Sh*t Crazy Newsroom Callers Say

The week of Christmas always seems to bring out the random, weird and/or crazy callers in droves. This year was no exception. I'm going to share with you three weird phone calls I was part of last week.

Call #1

Caller: Do you still have the Ellen cardboard?
Me: I'm sorry, what?
Caller: You know, the cardboard of Ellen from t.v. I took a picture with it in your lobby once.
Me: Oh... Well, now that you mention it, I haven't seen it in awhile so I'm not sure.
Caller: I want to borrow it.
Me: For what?
Caller: To play a prank on my son.
Me: I'm not sure if we loan those types of things out, and I'm not who would be able to give you permission.
Caller: Your receptionist said I could.
Me: She doesn't have that authority. The person you need to speak with is out today. You can call back tomorrow.

He did call back the next day ... three times. We told him no.

Call #2
Caller: Is Nick Saban leaving Alabama?
Me: Not that I know of.
Caller: Well, my coworker saw a post on Facebook that said he was.
Me: Can you tell me more about the post? Was it an article that someone shared; did you see it on a news organization's page?
Caller: Someone shared it from feednewz.
Me (after looking up feednewz): Ma'am, feednewz is a prank website.
Caller: Well, if it is true it'd be a knife in the backs of Alabamians.

Call #3 (abbreviated due to length of call)
Caller: I have evidence and I talked to a lawyer who advised me to go public with this information. Don't let me scare you but it dates back to 2001.

I, of course (happy that she warned me up front), promptly transferred her to my assignment editor who attempted to help her. However, this lady wouldn't give him her name or a phone number, so in the end we couldn't help her.

(Not So) Basic Journalism Skills: Time Management

Time management. It's a skill you'd think anyone working in a deadline-driven career would have. But in the world of journalism, time management isn't as common as you'd imagine, especially for just-out-college journalists.

To be truthful, time management was a skill I developed on my own, not something I learned in a class or even working for the school yearbook. Those skills didn't really get put to the test until I started working at the station as the overnight producer for the morning show.

My training was quick - two days. After that I was on my own. And in this line of work, deadlines are final. There's no such thing as an extension when it comes to an entire show. Missing a deadline is NOT an option. I struggled for the first few weeks, working up until the last possible minute. Sometimes I would even have to run back to the newsroom during a show to correct something I didn't do right.

Over the years I've developed my own system for producing that I try to pass on to all of the producers I train. I do things in a very specific order, every day. I've also picked up tips and tricks for other jobs in the newsroom, specifically reporters.

The biggest advice I can give is to have your story outlined before you leave. That includes knowing what questions you're going to ask before your interview starts. But - and this is a very big but - remember you don't have to stick to only those questions. Sometimes what you envisioned a story to be isn't what it is. Also, have an idea of what shots you need to get video-wise.

During your interview, take notes. This way you already know what sound you want to use when you get back to the office and don't waste 30 minutes logging unnecessary sound. When writing your story, pick your sound bytes first.

My own personal trick to staying on deadline is to set my own deadlines that are earlier than the required deadline. My deadlines are an hour before the required deadline. This gives me time to fine-tune my shows and make any necessary changes or additions.

Probably one of the biggest time consumers I've seen in the past five years is the time spent in front of the mirror. Whether it's putting on makeup or doing hair, I've seen reporters spend anywhere from five minutes to an hour at the mirror. (Note: this excludes touch-ups) So a piece of personal advice I'd like to pass along is this: come to work ready. You never know when something will happen that will require you to be on the air right then.

And in today's world, the internet is a real time waster that can interfere with everyone's day. NewsLab offers a couple of suggestions I would have never thought of to help keep your internet usage on track. Tip #1: add a plugin to your browswer to block certain sites and minimize distractions. Tip #2: learn to file instead of file with the use of apps like DropBox and EverNote.

For some other time management tips for journalists, check out the Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Pregnancy So Far

Three months down. Six more to go. I am officially at the end of my first trimester.

I've been wanting to write this post ever since I made my announcement. Finding the time to write hasn't been that difficult. Finding energy to do anything extra... well, that's another story entirely.

We found out I was pregnant on August 24th, but I wasn't able to get a doctor's appointment until the next week. After that appointment, we told our parents, my three best friends and my boss. We chose to wait until my first ultrasound before telling everyone else.

Being pregnant is exciting. It's also terrifying. The whole giving birth thing kind of freaks me out. And I have no idea if I'm really ready to have a kid.

So far the question I've been asked the most is about morning sickness. Fortunately, I've been mostly free of that. Sure, I've had days where I've felt queasy for most of it, but I've only had a handful of really bad days.

The thing I've struggled with the most is the headaches. I get migraines and can't take my normal medicine anymore, and extra strength Tylenol just doesn't cut it. So every time I get a headache there's the fear it will turn into something else.

My only cravings have been for peperoni pizza, gummi bears and Mt. Dew in a can.

I just had my third doctor's visit last week. At that visit my blood pressure was pretty high. Chalk it up to a stressful week at work. So the doctor put me on what she called a baby dose of blood pressure medicine. I just started taking it today so my body hasn't adjusted to it quite yet. I have another appointment in two weeks to follow up on that.

The weirdest thing for me has been feeling my body change. I've only gained about 5 pounds, but because I'm short and don't have much of a torso, I already have a bump.

My next ultrasound is in four weeks on my birthday. That's the day we'll hopefully learn if we're having a boy or girl. Happy birthday to me.

Baby on Board

For the past month or so, I've been keeping a pretty big secret. But now that I've seen my little bundle of joy and heard its heartbeat, I can finally make an official announcement.

The Art of Cultivation

Several months ago, one of my friend's mothers passed away. I didn't even know she had been sick. It doesn't matter that the illness came on suddenly and everything happened very quickly, I feel like if I were better at keeping up with my friends, I would have known.

With that being said, I know I'm horrible at keeping up with people. A week can pass before I realize I haven't talked to my mom, via phone call, text or even Facebook. It's not that I don't care or want to know what's going on in the lives of the people I care about; I just get really focused on work and then go home and want nothing more than to take a bubble bath, eat and go to bed.

So I'm challenging myself to do a better job at being a good friend. I know that true friends don't have to see or talk to each other every day for their friendships to last, but I'm making a commitment to text or call my 3 closest friends at least once a week. For friends that I've made through work who've now moved away, I'm challenging myself to communicate with them in some way at least once a month. For close family, like my parents and brother, every other day.

"A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world."

~Lois Wyse

Cover to Cover

I love to read.  I guess you could call me a bookworm. Sometimes I'd rather live in literature than in reality. Maybe a more apt description is bookaholic. Once I delve into a good book, I find it difficult to put it down. It's not unheard of for me to read an entire book in one sitting. Growing up, I was the kid who got in trouble for staying up too late reading. Now that I'm an adult, I still find myself staying up way too late reading and suffer the next day at work.


I love books from nearly every genre, even science fiction (gasp!). I love a good mystery. I've read all the Nancy Drew books and even a handful of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys crossovers. I've read most of the Cat Who series, love Mary Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham and anything I can try to solve along with the protagonist.

Historical romances have always had a special place in my heart, as do historical fictions. John Jakes is an absolutely amazing historic fiction author. I particularly like his book The Americans, and of course I've read his civil war series - North & South, Love & War and Heaven & Hell. I have lots of favorite historical romance authors, including Connie Mason, Jane Feather and Bernice Small. Connie Mason's Rogue series is one I can read over and over again.

I've read all of the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Hunger Games books. The Host by Stephenie Meyer is one of my all-time favorites, with some of the best character development I've ever had the pleasure of reading (and re-reading multiple times). Eragon and its subsequent books is also high up my list of favorite books, and I was devastated when the movie was nothing like the book. And if you haven't read Here, There Be Dragons or the Inkheart trilogy, you're doing yourself a disservice (in my humble opinion).

I read all of the Twilight books, and in my defense they were recommended to me by a librarian before all the craziness started. I enjoyed the books but have to admit that I liked the movies better.

***SPOILER ALERT***

I just recently read the Fifty Shades trilogy. I know I'm late to jump on that band wagon, but I finally decided to find out what all the fuss was about after reading tons of reviews that were either really, really bad or over the top good. I won't lie - I enjoyed that trilogy much more than Twilight. I found the characters to be much more developed and Anastasia Steel wasn't nearly as annoying as Bella Swan. It was impossible for me not to make comparisons between the two series, especially after I found out Fifty Shades started out as Twilight fanfiction.

On the whole, I have to say I enjoyed Fifty Shades more than Twilight. And no, it's not because of the sex. I found the plot line more interesting and the characters actually evolved as the series progressed.

I will say that the villain, Jack Hyde, was laughable. A book publisher goes postal after his assistant refuses to sleep with him? And it's only because of her that he makes the connection between his and Christian Grey's past? Ha.

While Jack Hyde's character was implausible, the crisis was at least better played out, and Ana was a much better protagonist than Bella. Hell, Ana shoots the villain. And she doesn't just seem to orbit around whatever Christian is doing like Bella does with Edward.

I definitely would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 20. I also wouldn't suggest it to anyone who's uncomfortable reading about sex. If you can't read a historical romance or harlequin, Fifty Shades is definitely not for you! I'll end my review by saying this - I have no idea how they're turning it into a movie that isn't considered porn.

***END SPOILERS***

I can't count the number of books I've read in my lifetime. I'd guess the number to be in the thousands, at least.

There are only a handful of books I've never finished. The first that I remember is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I was in fifth grade and remember thinking how utterly boring the book was, despite it's interesting cover art. The next book I remember not finishing was The Hunt for Red October. I was in middle school, 8th grade I think, and it was so far over my head I didn't make it past page 2. In high school I tried to read Ana Karenina but just couldn't get into Leo Tolstoy's style of writing, plus Ana was not my ideal protagonist.

I hate the saying "don't judge a book by its cover". The cover is what usually attracts me first. Then I read the book jacket or the back to get a feel for what it's about. If neither of those is available, I read the first few pages or chapter, depending on how much time I have. If I'm not hooked, I leave it on the shelf.

I'm always on the lookout for something good to read. What are you reading this summer?

Lessons from Robin Williams

I've lived through many celebrity deaths - Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Elizabeth Taylor just to name a few. But none have really hit me ... until now.

From Aladdin and Jumangi to Patch Adams and The Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Bird Cage and even Hook, Robin Williams has been a big part of my life. He made me laugh; he made me cry; and I almost always learned something from his films. It's hard to imagine the future of cinema without him. Instead of mourning his death, I'd rather remember the great characters he played and the things I learned from him both on and off the screen.

Robin Williams was born in Chicago on July 21, 1951. He studied political science before enrolling at the Julliard School to study theatre. He was discovered performing in a night club. He got his big break as Mork from Orc on "Happy Days" in 1974. That performance led to the spinoff show "Mork and Mindy" in 1978. Over the course of his career, Robin Williams appeared in more than 100 films and TV episodes. Ironically, he was voted least likely to succeed in high school. (via IMDb)

Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, I feel like I grew up with Robin. The first movie I really remember him from is Aladdin as the Genie, a part that he mostly improvised. Then of course came Mrs. Doubtfire. Robin Williams taught me so much about life, especially in his role as Mrs. Doubtfire. My biological parents are divorced so that movie really spoke to me and helped me realize with more certainty that children are not the cause of their parents' divorce.

“You’re not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you’ve met, she’s not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you’re perfect for each other.” - Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting

He taught me about love in Good Will Hunting. He taught me about the true meaning of family in Hook. He taught me about loss in Patch Adams. He taught me about freedom in Aladdin.

But the lessons Robin Williams taught the world went well beyond the screen. He was very active in the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, never charging the organization to appear in commercials or at events. He was also on the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which raises money to fund spinal cord research. And he was a big supporter of the United Service Organization, which provides support and morale-boosting services to U.S. troops and their families. (via CNN Money)


And those are just the good things he's commonly known for...

After Christopher Reeve had his paralyzing accident, Robin dressed up in scrubs and visited his long-time friend at the hospital. Reeve said it was the first time after the accident that he smiled. During the filming of Schindler's List, Robin would call director Steven Spielburg just to tell him jokes and lift his spirits. (via Huffington Post)


Robin's death has sparked national conversation about suicide and depression. I hope it encourages anyone who is suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts to seek help.

According to a 2011 survey, someone in the U.S. commits suicide every 13 minutes. It is the 10th leading cause of death in America. The highest rates of suicide are among people  between the ages of 45 and 65; the second highest rates are among people 85 or older. The South has the second-highest rate in the country. (via American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

I know people who have tried to commit suicide; I know people who self harm. And while I don't understand the motivation behind either act, I do hope they know that they can always seek me out. Depression is a serious thing that often gets brushed off as someone being too dramatic. It's a topic that no one wants to talk about but that we need to talk about.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or displaying suicidal behavior, there is help out there. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Don't wait until it's too late. Call today. 1-800-273-TALK.

Originally posted to my professional blog - www.wtvy.com/blogs/lessons
(photos via cosmopolitan.com) 

Sh*t Crazy Newsroom Callers Say

I've taken just about every type of phone call you can take at a TV station ... or so I thought. There's a first time for everything...

Caller: I'm calling because I was at a county commission meeting and I don't believe your reporter is covering the story fairly.

(note: the meeting had ended maybe 20 minutes before he called)

Me: With all due respect, the story hasn't even been written yet. How do you know the coverage isn't fair?

Caller: Your reporter kept turning his camera off.

Me: How do you know that?

Caller: Well, he kept setting it down. And he only recorded what the commission chairman was saying.

Me: Sir, again, the story hasn't aired yet so how can it be unfair?

Note: When the story aired, the sound was from the person who called.

On Location

Every week this July, we're taking my noon show on the road. We've got two shows under our belt. The first was at Fort Rucker for Freedom Fest. The second was in the city of Enterprise. This has been really my first experience with field producing. It's been a blast! My goal going forward is to try to have a live show once a month. (Plus, our production manager really wants to justify buying a trailer...)

Here are a few photos I snapped behind the scenes:

 

This week we're heading to Ozark. We'll also be making stops in Blakely and Dothan.

Flipping the Switch

Cold. Detached. Emotionless. All words I've heard used to describe people who work in this business. It's usually based off of the way they appear on TV or the tone of their writing - seemingly without feeling.

Not too long ago, one of our up-and-coming reporters talked about flipping the switch. She's recently moved into the slot of number one fill-in anchor and hasn't quite  mastered the art of distancing herself from the stories she's reading.

It's not easy to do. When you work in a smaller place, it's easy to get attached to the people who live there. If you're from the place you're reporting in, it can be even harder to distance yourself from stories. But it's something I think most people in this business would agree is a good practice.

If you can't separate your feelings from the story you're telling, chances are you're not telling it fairly. Our job is to let the viewers/readers make up their own minds about the stories we report. Our feelings shouldn't be part of it.

There's also the matter of your own sanity. You've got to know when to flip the switch back on. Just because you don't let the stories get to you while you're on the air, doesn't mean those stories don't have an effect on you. You can't just flip the switch to your emotions off and leave it there. You've got to deal with it eventually. I talked about dealing with the stress of the job HERE.

So how do you know when to flip the switch? I think it's different for every journalist.

In my first year of being in the real world of journalism, I wrote the hardest story I've ever written to date. A teacher who worked with my mother shot and killed his wife and his son. The story rocked me to my core. At the time I was working the overnight shift as the morning show producer. I cried most of that night. I haven't cried over a story we've covered since then, at least not at work.

Maybe that sounds harsh, but it's really the only way I know how to survive the horrible stories we cover day in and day out. If I didn't flip the switch on my feelings, I'd never make it through the day.

Too (Much) Social (Media)

I grew up without social media, and I'm glad I did. Middle school was tough enough without having to worry about it spilling over to the World Wide Web. The extent of my "social media" involvement before graduating high school was an online blogging site called Xanga, AOL instant messenger and the occasional chat room.

I joined Facebook the summer before I went off to college. That was back when all the site had to offer was wall posts, private messages, pokes and limited photo albums. I created a MySpace profile during my freshman year; it is now nonexistent. I started blogging here my senior year, but didn't really get into it until I started working full-time. Also since I started working, I've started a Tumblr account (which is woefully neglected most of the time), have a LinkIn profile, joined Pinterest, started tweeting and just recently started using Instagram. And, of course, I have access to all of these social media outlets on my phone.

Looking at the list I just typed makes me feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of time I must be devoting to these websites. And I'm not alone. We're connected 24/7/365, especially teenagers and pre-teens.

According to Leverage:

• There are 70 million active users on Pinterest.
• Twitter's 560 million active users  sent 5,700 tweets per second.
• 1 billion active Facebook users share 2.5 billion pieces of content each day.
• Instagram has 150 million active users.
• Google+ boasts 400 million active users with 925,000 signing up every day.
• LinkedIn has 240 million active users. 79% of users on the professional social networking site are 35 or older.

I use social media to network, save recipes and home project ideas, reconnect with old friends, work and stay entertained. Kids, on the other hand, are using it in place of everyday interactions, choosing to text or Snapchat someone rather than carry on a face-to-face or even over-the-phone conversation. Not only are conversation skills deteriorating, but kids are also not learning how to deal with problems. Instead, of working things out in person, they resort to name-calling and bullying on social media.

An even-scarier trend has emerged recently. Kids are pre-arranging fights for the sole purpose of having them recorded and posted to YouTube. We did an investigative series on this alarming trend last month. You can watch them here, here and here.

This latest trend in cyberbullying makes me even more grateful to have grown up in a time without social media. Nowadays, kids don't get any breaks from bullies.

Back when I was in school, if you had a problem with someone you fought about it and then it was over. You didn't have to worry about someone sending you threatening text messages or posting all the details of your argument all over the internet. Nowadays you can't just get over your differences. They live forever online.

According to nobullying.com, 25% of teenagers say they've been bullied through their cell phone or over the internet. Fifty-two percent of young people say they've been cyberbullied. A third of those say they were threatened online. Even more disturbing, of the 55% of teens on social media who say they've seen cyberbullying, 95% say they ignore it.

I don't know about you guys, but those are scary statistics.

Learn more about cyberbullying and ways to prevent and/or report it at http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/

Branching Out

As the title of this post suggests, I'm branching out. Starting today, I will be blogging for my station.

The blog will be called "Lessons from the Newsroom." Seeing as how nobody knows what a producer is or does, I thought I could offer our viewers a unique "insider perspective" on daily happenings. The goal is to teach our viewers a little about the process that is news and share some of the things that happen behind the scenes.

I've provided a link to the blog on the left-hand side of this blog. You can also click through to it through the banner below.

Sh*t Crazy Newsroom Callers Say

Answering the phone at the station is always a gamble. You never know who's going to be on the other end, but sometimes you get lucky and the caller warns you of their impending complaints. I found myself in such a situation one day last week...

Me: Channel 4 News.
Caller: Who do I talk to about a complaint?
Me: Let me transfer you in to my news director.

The conversation that followed was pretty bizarre. This guy had a problem with our weekend meteorologist. Apparently he moves too much while giving his forecast.

Seriously?

(Not So) Basic Journalism Skills: Handling Critics

Viewers. One day they're your biggest fan; the next, they're your most vocal naysayer. In a word, they're fickle. And it's that fickleness JSchool just doesn't prepare your for, or how to deal with viewers at all really.

My viewers are extremely invested in our shows; they have a HUGE sense of ownership over what we do. That can be both good and bad, depending on the day.

In the first edition of this series, I talked about viewer phone calls and how to deal with them. But if you've ever worked in a newsroom,  you know that phone calls aren't the only way viewers contact you. They frequently take to social media - yours or their own - and are quick to send an email, especially if they're angry.

In this business, dealing with criticism should be second nature. Unfortunately, many of us enter our professional careers with no idea of how to respond to our critics or even if we should. Let's face it, the only criticism we received in college was from our professors and not personal. In the real world of journalism, viewers take every story personally.

Interacting with viewers is the hardest, most frustrating and challenging, and rarely sometimes can be the most rewarding part of my day. Chances are if you call my newsroom, I'm who you get on the other end of the line. If you interact with our social media sites, chances are pretty high I'm on the other side of the keyboard. I talk to irate, irrational and crazy people every day. It just comes with the job.

When you work in this business, one of the first things you have to realize - especially in a small/medium-sized market - is that you're always going to be in the cross-hairs. Once you realize that, the next step is to accept that you will never make everyone who watches/reads happy. It's a sad reality of life that there are some people among us who look for reasons to complain. As a member of the media, those complaints, though not always directed at you, will often land at your feet.

So how and when should you respond to these naysayers? Like I've said in nearly every part of this series, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but I think I can offer up some tips from personal experience and advice from fellow journalists.

First things first, you do not always have to respond. Sometimes people are just looking for someone to rant to; no reply is necessary in those situations. Also, if someone is only reaching out to you to criticize how you dress, it's probably safe to ignore them. The best advice I can offer is to use your best judgment and evaluate each situation individually.

But what about those situations that do warrant a response? How should you go about it?

My first piece of advice is to be professional. If you sink to the viewer's level, you've accomplished nothing. My second piece of advice is to be honest. You don't have to be specific with people, and in most cases you don't have to defend your actions to them.

The way I handle Facebook posts/messages and emails is to thank them for watching. Then I tell them that we'll take their concerns into consideration as we move forward. If there is an explanation that can be given as to why we did or did not do something, I include that. I always try to be diplomatic, and if it's a situation I can't handle, I don't hesitate to pass them on to my supervisor.

I reached out to some of my colleagues on Facebook last week about the ways they handle critics. Here's what they had to say:


Martha: "Write a letter saying all the mean things back you want to say, but do not send it. It helps you move on."

Ben: "I would always write back the nicest letter possible. They all usually ended with something to the effect of "I'll pray for you". If they are e-mailing then they are usually pretty loyal... still full of garbage and hot air, but loyal."

Erica: "I agree with Ben. I start by thanking them for watching. I close by thanking them for reaching out to us with their concerns."

Stephen: "Just tell them the truth! And thank them for watching!"

Ki: "Privately! No on-air or publicly-posted retorts. It never makes anyone look good. I remember seeing an overweight meteorologist who tried to say that the question "are you worried about setting an unhealthy example by being overweight on camera?" was just bullying her...she came off defensive and whiny, while simultaneously ignoring the actual question (which I think is a fair one, even if it's maybe in poor taste)"

Muriel: "Always be nice."

As my news director says - "I hate you. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow." It's the perfect way to describe most of the people who reach out to newsrooms to complain.

What advice do you have to help up-and-coming journalists learn how to deal with the critics they'll never escape?

Journalism Generation Gap

In my short tenure in this business, I have worked with a lot of people. And the longer I stay in one place (which is seeming more and more likely), the bigger the generation gap becomes. I feel like I'm way too young to be using that phrase, but it's very true.

The face of journalism is changing. I mean, the faces of journalism are literally changing. The reporters and anchors many of us grew up knowing are leaving the business and being replaced with fresh, young faces. In some markets, like the one I work in, that changeover happens every few years.

Since starting my career, the journalists I've worked with have spanned the spectrum of experience. I've worked with veteran reporters, those fresh out of college and those who are just starting to find their footing.

Over the past 5 years, the thing that sticks out to me the most is just how young the new generations seem, not just in age but also in spirit. Maybe it's because when I got my start in this business, I was surrounded by those who had found their footing. Not really veterans, but several years out of college and dedicated as heck. I'd like to think that I learned from some of the best people in this business (their next moves lend some validity to that point), and now it's my job to pass that knowledge on to the next generations.

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times: my station is a great place to get your start in this business. We're considered small market, but we operate like a much larger one. We're the number one station in our area, but we don't pride ourselves on being first; we'd rather be right the first time. With that being said, we expect a lot from our staff, regardless of if they're one week or two years into the job.

Because we do typically have a much-younger reporter and producer base, mistakes are made. In this current 24-hour news cycle we operate in, those mistakes are much more noticeable and our audiences are less forgiving.

Between updating websites and social media constantly before the show even airs, I have to wonder - do these new kids not have as much time to learn and develop the skills they need to not make those mistakes? Or maybe it's more basic than that. Maybe schools haven't updated their teaching methods to match the current state of the news world. It could be even deeper than that. It could be that the business is being inundated with more and more of those members of the so-called "entitled generation" who don't truly know what it means to work. And at my station there's always this to consider - some are so focused on getting to the next gig, they can't focus on their current one.

Whatever the underlying factor, the journalism generation gap is very real and getting more pronounced with each passing year as more of the faces we've come to trust and rely on for news hang up their microphones. With them goes the experience and know-how that makes many newsrooms across the nation credible. They're slowly being replaced with inexperienced faces that viewers don't relate to or trust, regardless of their ability or credibility.

Pretty soon that generation gap won't exist anymore, simply because all the old timers will have retired. We'll be an industry made up of journalists with minimal to middle-of-the-road experience, which has me wondering - will our audiences be tolerant of our new-found learning curve?

Why News?

cre·a·tiv·i·ty (noun): The process by which one utilizes creative ability.

synonyms: cleverness, genius, imagination, ingenuity, inspiration, inventiveness, originality, talent, vision

I've always been creative. I guess it's in my genes. I have an aunt who is a professional artist; my biological father makes signs for a living; my mom is a teacher.

I've been writing as long as I can remember, from personal journals to short stories and poetry. Once, inspired by Nancy Drew, I even wrote a mystery book about some of my classmates. When I was in elementary school, one of my short stories was published in a compilation book of student works. It was about a world inside of a discarded Sprite bottle. Now, in addition to the stories I write for the news, I write for this blog.

So obviously I've got some creativity running through my veins, but why news?

I had my first experience with "news" in middle school. My class put together a little newspaper. Okay, so it was more like a glorified newsletter complete with Valentine's Grams and even some relationship gossip. Then, I got involved with my high school's newspaper, 'The Paw Print'. From sports to news to layout and design and ad sales, I did a little bit of everything, and I fell in love.

The next step was obviously to get involved in college. Instead of going the traditional route of joining the newspaper staff or working at the television station, I joined the yearbook staff. The Palladium was more like an annual magazine than a yearbook, full of sports stories, features on students and faculty, stories on campus events, etc. I worked my way up to the editor-in-chief position my senior year, managing a staff of more than 20 students.

I interned with a local magazine the summer between my junior and senior years of college. That experience exposed me to a whole different type of journalism. It was more socially driven, lighthearted and featuresque.

Now, I work at the number one local television station as the Senior/Executive Producer. I find that it's a combination of all three of my previous experiences rolled into one but with video added in.

My love for this field hasn't diminished yet, despite the stress that often comes with the territory. This field may not be as lucrative as an accomplished author's, but I don't think I'd enjoy that profession any more than this. Creating worlds and characters is one thing. Being able to tell the stories of real people is something else entirely, and I get to do that every day.

Winner, Winner

My station brought home the bacon from this weekend's ABBY awards ceremony. In addition to my 6:00 show winning Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast in the state, our station was also named 2014 TV Station of the Year. One of our reporters also received an award for a feature story she did on the 50-year anniversary of a train wreck in our area. Super exciting stuff here.

I know it's been awhile. I haven't forgotten about this blog. In fact, I have several posts in the works -- just no time to really devote to them lately. When things settle down (hopefully soon), I'll be back.

Behind the Scenes: Minion Madness

You never know who's going to stop by our noon show...

(Not So) Basic Journalism Skills: Budgeting

Few people go into journalism for fame and fortune. Those who do quickly realize that while fame comes relatively easily, the fortune part is a difficult goal to achieve.

Chances are your first job in this business will pay you little to nothing outside of experience. You'll find yourself scrimping by most weeks and counting the days until your next pay day. So how do you survive that first job of barely livable wages? One word: budgeting.

I'll be honest. Budgeting is something I don't do amazingly well. I have to work really hard to stick to it, and even when I think I'm right on point something I've forgotten about usually bites me in the butt. My budget is, shall we say, a work in progress, but I have learned some things over the past four-and-a-half years ... mostly through trial and tribulation (and a few tears).

Typically I try to keep around $100 in my bank account, and by that I mean more than $50. In an effort to be more financially responsible, I've started setting aside $40 every paycheck just for me. Having that mini-budget to do with what I will has actually helped me stay on the upper side of that $50 overall goal. It also means less sacrificing things I want for things I need. Never having any "whatever" money takes a toll on you after awhile. (I should point out, however, that when I first started out, I would not have been able to do this comfortably.)

When I first started working at the station, I lived at home with my parents. It wasn't out of a desire to do so. My job started out on a temporary basis; and to be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd still be here. Broadcast isn't what I went to school to do, and I was still actively going on job interviews with area newspapers. Three months after agreeing to fill in for the morning show producer while she was on maternity leave, I was brought on full-time. Five months after that, I moved out of my parents' house and into my own apartment.

I was only able to move out on my own because over those eight or so months I lived at home, I was building up my savings. Which brings me to my first tip -- have a savings account. I didn't move out until I had built up a couple thousand dollars in savings. I spent a decent amount of that on moving expenses but didn't actually empty the account until I got married (wedding planning is expensive). Believe me, having a safety net, even if it's only a couple hundred dollars, is a good feeling; and you never know when you might need it.

That brings me to my second tip -- don't take out multiple credit cards to pay your way through life. Trust me, it's a bad idea; and the interest rates aren't worth it in the long run. Probably the biggest key to being financially stable is to pay down your debt. Credit cards have a nasty habit of building it up, especially if you're like me and have a slight shopping addiction.

Speaking of shopping, Josh, a former classmate and fellow journalist, offered up this advice to share: If you can't afford it, don't buy it. That shouldn't just apply to clothing. It should also apply to where you live, what kind of car you drive, going out to eat, etc. Learn to live within your means. It's really as simple as checking your bank account often. You should be looking to make sure your purchases have come out correctly, i.e. only once, for the right amount, etc. If you still have a checkbook, write your purchases down ASAP. You can't be on top of your finances if you're not on top of your accounts.

Matthew, a current coworker, has some sound advice for managing your money: Pay your bills up front every month, then build your more expendable budget around what's left. Covering needs before wants is key!

Keeping tabs on your bank account is important, but you can't go through life just swiping your debit card and/or writing checks left and right. You've got to manage your money. Vanessa, another fellow journalist, has some excellent advice for managing your expenses: Make a grocery list and follow it to the T. Also, plan out your meals so you don't spend on quick drive-thru meals. As a professional desk diner, I have to concur with this advice - buying groceries instead of running through the drive-through will save you a ton of moolah.

As for what you should be doing with the money you're saving, my friend and colleague Skylar has this tip: Keep an extra strict budget until you have 3-6 months worth of expenses saved and make that your "zero" point. You never know when you may hit hard times and need that security.

Meghan takes it a little further: Once you have 3-6 months savings, start putting money on existing debt. Most [of the] time existing debt's interest rate is higher than what interest you get in a savings account - so paying off the debt quicker benefits you [more] than sticking it all in savings. Once you meet your debt payoffs, then you can switch the amount you were putting on debt into savings to build into a larger safety net.

Making a budget is by far the easiest part of managing your finances. Sticking to it, however, can be difficult. This article on How Stuff Works shares 10 tips to help keep you sane while navigating the budgeting seas. My favorite tips from the list are to use cash, cut bad habits and be flexible.

For example, if I take out cash at the ATM to keep in my wallet, I'm more conscious of how much I'm spending. Whereas if I'm using my card for every purchase, it's easy to brush aside the mounting expense; it's not until I log into my account online and see the less-than-desirable balance that I start feeling buyer's remorse. Probably my worst habit is the impulse buy. My new mini-budgeting process I talked about earlier in this post is helping me cut down on that. As far as being flexible, it's been said over and over again throughout this post - you never know what's going to happen. If you leave yourself a little wiggle room, like my $50 goal mentioned earlier, those surprises life throws at you won't take as big a hit to your wallet. 

I'd like to leave you with one last piece of advice. It was offered up by my former coworker, Ashley: GET A ROOMMATE. It will keep you sane, socialized and save you hundreds.

What budgeting advice would you give to someone who's just starting out in their career?