Covering Katrina

I am down in Slidell, LA with Davis Nolan and Neil Orne covering the aftermath of the storm. We spent the day looking for Davis’s parents who had to be rescued from their rooftop near the 17th Street Canal. The storm has all of the communication knocked out and it is hard to get anything accomplished. To make a long story short, we found the Nolan’s in Baton Rouge and they safely got on an airplane and went to Russell Nolan’s house in Pensacola, Fl.
As usual, when covering a disaster with out our own truck it is a nightmare. We are working together well and making the best out of a hard situation. I have not gotten much sleep since yesterday morning and I am starting to feel it.
The pic is from a standup from my story today. I did a simple story about the mess and tried to paint a picture of what it looks like down here.
I am going to go for now. More later when I can get a connection.

Highs and Lows

The last part of Wednesday was one of those times when nothing goes right. Everyone has a day like this occasionally. Here is how mine went down. I finished a story about the Walking Horse Celebration earlier in the day which ran in our 4:30 news cast. I was asked to drive a live van and set up a shot for a fellow vj from the horse event. No big deal because that is nothing out of the ordinary.
My first problem started in Shelbyville, about an hour drive from Nashville, when I couldn't establish a live picture. Still nothing to worry about, I just went to plan B, move the live van to the Courthouse Square where I have set up before. The only problem, we couldn't get the shot tuned in from there either. Now, it is getting pretty close to the dead line so time to switch to plan C which is not a very good option at 4:05pm. Plan C was to physically drive the story back to the station. I set off, hoping to not run into any police along the way, and decide in Murfreesboro, still thirty minutes away to set up the live truck from an exit on I-24. Fifteen minutes to spare. No problem, mast is up, got a strong signal, shot looks good. I wish I could tell you the story made air but it would not be that easy.

In the field we edit on lap top computers which I love but our live trucks are not equipped to play audio from the computer and it sounds crappy. It is now five o'clock and the story hits in less than fifteen minutes so I call Keith, an engineer, who attempts to instruct me how to connect cables to the back of the equipment rack. Not an easy task under normal situations and it's even harder in 90 degree temperatures, under a fast approaching deadline, hunched over in the back of a television truck trying to figure out which one of a hundred cables is the right connection. Even with Keith's expert help, I was not able to pull it off in time. At this point, I am drenched in sweat and mad because I have cracked my watch face and was not able to get the story in. I hate ending a day with such a big disappointment.

There is good news though. My boss has asked that all of the live vans be equipped with match-boxes so the audio will sound good. No one else should have to go through the mess I described.

The high for me came on Thursday. I did my first live shots about an alligator who escaped his captors and is loose in KY. For the complete story go to WKRN's web site and click on top stories to watch the video. I was very nervous about going live but I did not have any time to worry about it because I was trying to finish my story on time. For the first time, I think it came out pretty good. I do have a few things to work on. I am curious to hear your opinion on how I did so let me know what you think.

Announcement

Today the station announced it is buying fourteen new cars so all the vjs will have a vehicle to drive. I think that is pretty big news. I am excited because my news car currently has 154,000 miles which means I will also be getting a new company car.

I had another great weekend. As usual, it went by way to fast though. I went wake boarding on Center Hill lake with Ember and friends. Ember continues to get better at water skiing. She wants to be able to jump the entire wake before the summer is over. We had a double decker pontoon boat, two personal water craft and a ski boat. It was a great time to relax and enjoy the day. I even got to see fellow vj Neil "Big Brain" Orne water ski. He's not to shabby of a skier!

I was able to turn another story today. I found a married couple who worked for a lawn mower plant which will be closing its doors for good because of bankruptcy. Debbie Durrentt, who was laid off last Friday,has worked for Murray for over 27 years. Debbie decided to go back to school so she can get a better job. Nearly 1200 people will soon be unemployed. I hope that I never find myself with out a job.

National Guard

I have not posted much lately. I have been busy at work and not taking the time to get on the computer when I get home at night. It seems like I have been on a military beat this week, having the privilege of telling stories from soldiers and their families. Wednesday, I met the father and fiance of Kevin Downs, a 21 year old specialist in the Tennessee National Guard. Kevin is the only survivor of an ambush attack in Iraq that killed three of his friends. Kevin has a long, hard fight to recovery because of the severity of his injuries. His dad told me the only reason he is alive is because he was the gunner of an armored humvee and the blast threw him clear of the vehicle. He has 2nd and 3rd degree burns over his body. Burned eyes, throat and lungs. Two broken legs, left arm and pelvis. Keep him and his family in your prayers.

I am again reminded of the great job our military is doing. If you get a chance to talk with soldiers and their families you learn most soldiers believe in what they are doing. For example, in Iraq, the soldiers feel like they are making a difference in the lives of the local people. You also learn that we (Americans) take a lot for granted.

Today I did a story about a Tennessee National Guardsman who lost his life in a mortar attack over the weekend. Freddie Hawn was one of three soldiers that answered a call for help from a unit who had been attacked by insurgents. When Freddie and the others arrived on the scene they were immediately ambushed with RPGs and motors. Asbury Fred Hawn leaves behind his wife Angie and two sons 12 yr old Johnathan and 4 yr old Spencer. Say a prayer for the Hawn family as they deal with this huge loss.

Next time you see a soldier give them a hug and tell them thanks for the job they are doing.

A First

I accomplished a first in my career Friday. For reporters it is no big deal but I am proud that I was able to write 5 stories in a week.

I went to a Promise Keepers meeting being held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville this weekend. Almost 15,000 men met together to worship and renew their relationship with God. I went with a couple of guys from my church and had a great time. News 2's Alex Lucas did a story on Promise Keepers that should be on the web site if you want to check it out.

I am working on a story for today about the first day of school in Davidson county. I found a first time principal and followed her around during the busy morning.

New Experiences

I have been able to turn four stories this week. My stories have all been day turns which lead some to question the true intentions of using vj's . I still believe we will be able to take more time for stories when necessary, once everyone is trained and working at full speed. Right now we are short staffed during the transition so everyone is working fast and furious. Yesterday, I experienced a benefit of the vj plan. I was sent to check out a potentially dangerous situation so I teamed up with a coworker and left as part of a two man crew. The danger never materialized, so we spilt off and went separate directions.

Even if vj plan does not work (I think it will flourish) I'm gaining valuable experience I never thought I would have. If I keep working hard, I could eventually get a job as a reporter or a go back to being a news photographer. If I want to get out of TV, I will have writing experience and even more opportunities open to me than ever before.

Turn around

I am getting faster at writing stories with each time I do it. Whether or not I am getting better at writing is still up for debate. I was able to turn a story on the first day of school in Cheatham county for the 5pm news. I decided to tell the story through a teacher who was teaching for the first time.
I was asked yesterday if I am enjoying my new job. I am enjoying my new job! It is more work than I ever had to do before because I am so slow at the process. It is hard to find the time to check on story tips, make calls and get the basics done. I could use longer days. As a matter of fact, I need to get busy right now.

Relaxing weekend

I've had a wonderful weekend with my wife and friends. Saturday we went out to Center Hill Lake which is perfect for skiing because it is usually very calm. We did have a mean thunder storm that sent us scrambling for cover. We pulled into a marina just as the sky unloaded a huge down pour complete with very loud and scary lightning bolts. 45 minutes later the storm passed and we had the lake to ourselves with water like glass! Perfect for wake boarding which I am trying to master (I'm not even close). Ember is a new skier but you wouldn't know it by watching her ski. She learned to ski and ride a wake board her first attempt. Pretty impressive! She's a natural. So, I decided to take advantage of the smooth water to learn to barefoot. My friend Derrick gave me a good lesson and I was able to get up and barefoot for about 100 feet. Barefooting is the fun part, it is the unexpected sudden stops that get you. I was being pulled about 38mph so you can imagine what it might feel like to fall. It hurts and you get water under your eyelids. I fell hard twice and was seeing stars both times. It was worth it though! I had a blast and can't wait to try it again!

The East Bank

I took this photo about a year ago with a 35mm camera on a tripod and a thirty second exposure. The streak in center of water is from a barge going by while I was taking the shoot. It is the best photo I ever made so I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ratings

Based on my informal news poll, I have found that people are sick of doom and gloom stories on tv. That is why I think that the video journalist thing is going to work. Every viewer I have told about the idea on the street seems to like it. For the short term, viewers might see more feature stories than usual but only until everyone is fluid with the equipment and able to write stories quickly. Once we are up to full speed, I think the model for stories will be just like the NPPA model. Good stories told through a central character with steady, sequenced shots.
Once the staff is up and running, we will have more options than ever. For example, yesterday, I was asked to run a live truck for some breaking news. Fine with me, I already know how to run a live truck and it was the best thing for the team. I will also be able to jump in as a reporter to help if needed.
While I was writing my story today, Ken Wilson’s story about Metro’s new water spray park played during a newscast and everyone stopped to watch it because the characters he had drew everyone in. Nice job, Ken.

More Opinion

I wanted to respond to some of the comments Rick from Philly left. "Shooting an interview by yourself is awkward for the journalist and makes the person being interviewed look uncomfortable." I have had to shoot interviews on my own for years now. The fact that I am doing the interview solo does not make anyone more or less comfortable. I believe people are more relaxed with a smaller camera around instead of the large tv cameras I am used to working with.
Rick say, "Many of the interview shots, from the other VJs, are wide or out of focus. The writing is OK, but isn't up to the standard of seasoned reporter." I know how to use a video camera to get good shots. Everyone is still learning equipment and dealing with all the information that comes with training. I have brought back some interviews that I was not pleased with but I have identified the problems that I made so hopefully I will not do it again. With a little time to learn we will all get better and not shoot anything wide or out of focus.
This, of course, is just my opinion. To read Rick’s entire comments go to The Train is Coming and click on comments.

Week two as VJ

I made it through my second Monday as a vj. I did a neat story about five year old Jacob Hall and his first day at school. The story came out pretty good but I am more excited that I finished the story with a four o'clock deadline. I am slowly getting faster and I see a little improvement each time I write a story.

I think that my voice track is getting better but I still have a lot of room for improvement.