It’s been a busy last few days in politics. And today, Sen. John McCain is keeping us busy, with the announcement of his VP Candidate… Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. We’re all sitting in the newsroom watching her speech from Dayton, Ohio.
We’ve got a live report for you tonight… stay tuned.
From one stage to the next. Last two weeks we’ve had the Olympics, this week we have the Democratic National Convention. Always something to keep us busy. Political reporter Nick Bogert is in Denver for the DNC, look for his live report tonight…. he’ll be previewing Michelle Obama’s speech.
From one tropical storm to the next. Within just a few hours, we met TD #7 and then came face to face with Tropical Storm Gustav. It’s in the caribbean, but don’t take my word for it… check out our friends over at the Tropical Blog
It’s going to be an interesting week… stay tuned.
See ya tonight!
We’ve all got a bad case of the Fridays. The extra-intense Monday-o-Fay has left us feeling like today has taken wayyy too long to arrive.
With that said– we’ve still got a packed show for you tonight. Tom Llamas will investigate a new school in Hialeah that parents say doesn’t have the proper signage in the surrounding streets to keep kids safe as they attempt to cross busy intersections. Ari Odzer is investigating the case of a woman reported missing by her 14 year old son after he got home from school. Her disappearance coincides with a domestic violence report she has filed, and the fact that she was supposed to be appearing in court today for it.
Julia Yarbough joins us live from Beijing– for the last time– with a story about the Jamaican team doctor. Joel Connable shows us how to take a vacation for less money, using a local website that lets you bid on them. And then the news that the University of Miami is banning cars for freshmen. It’s a shock to a commuter campus used to driving, and driving, and driving until they find a place to park it. With that announcement comes a move to help students zip around campus.
So even though we’re all counting down until it’s time to go home, we’ve got a packed show for you tonight.
See ya at 7pm!
Tropical Storm Fay blew over our area and only left a few downed palm fronds, and at least two trees that I saw. We had a busy Monday bringing it all to you… even though driving home in the random rain bands was *not* fun. It’s Wednesday, but feels like Friday because Monday was such a long day.
It’s the first day back to school after Fay’s delay… and I can still remember the first day jitters. My little sister called last night telling me about the process she went through to pick the perfect ‘first day’ outfit for the start of her sophomore year in high school. Remember that kind of enthusiasm? Hundreds of thousands of students went to class today… and I’m sure at least 3/4 of those experienced the first day jitters.
Tonight we’ve got another live report from Julia Yarbough in Beijing, China…. Diana Gonzalez will wrap up the first day of school… and Tropical Storm Fay isn’t gone just yet. We’ll have a live report from Cocoa Beach, where the storm is soaking streets… as it prepares to boomerang back through Florida, from west to east.
See ya at 7pm!
** the following is a post by a guest blogger… enjoy!
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I clearly remember the look on my co-workers’ faces the first time I said “Wow, I can’ t wait for hurricane coverage!” Let me paint a picture … it was an ugly mix of contempt and utter disdain. Now, I understand why. In fact, I found myself flashing that look a couple times today. If Tropical Storm Fay coverage was a “2 out of 10,” as a fellow producer described it, I’m not looking forward to the next one.
After just nine hours on the clock, I’m tired, cold, and soaking wet. As the 7pm producer described it, today I was handed the 7pm football … in addition to my usual 10pm football. The clean hand-off occurred precisely at 2:30:05pm – five seconds after I walked through the door.
What was going through my mind? “Do not drop the ball.”
First, a little background into live TV. When 7pm comes, the show open rolls – every weeknight – whether you’re ready or not. As producers, we fasten our seatbelts in the control room, because – although it may look smooth to you at home – sometimes we’re flying by the seat of our pants. Today, I was flying by the seat of my jeans. It’s nice to be comfy on rainy days. But I digress … so; a half-hour of live TV normally means 28 minutes, 30 seconds. Subtract a few more minutes for commercial breaks, and it takes a team of trained professionals to squeeze all of the information you need to know in that slot!
A quad of reporters getting soaked to bring you live pictures of and information about the storm – and, oh, did I mention a fifth in China? (By the way, I’ve never heard so many pronunciations of ‘Beijing’). In the end, it all came together (it always does), and when the ‘South Florida Nightly News’ open rolled at 7pm, off we went. I passed the football back to the 7pm producer, and off she went … for 28 minutes, 30 seconds.
After a meeting, some pasta and cookies, a soda, and a café cubano (did I mention I love South Florida?), I settled into my next show. Allow me now a moment to contradict myself (consult paragraph one). All in all, after catching my breath, today was actually a great thrill. It reminds me why I love TV news, and why I’m lucky to drive to work everyday knowing I love my job. The only downer? I’ll probably be up all night … thanks to that late-night cafecito.
It’s been a few years since we’ve had crazy storm coverage, but today we dusted ourselves off, and got on the air (minus the crazy part). The only difference is that this time around we have the Olympics to play with.
My day started with an hour live at noon on Weather Plus and nbc6.net– because we didn’t want to cut in to the games. Then we were live on NBC6 HD at 4pm through 6:30pm… a little bit of Brian Williams, a dash of South Florida Nightly News… and back to Beijing. As the producer in the ’hot seat,’ I was the voice in the ears of our anchor team. So I, along with the 11pm producer, coordinated and produced 2 hours of live television today– with only a skeleton of a plan. That’s nothing out of the ordinary. Live coverage means making decisions on the fly, juggling all sorts of elements, and adlibbing, adlibbing, adlibbing. Luckily my half of adlibbing is only heard by the anchor team and the team in the control room.
Because of our live coverage plan, another producer was handed the football (or the 7pm newscast)… he wrote, stacked, and put it all together, then passed it back to me so he could focus on his own show (you’ll be hearing from him in a later post)
Our coverage will always match the threat level, and tonight we’re happy to bring you the summer games, uninterrupted… as long as Mother Nature cooperates.
In the meantime, the station-issued sleeping bag under my desk will remain untouched, but I can’t say the same for the tray of cookies in the conference room.
-CP
There are two things you can always count on in this newsroom.
Free Food & Freezing Temperatures.
You need to bring a high metabolism and a sweater to survive around here. I just can’t wrap my head around how I’m wrapped in a pashmina, when just a few minutes ago I was dealing with 90-degree temperatures while going to lunch. My Producer-pod neighbor is wearing the station-issued bright yellow raincoats that you see reporters wearing in rainy liveshots. It’s that cold in here.
It’s finally Friday… and I can’t wait to sleep. These late Olympic games are taking a toll… we’ve all got the summer games hangover… and today the women’s gymnastics team is to blame. Nastia and Shawn got me choked up last night, or was it this morning? I can’t keep track. But I also can’t let go. I’m watching the Olympic west coast feed now, to catch all the action I may have missed in the moments I wasn’t at my desk this morning. Sick, I know.
Julia Yarbough is pulling double duty. You saw her between 5-7am on Today in South Florida this morning (which is 5-7pm Friday China time), and then she’ll be live at 7pm on our show (7am Saturday China time). Don’t worry, I don’t think she can keep track either.
Apparently Mother Nature didn’t get the memo about the Olympics, because she’s sending us some tropical disturbance. Right now no one knows exactly where it’s headed, but seriously?! We’re busy watching the games. Or at least I am. (I don’t speak for our weather department). Chief Meteorologist Paul Deanno and Jennifer Gray will bring us the latest on the tropics and the local forecast tonight.
Seems like my producer-pod neighbor won’t be the only one in a raincoat this weekend.
-CP
***editor’s note: since the posting of this blog, about 2 dozen individual cartons of ice cream mysteriously appeared in the news directors’ office… which doesn’t really help with the cold problem. yumm.
Another night of great Olympic coverage. Heavy eyelids.
That’s about the only way I can describe what I’m feeling right now.
***** just as I was about to finish this post, we had a tornado warning in Miami-Dade County.
We dropped everything, ran into the control room, and got Paul Deanno on the air to talk about it. Then as I sat down for a second time to write today’s blog, reports of a tornado hitting Hialeah. Cars flipped over. Damage.
We’re used to severe weather coverage, but there’s nothing that can prepare you for severe weather at the drop of a hat.
Ironically enough, we were talking about marathon hurricane coverage during our editorial meeting today… and how its no good for our waistlines or sleep schedules.
We’ve got live team coverage… Paul Deanno, Tom Llamas and Tisha Lewis…
It’s never a boring day in the newsroom.
See ya tonight.
-CP
Don’t ask me how any “work” gets done around here. All I seem to be doing lately is watching the games in the morning (after watching them all night), talking about them in the afternoon editorial meeting, and then reporting on them before our Olympic coverage begins for the evening. Today all I wanted to talk about was Michael Phelps swimming for gold with goggles that filled up with water. He can do it even with his eyes closed! Or how about the accusation that the Chinese gymnasts are younger than the required age? Then there was that feature story about Panda babymaking smack in the middle of the Olympic coverage last night that got all sorts of giggles. I’m lapping it all up, and loving that while my friends are sneaking livestreams of the games on their work computers, I get to watch it just inches away from me, without hiding… because it’s “work.” 
Tonight Julia Yarbough has a report on a South Florida athlete whose trip to Beijing was almost sidelined by an injury just months before the games.
We’re also covering more than just Olympics. My other favorite story of the day… Sharon Lawson is awaiting a group of South Florida soldiers returning from Iraq this afternoon. Then Power 96 is in the home stretch of their radiothon to raise money for Miami Children’s Hospital Radio Lollipop…. just imagine a concert with rapper Pitbull in the parking lot of a Walmart. That’ll get anyone talking. And Patricia Andreu looks at the future of school buildings… going green.
We’re the last newscast to watch before the beginning of the games tonight… see ya then!
-CP
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. And it has nothing to do with working out, or staying up late studying, or even having a bunch of kids to look after. I got home last night, parked myself on the couch, and watched the Olympics. All. Night. Long. At least that’s what it felt like. So please excuse my yawning.
As our News Director put it, it’s the ultimate in reality programming. I love the vignettes on athletes, the interviews with their moms, the soundbite with Michael Phelps sharing how many calories he tries to eat in a day (between 8-10,000!!!). I just can’t get enough. The announcers introduce me to an athlete, and I google them on my laptop (as they’re competing!). I want to know what’s playing in their iPod before a match. I want to know how many former and current Florida Gators are competing in the games (did you know the Asst. US Olympic Swim Coach is the UF Swim Coach? who knew!) It’s all Olympics, all the time, and it’s not just at my house… but at your house, and millions of others as well.
It doesn’t help that I have a TV sitting a foot away from me at work all day long. Right now I’m watching Tennis. Earlier it was white water-rafting (yes, it’s an olympic sport), and then it was cheering for the swimmers. How often can you say you watched all those sports in one day?
With all that said, I still had to wake up this morning and get working on the last newscast you’ll watch before the Olympics take over until about 1am. Our nightside crew is staying up late as well, and coming in early. They’re producing the OZone show (think of it as a sort of pre-game tailgating for the games), and then South Florida Tonight airing right after the Olympics.
Millions of people all over the world, and plenty right here in our newsroom, are staying up late watching the games. So join us tonight to hear about how local gymnasts are re-igniting their Olympic dreams by watching the women compete tonight.
Take part in the games. Join our team. But don’t count on getting any sleep.
-CP
