Newscast #2 - Chloe Snodgrass - Spring 2022

Overall, newscast two went more smoothly for me than newscast 1. After doing it once I went into this time around with more confidence in my ability to get my job done. One of the things I learned was to do research prior to writing the script. Over the span of two days, I researched facts and stats for everyone’s stories. I knew not everyone was going to make the show, but at that point, I wasn’t sure who was going to make the show. I also had a better understanding of everyone’s stories and wasn’t so overwhelmed on Friday when I had to write the script.

I had the opportunity to go with one of the reporters to cover the student-athlete networking event. Being able to go out and help the reporters film for their packages is a learning experience for me. I can be out in the field firsthand and help with whatever the reporter needs. I get to help them figure out different shots and angles to try, which also helps me know what to look for when I critique their packages.

Everyone in class improved on their packages for newscast two. This made it easier when it came to how much time I had to spend on critiquing everyone’s packages. Thursday nights at 9 p.m. are when the reporter’s final drafts of their packages are due and this time around some people were turning their stories in at 6 p.m. at the earliest. This gave me a lot more time to critique and give feedback. I sat in on almost every reporter’s writer conference with Professor Dahlia and Professor Marra, so I knew what to look for when they turned in their final package. I saw what they did or didn’t change and even gave some of my feedback.

Finally, it was Friday the day I had been somewhat dreading. Now I am going to kind of out myself here. The script for newscast one I had 80 different comments on it from Professor Dahlia. This makes sense because I really had no clue what I was doing, but I was way more confident this time around. It took me hours of writing, editing, and fixing the format, but I eventually felt pretty good with what I had. I sent it to my assistant producer, and he sent it back with a few writing changes. After fixing some of his recommendations, I sent the script to Professor Marra. Saturday evening, she sent it back to me with some changes. That night and Sunday morning I fixed what she said. I sent it to Professor Dahlia Sunday morning and waited. I was a ball of anxiety. I couldn’t eat, and my stomach was full of nerves. I was so afraid that it was going to be bad again, and that she would have to spend a lot of time fixing it. By the time 6 p.m. rolled around, I was checking my email every five minutes. At around 7:30 p.m. I had an email from Professor D. I opened it and saw that I only had 26 comments. I was so relieved and felt like I could finally breathe.

On Wednesday we were back at the Waterfront Studio to film Newscast two. I was excited because being in the studio is my favorite part. I really enjoy being able to booth and be in the craziness that is the studio. I enjoy talking to the anchors and helping them as we go through the show. I felt like I did better this time around coaching and talking to the anchors. I picked up on more things that needed to be changed or fixed in this newscast. I even got to stay for Playbook’s newscast and help their producer block her script and booth!

I am learning so much already! I know that I will just continue to learn and grow as the class continues.