Notes From The Producer’s Booth

An integral part of being a Producer is being able to expect the unexpected.

Sometimes a reporter’s package arrives late and producers have to juggle around it, machines have been known to eat tapes, anchor microphones have been known to just stop working mid-sentence… all of these scenarios had been brought up to me by professors in college, mentors during internships, and I’ve lived and worked through them.  But there was absolutely nothing that could’ve prepared me for what happened Monday night during the 7pm newscast. 

After a rocky start to the show, where Jackie’s microphone decided to die just as the South Florida Nightly News opening music was playing (it has since been retired)… we moved forward.  At that point in time,  there was no way for me to know that a non-existent microphone would soon be the least of my worries. 

Just about 2 minutes away from weather, someone gets in my ear and says “Paul left.”  A dozen scenarios ran through my mind… where could my meteorologist possibly have gone moments before he was supposed to go on air?!?!  That’s when Jackie said to me, “Someone is choking in the break room– Paul ran to do the heimlich!!!”  Paul and the rest of the newsroom were trying to help an employee in trouble.  So without a meteorologist, a clock ticking down, and plenty of time to fill, the show must go on. 

All the pieces were in place for the Perfect Storm.  I asked a floor manager to go into the weather office and mic up another meteorologist, only to find out they left home early on family business.  Great.  Okay… lets find a story that Jackie can toss to to help fill the time.  With only one more commercial break left, we didn’t have much time to figure out how to fill the rest of our time.  I find a story, and try to talk to the editors from the control room so they can upload it, but I can’t get a hold of anyone outside of the control room or studio— everyone else is in emergency management mode, nowhere near the newsroom.

The next few minutes are a blur… we were seconds away from airing a back-up story, when Paul re-appeared in the studio.  Turns out the employee was going to be okay (as well as the 2nd employee who had an adverse reaction to all the commotion), and Paul managed to fill 3 minutes of television flawlessly. 

As if nothing had ever happened. 

As the viewer at home, all of this juggling was hopefully not as painfully obvious as it was to me.  We didn’t have the happy chatter at the end of the newscast with the entire team, but at least we made it to 7:27:00pm without a major meltdown.

How to deal with the heimlich during a newscast… now that’s something they didn’t teach me at UF.

Vogue Cover Controversy

DeMarco Morgan sounds off on the controversy surrounding the Vogue cover featuring Lebron James and model Gisele Bundchen.

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As an African American man… I know all too well what it means and feels like to be stereotyped or prejudged before someone cares to honor and respect your character and intelligence without looking at your race.

In response to the cover of Vogue magazine… it doesn’t offend me one bit. But if it opens the discussion of race and how black men “should be” and “are portrayed” in our society… let’s discuss it.

Let’s ask ourselves how can we as a country move past the stereotypes of any one… regardless of race, gender or religion, etc.

If Lebron is okay with it– I’m fine with it. If he was offended– it would be a different story.

There are individuals who refuse to move forward when it comes to race and/or gender because of the unforgettable history of our nation that very few are comfortable with discussing.  Just take a look at the current presidential race!

But there are also those individuals who find it hard to move forward because of the deep pains and hurt from the days of Jim Crow. Many who fought just so that I, too, would enjoy a free America.

There’s room at the table for everyone. Ask yourself…. what will you do to help make this world a better place for all of us?

-DeMarco Morgan