... at the amazing CBS 5 news station.
KPHO was my first internship so
it’s easy to say it was the best, but in all honesty I couldn’t imagine it
going any better.
BYU prepared me so well -- employees at KPHO were surprised
that I knew how to do what I considered to be basic broadcasting tasks. Thanks ElevenNews!
I set to work right away with
their morning show crew from 3 am to 8 am on Mondays and Fridays, writing business, entertainment, international, and health
segments. During the show I fielded Facebook comments and emails for air.
AND after the show I got
to live punch some of the 3 minute network cut-ins, and later in the semester I
got to record some of them as the anchor.
We had a parade of interesting
guests, including SNL’s Chris Kattan, Willie Nelson, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith,
Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter), Cardinals wide-receiver Larry Fitzgerald, comedian
Frank Calliendo, controversial Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio, three bear cubs, three
wedding dress models, two different barbeque caterers, and a couple who run a
giant plastic hamster ball recreation company in the valley.
We also recorded
satellite interviews with Jillian Michaels, LL Cool J, and Martha Stewart. I
even got to field produce from live shots at events like the Phoenix
International Raceway’s Fresh Fit 500 race, the Phoenix Golf Open, the Barrett
Jackson Antique Car Show, and the Arizona Statehood Centennial Celebration.
The dayside shift was far less
star-studded, but celebrities aren’t why I’m in this business. I spent my
Wednesdays at the station from 9 am to 7 pm working with reporters,
photographers, producers, LNS, web writers, the assignment desk, and even weather on the weekends.
I emphasize on the weekends.
We got a little silly.
(That's not live, by the way.)
Getting to write entire
blocks of the 5 & 6:30pm shows, and then see them air was SO rewarding.
Reporting on softer stories like new inventions and the doomsday clock was pretty normal for me... but the hard hitting stories were really a whole new experience. I helped cover a helicopter
rescue for hikers in the mountains, a kidnapping reporting scandal, alleged
racial profiling by motorcycle cops, big banks blacklisting home appraisers,
and localizing the death of Dick Clark. I insisted in doing my own version of
the stories I shadowed and now I have them as part of my resume.
The biggest thing I learned is
that if you really love what you do, you’ll make it.
I was supported and
encouraged so much by the employees when we talked about my goals. They all agreed the
hours are tough, the pay isn’t great, you deal with people who don’t want to
talk to you, and it’s probably the most fast paced field out there-- but if you
love it you can live with all that, and focus on the great things: working outside of the office, meeting real people, covering important issues, creating something valuable from nothing, and getting your voice out there. Some reporters here have a negative
attitude and suffer through it just to “pay the bills.” Others live for it and can’t believe they get
paid anything for doing what they do.
That’s my plan – live for it and love
every minute of it.
