For show 4, I'm back behind the technical director's board after working from the producer's booth for show 3. It was a switch on short notice, and I'm glad we made it work. Unfortunately, Makenna Leisifer, the primary line producer, became ill and, on the morning of the show, informed us that she couldn't make it for the show's taping. 

Last semester, I had a line-producing experience for West Virginia Today, the public affairs show. But that was with a different crew. So we had to move things around and find a new technical director to fill in while I took on the line-producing baton. 

If you know anything about television news production, chaos will always ensue. However, the ability to rein it in is part of a producer's job description. On the fly, we had to train Zach DeLuca, one of our camera operators, for the technical director role. During the first taping, I had my hands and eyes on many things, as is expected of a producer, including Zach's technical board. He did a great job of growing into the position rapidly. Director Chase Hughart, digital playback coordinator Sydney Wentz, and graphics coordinator Jake Howard were also to thank for their help in making the show run smoothly, and we had a take! Our executive producers, Professor Gina Martino-Dahlia and Professor Ashton Marra were also immense, especially in helping to connect a makeshift control room with the studio.

I wear several hats as a newscast co-producer, technical director and videographer. But for the past three shows, I've added more production responsibilities. For Show 4, I only went out with Entertainment/Social Square reporter Kaeli Ricottilli for her package on Ramadan, on Tuesday evening. It was a nostalgic experience for me. 

I'm from Lagos, Nigeria. And that city is a cocktail of experiences. You could be the staunchest Christian but flip once it is Ramadan since you have neighbors, in-laws, or one-half of your immediate family who are devout Muslims. But it's been a while since I experienced such and being back at the Morgantown Mosque brought about memories and the aura of the period. We were offered food, but first, we worked it into our package. Kaeli used it for a demonstration in her standup shoot. The report dug into the essence of Ramadan, which is especially important for our viewers, who are mostly Christians. (Highly recommend you watch it :))

Then came the array of conference calls (on Wednesday and Thursday mornings), where we shared critiques of reporters' works. This is the most fulfilling part of this class for the producers and executive producers. We set a goal of no reshooting and just edits, and it's so refreshing to see reporters' feedback shrink by the week and have only minor tweaks to make. This is important because as reporters no one will have the luxury of recapturing b-rolls, standups, or even eyewitness accounts. Only sometimes would subjects have the patience to reshoot an interview. And in the television news industry, deadlines are non-negotiable. So the ability to get things right the first time is essential. 

At Thursday evening's producers' meeting, deciding who would make the show became increasingly difficult. It is also gratifying because we dropped reporter's packages not because they are bad but for minute reasons like timing or other editorial sentiments like what's interesting, informative, or visually appealing. But again, that's how challenging the producer's job is; you make those hard calls. You decide what goes on the show as a complete package, as VO or VOSOT, or out of the show, but with a genuine reason that also suits the show's objective. 

I sent collective feedback to each reporter after the meeting. It was light, a testament to the significant improvement made by this cohort. That improvement translated to our newscast taping, where we became nitpicky. We recorded four versions and hit the bull's eye, timewise, for the last three tapings. The first was only 20 seconds off. As acknowledged by Dahlia, the anchors' paces were improved (s/o to Makenna for spending extra time to work on pacing during Monday's anchor practice). In the control room, everyone had a solid grip on their responsibilities. It was the smoothest time we have had at the Waterfront Studio, and we were unfazed by the presence of prospective TV news students. They watched us do our thing and I’m sure we left a mark.

I wrote the B-block, starting it in the Mountainlair dining in Morgantown and editing it the next day in one of the rooms designed by the legendary Dorothy Draper at the Greenbrier resort. I had taken a three-and-a-half-hour drive with Sean McCallister, my friend and WVU News floor manager, to White Sulphur Springs on Saturday morning. I attended a luncheon to accept the 2023 Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters (VAPB) scholarship. It's an annual $2,000 scholarship awarded to two high-flying broadcast students from West Virginia and Virginia. 

I digress. The B-block was a nostalgic WVU football story and a kicker to conclude the newscast. But as kickers go, this has the most exciting visuals and arguably the most important messages of the newscast. I can't tell how much my productivity has improved due to a mood upswing brought on by the change in weather and the ability to stay outside more. Gerrod McGann, the recreation reporter, did justice to this story.

Now, I look forward to our final show. It is thematic, and we are exploring addiction. The beat structure is deconstructed as reporters work towards the theme, including sports reporters, who must find a sports parallel. Also, the newscast time doubles, meaning our reporters have much more time to allow their stories to breathe. Again, this is something I am familiar with from our WV Today shows. 

It promises to be such a thrilling couple of weeks, with all we've learned coming together. This is a high-stakes production, and we will give it our all. Also, I can't believe I have less than a month to finish my master's. I have a lot of memories, and I'll be back in this space to reel them out. Till next time!