interview him about his
day-to-day work life.
Rose told me that days like that,
with an exciting talking point (like the outcome of the game) dominating the
show like that made it a fun day for recording the show. Rose elaborated by
saying a hot topic provides a good basis for conversation while creating a high
appeal for an audience — and in today’s media landscape, Rose said ratings and
metrics are very important to maintain. However, on a day-to-day basis, Rose
said he is always on the move, finding stories to cover for the evening news
sports segment and always looking forward to the Sunday show — a project Rose
said he pioneered at WXYZ and helped take to new heights. After further
discussion, Rose told me that the daily process of covering events, writing
articles for their website, collecting and producing video content and having
the freedom to report on whatever he chooses are the best part, while some of
the worst parts are the hours Rose puts in, compared to the actual payout of working
for WXYZ; especially on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas where he is
working on getting ready for a broadcast instead of being with family or having
a considerable amount of free time.
Upon further talk, Rose told me the
industry has changed a lot since his graduation from MSU back in 2008.
Television, along with most other mediums are shrinking in terms of number of
workers, so everybody has to know how to shoot film, interview sources, edit
clips, and sometimes even produce the footage so it’s ready for a nightly news
broadcast, all within the strict constraints of deadline, as compared to years
prior, when the industry was much more specialized. Rose thinks the media
industry is going to continue to get smaller, as traditional news is transitioning
to suit consumers through the internet, rather than the accustomed television,
radio and print productions. I asked how Rose landed the job in Detroit, and he
told me it came with a lot of sacrifices and hard work; when he first graduated
he took a part-time TV job in West Virginia that paid $10 per hour — he was
making ends meet and could only afford rent with the help of his parents. There
were many instances where Rose thought about quitting, but after two years of
hard work, took an anchor job in Pittsburgh, then through keeping in touch with
old colleagues found an opportunity to work in Detroit.
Rose said the job entails a lot, but
at the end of the day is all worth it. As aforementioned, one must be willing
to work at most hours of the day, including late nights, weekends and holidays,
meaning little time for friends and family. According to Rose, the ability to
work under pressure, on deadline and be versatile are essential in every media
industry, but especially television because timing is everything. As far as job
security goes, Rose’s advice was that security is there if you want it to be —
meaning one must find his own opportunities for work, even if it means living
in poverty. Rose said the hardest thing to do was finding the first job — after
breaking into the industry, bigger and better jobs came but the most important
thing was to stay the course. There were many instances where he wanted to
quit, where he wasn’t even making a living wage but most people don’t realize
they have to make an immense sacrifice in the quality of life to create a
comfortable life. Ever since the age of 14, I’ve been working a job and I
haven’t looked back. Working is all I know. I am dead set on becoming a
prominent member of the media, and I’m willing to live in a box to do so.
Knowledge is the key to an organized society, and the access to knowledge is a
fundamental right.
I believe I am resilient enough a
person to make it in the media industry. Rose is a living testament that hard
work and sacrifice pay off and that is a life I am willing to live. He isn’t
doing it for the pay — he told me in many aspects he feels he is underpaid.
Rose isn’t working in television because it’s easy — he’s essentially always on
the clock thinking about collecting interviews, gathering stories, producing
content and meeting deadlines, all while being on constant alert for breaking
the news. He, and I are in it for the love of spreading information; for being
a fountain of knowledge; for providing the truth. Shadowing Mr. Rose was an
immensely valuable experience, to which I furthered a friendship and
professional connection I plan to use for future reference.
******
Before
becoming a student at the amazing Michigan State University, I worked in the
nonprofit sector. I was so excited to
finally have a reason to reach out to my previous employer at The Community
Foundation for Southeast Michigan. I remembered that we had a contact at
Crain’s Detroit which is apart of the conglomerate Crain’s Communication, a detroit based
publishing company and I reached out for her contact information.
Sherri
Welch works for Crain's Detroit as a Senior Reporter. I was excited to spend
time with her on my quest to finding out what type of storytelling I was
interested in. Sherri covers the news of nonprofit, arts and culture, among
other things for the city of Detroit.
I met
with Sherri early in the morning so I could catch what a day in her life begin
with. After arriving and settling into her workspace, Sherri and I took time to
talk about Detroit and being a journalist during what some people are calling
the city’s “comeback or rise”
On my
journey of discovering what kind of storytelling I am interesting in, I have
made more discoveries of things I am not fond of. Like Sherri, I have a passion
for arts and she explained the pros and cons of narrowly tailoring my focus.
After a
chat over coffee, Sherri showed me around the office. The newsroom was set up
into different beats, like breaking news, healthcare, entrepreneurship and
technology. The senior reporters were like the head of the beats, and reporters
worked under them. Editors were stationed around almost sporadically. I always
enjoy the buzz of a newsroom, and Crain’s was no different. Things were loud,
fast-paced and the clacking of fingers hitting the keyboard filled the space.
The hecticness of the space and how the staff found comfortability was a sight
to see.
After
visiting a few beats and speaking to a few reporters, I gain some great advice.
The staff was friendly and eager to know about me. They gave notes of the
importance of diligence in this field, and also competence- competence was a
big one.
Returning
Sherri’s office, she began checking her email, which was full. She showed me
how she focuses on what is in importance first by filtering the emails. She
focuses first on stories, pitches and leads, then all else. Sherri sometimes receives pitches from other
reporters.
Sherri
replied to a couple emails while I watch feverously taking it all in. Sherri
became a senior reporter in 2014 and she says it took consistency to be
rewarded the promotion. Her promotion came with new responsibility, such as
managing some editorial projects.
Before I
realized, it was lunch time and my job shadow was over. I was very pleased that
Sherri was just a gregarious as I am.
The shadow was an eye opener that gave me perspective and allowed me to
see an reporter who shared the same interest as me.
As I was walking down Washington Square in downtown Lansing
and heading up the elevator to the fifth floor of the iconic Knapp’s Center to
the location of the Lansing State Journal I had no idea what to expect next.
This would be my first time in a newsroom in my young
journalism career.
I then met Justin Hinkley, a watchdog reporter who covers
anything and everything when it comes to state government.
He gave me a quick tour of the newsroom and explained to me
that the LSJ had recently moved to the Knapp’s Center due to budget cutbacks.
We then headed out to Grand Ledge to cover Theresa Abed who
was running for state representative for Eaton County.
I rode in the car with him on the 20-minute drive to Grand
Ledge and we spoke about his opinions of his career as a journalist.
His favorite part about being a journalist is not having a
typical office work environment. He is able to get out of the office and see
different areas of the state. Additionally, unlike most jobs, he is usually
telling his boss what he wants to do and what to cover instead of the other way
around.
His least favorite aspect of being journalist (other than
the money) is the lack of job security. He explained to me the financial
hardships the LSJ has had recently and that downsizings happen rather
frequently in the industry.
We arrived at Theresa Abed’s house in a quiet neighborhood
in Grand Ledge.
She let us inside and I sat in on Hinkley’s interview of
her. He used his iPhone to record their conversation and jotted down notes as
she talked, he later told me he only writes down the main points and then goes
back to those points on his recording.
He asked her questions such as why she was running, what
legislation she would try to pass, what she can bring that her opponent can’t and
never backed down on asking her tough questions.
He was very attentive and asked her follow up questions on
nearly every one of her answers. He later told me he prepares for interviews by
having a list of questions already prepared, memorizing them beforehand, and
coming up with follow up questions after hearing their answer.
We headed back to Lansing and spoke about the journalism
profession and some tips to becoming a successful one.
His most important tip to aspiring journalists would to be
active on social media. He emphasized how most news in the 21st
century is read online and that to be successful in journalism in today’s
digital age you have to be on FaceBook, Twitter, and even have your own personal
blog.
My experience shadowing a working journalist opened my eyes
to the profession. There is no more wondering or assumptions to be made about
seeing a newsroom or a reporter at work.
I knew about the hardships news media has continued to go
through lately but it was reiterated after hearing it first hand from someone
in the industry. It has made me more skeptical about pursuing a career in news
media but has not completely deterred me.
It was an unusually hot day on October 5th of
2016. In the parking lot of Metro Times
in Ferndale, Michigan, I sat in my car 30 minutes early to a 9 am job shadow
with Michael Jackman, the head editor of the Metro Times. To ease my anxiety, I
went ahead and reviewed my questions for the day.
It’s now
8:55am and I decide to enter the offices of the Metro Times. The building
housed a few other media groups and even their printing and delivery operations
as well. After about 15 minutes of viewing the wall art in the waiting area, in
comes a tall stocky build man with a silly cat t-shirt with a sill The man
comes over to me and says, “Hello Danan, I’m obviously Michael welcome to Metro
Times and sorry I’m late. Let’s go and have you shadow my ordinary work day!”
As we walk
over to his desk, Michael introduces me to the other nine staff writers and 4 interns.
Michael gets to his work area and starts his day off by reviewing the layout
and content of the Metro Times. He looks over to me and says, “I love to write,
but as the boss you got to make sure everyone else’s work is up to par too.”
After
reviewing the website layout and the upcoming issue of the Metro Times for a
couple of hours, Michael then takes me to a pitch meeting with the other
writers. In this meeting we sat and listened to 7 story pitches and he tells
me, “A great story for print isn’t just about the content, it’s all about how
to display conflict with your facts and story.”
I then took
the opportunity to ask, “How did you get your start, and how to be successful
in this industry”
Michael
took a deep pause and said, “After going to film school way back in the 80s, I
worked as a line cook for many restaurants and did a lot of freelance writing
for small publications for years. It wasn’t until 2004 I got an in-house gig
with the Metro Times. Then in 2010 after a shift in management, I was then
promoted to what I’m doing now. This world is full of who you know.”
I then
asked him, “What advice can you give an aspiring journalist like me?”
He replied,
“Start your work now! Even if the articles are just top 5 lists, work! A good
portfolio is built off of your interests. Write about what you like. Old guys
like me love to read good voice when the writer is interested.
At 2pm my
shadowing session starts to come to a close after Michael, gets a lead from a
contact. He looks at me and asks, “Would you like to write a piece for us in
November? I love to give new-blood a chance.”
I respond
quickly” It would be an honor!”
Michael
states, “Your pitch is due in a week and your deadline is November 23rd.
Email me so we can stay in touch, good luck!”
I reply,
“Thank you for the opportunity and we shall be in touch!”
I walk from this shadowing session more informed and hopeful
for my future career as a journalist.
*****
I shadowed Adam Droscha, a staff writer at The County
Journal and The Flashes. Adam currently
works part-time and puts out four to six articles per week.
He
was working on a shorter timetable than usual this week; the paper was being
put out two days ahead of time due to the upcoming holiday, forcing him to
accelerate his entire workflow. I
arrived just after a meeting that he was supposed to go to was cancelled,
leaving a few minutes in which Adam showed me around the County Journal office
and introduce me to several of his coworkers.
Shortly
afterward, we took a trip to a cafe just down the street for an interview with
one of Adam's former classmates, who had developed an app to help verbally
impaired people communicate. It was
interesting to watch Adam's interviewing methods - at first, he just had his
source explain the app's purpose and development history, and then followed up
with more specific questions. Afterward,
Adam explained to me that, depending on his interviewee's willingness to talk,
he doesn't always start an interview with a structured set of questions. This approach allows him to get as much
information as possible without necessarily constraining the scope of the
conversation solely to his list of questions, meaning that he's sometimes able
to get details that wouldn't have been brought up otherwise.
We
then returned to the office, at which point Adam made a couple of calls to
follow up on potential sources for his other articles. He mentioned that he was having trouble
getting an interview with one particular source, telling me that
"following up can be awkward and it can annoy your sources, but you have
to do what you have to do". As part
of his usual Monday routine, Adam then looked at local community pages on
Facebook, explaining that they're just one more way to find smaller stories
that may not have been reported already.
Later
in the day, we drove to Olivet and looked at bulletin boards in a variety of
public buildings in search of local events for Adam to cover.
Based
on what I saw, I think that a job like this would fit me fairly well. It may not be as prestigious as working at a
larger publication, but it certainly seems like it would be (somewhat) less
stressful. Being able to focus on local
news would be nice too, as I wouldn't mind being able to stay close to home for
now; working in a familiar area would be a good way for me to get comfortable
with the job.
******
David
“Mad Dog” Demarco is an East Lansing sports talk radio host with The Game 730
AM WVFN. I first learned of Mr. Demarco when he came into my Journalism 218
class and emphasized the importance of the entertainment factor while covering
sports. After the class, I asked him if I would be able to shadow him for a
day, and he said yes. He gave me his business card and we set up a date where I
could come to his studio at Town Square Media and experience what a day in the
life of David Demarco looks like.
I
was looking forward to the experience for weeks and when I showed up at his
studio, I was slightly nervous. Mr. Demarco was actually on air when I first
arrived and his assistant had to wait for a break to tell him that I had arrived.
When he went on break, he came into the lobby and brought me back to where they
were recording the show, something I had never witnessed. As a talk sports
radio junky, I was incredibly interested in all aspects of the whole operation.
I asked Mr. Demarco numerous questions and he was extremely informative!
The
coolest part of the day came as I was sitting and taking notes, when suddenly, Mr.
Demarco looked at me and pointed to one of the extra microphones. I rolled my
chair up to the microphone, and we had a five-minute conversation on air about
my future career plans, where I am from, and general sports talk. I was flabbergasted
at the opportunity! I was beyond impressed how Mr. Demarco treated me, a
college student, shadowing him for just one day.
The
biggest take away from the day shadowing Mr. Demarco, involved his attitude and
how he treats others. From the time I first met him in my class, to when I said
goodbye at his studio, Mr. Demarco showed me nothing but enthusiastic respect.
He was constantly trying to help me learn as much as I possibly could about the
field I dream of being a part of some day. I drove away from the Town Square
Media building that day not only confirming my desire to work in this field,
but the importance of encouraging and inspiring others with the same
aspirations. I hope one day I am in the same position, and will be able to
mentor a student like myself, with similar motivation and confident direction
that Mr. Demarco gave me.
******
It
was almost two in the morning and I was meeting with Brianna Jenkins for the
start of her shift at the radio station at Power 96.5 in Lansing.
Brianna
Jenkins is a 24-year-old On Air Personality for Power 96.5 and a board operator
for 1440 AM WMKM from Southfield, Michigan. Brianna began working for Power
96.5 after graduating from Western Michigan University and Specs Howard.
As
we entered the station and got comfortable in the recording studio Brianna explained
how the content for her shift was already prepared hours before. She began
practicing every single break out loud before going on air and before her stop
sets to avoid mistakes and reduce stumbling over the air, which I found to be
an effective technique.
During
one of the breaks Brianna asked listeners “what is the worst gift someone ever
gave you for Christmas” and soon enough we start receiving calls. Brianna
explained that the callers were one of the most rewarding things from her job
because they are your biggest fans and they give good feedback and sometimes
send nice messages on social media.
Brianna’s
shift was from 2am-6am and since it was Wednesday she did news reporting for
the syndicated morning show program ‘The Rickey Smiley Morning Show’. She
recorded her news segments before they went on air which were about 2-3
minutes.
Brianna
started off in radio at the age of 16 at WSHJ 88.3 Southfield, programming
music and producing an afternoon show called ‘The Urban Way’. By being friendly
and reaching out to the right people she got the job with Power 96.5 as well as
having previous experience with 1440 WMKM and interning for ‘The Blaine Fowler
Morning Show’ on 96.3 WDVD.
Brianna
deals with some difficult things with the job such as commuting back and forth
from Southfield to Lansing which is an hour both ways. Since she just started
out in the radio industry she is only getting paid $8.50 an hour but loves what
she does so it doesn’t affect her.
Brianna
plans on being on a syndicated live morning show whether its cohosting or having
her own show and eventually wants to do more TV and entertainment news. She
will continue building her own personal brand, Inside the Girls Room blog,
which is non-profit and a media company currently in the making.
After
finding out that Brianna and I both were on air personalities for WSHJ 88.3
Southfield at some time, I felt more comfortable with the thought that I may be
able to find a position in this field. Being at Power 96.5 made me excited to
pursue a career radio rather than TV.
Realizing
that I would be getting paid way less than I expected kind of had me on edge
about considering the radio industry. Brianna helped me realized that if you
love what you are doing, continually gaining experience, and perfecting your
craft then eventually you will be where you want to be.
After
completing my job shadow at the station it gave me more interest in going into
radio after school. Gaining experience such as a job shadow and being able to
relate to others that are doing what you want to do is rewarding.
*****
Noe Hernandez: Livingston Daily
I
pulled up to the Livingston Daily building in disbelief. I couldn’t believe I
had never noticed it before. The building was located in downtown Howell,
Michigan, an area I’m around frequently.
Mr.
Hernandez met me in the front of the office right as I walked through the door.
“Hello,
Mr. Hernandez!” I said.
“Please,
call me Noe,” he responded. I knew I was in good spirits.
Noe
gave me a tour of the office, and I was surprised, but happy to see that the
work environment was relaxed. Many offices and cubicles were empty, as Noe
explained that journalists could pretty much work from anywhere.
After
we finished a tour of the office and his work area, Noe and I hit the road. Noe
took me to the Howell Chamber of Commerce, where he gathers information for
potential stories. We were headed eastbound on I-96 towards the Brighton
Chamber of Commerce, when I noticed a billboard advertising Panera Bread’s new
delivery service. I mentioned the billboard to Noe, and we immediately headed
towards Panera Bread in Howell.
We
arrived at Panera Bread, and were lucky that the district manager, Bryan
Bennett, was at the store to give us some information. Noe and I interviewed
Bennett for about fifteen-minutes, and afterwards, Noe placed a camera in my
hand and requested that I take a photograph of the restaurant.
Our
information was gathered and we headed back to the office. We cleared the story
with the editor, and began developing the story. I was thrilled to see Noe give
my name a mention in the final story, Panera Bread Adding Home Delivery.
It
was a great experience watching the full procedure of writing a story. From
observation and reporting to writing and editing. I also enjoyed the relaxing
atmosphere within the office. I know I will enjoy the independency of
journalism, which ultimately gives you flexibility.
I
definitely learned I have what it takes to be a journalist, but I think I
learned that small-town reporting isn’t for me as well. I hope to work in a
city with more action when I graduate.
While looking for a job to shadow
for the day in the journalism industry, I was drawn to any form of
broadcasting. I reached out to a few news stations in the Grand Rapids area but
was unsuccessful. Finally I decided to reach out to a local radio station and
was able to shadow for a few hours at 105.3 Hot FM in Grand Rapids.
When
I first walked in the door I was greeted by the receptionist and then taken to
Rachel Gray who is one of the lead radio host every weekday morning from
6am-11am. She was very excited with everything that she said and she had a
great attitude about everything we did. She gave me a tour of the station that
didn’t end up being as big and extravagant as I had pictured. I’ve also never
been to a radio station so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
Later,
I was finally able to sit in on a live radio broadcast and listen and watch her
do her job. The controls and everything were a bit confusing but she explained
which one did what and how simple it was to learn about it. I then started
asking her some questions about the job and what it took to get where she was.
She started as an intern there and decided to come back after finishing her
journalism degree at Central Michigan University. It took her about two years
to get a daytime gig and not be broadcasting the graveyard shift. She said that
when she first started off she wasn’t sure how reliable keeping her job was but
now that she’s the lead radio host during the weekdays, it’s a lot more secure
pay. Everyone at the station was having so much fun all of the time, it was a
great energy to be around.
I
knew that I wanted to go into broadcasting but I never pictured being a radio
host before. With broadcasting for the news it can be tough reporting all of
the terrible things that happen on a daily basis. With radio, you get to focus
on music and not so much negativity in the world and that’s something that
would make working for my entire life a little bit easier. This job shadow definitely
opened my eyes to different options I have after school.
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