Last Packages

Here are my last two packages from TV news.  It has been a trying semester, but I can say without a doubt that this has been the most important semester as far as my personal growth as a journalist.  I have learned many techniques that have helped me in putting together packages and newscasts.

Fighting for Interviews

The difficulty of finding an interview was felt no more than this week.  Because my chosen interviewees were all in committee this week, I was forced to result to getting sound from a local dentist.  Luckily, the staff at the Molar Express was very helpful, and I ended up putting together a pretty nice package.

My DUI interviewees were also beyond helpful, and I enjoyed every minute at the police station (something few people who go to the police station get to experience).  My B roll could have been better for the story, but it's just something that comes with the territory.

I am truly learning how to put news packages together in a timely manner.  With luck, my grades will be better this time around.

Week 1

Just turned in my first two packages for the semester.  They cover Amendment 8 (class size reduction) and guns on college campuses.  Both presented their own set of challenges, but I was able to complete them on time.

Amendment 8 was the easiest package to put together simply because of the subject matter.  Rocky Hanna, principal of Leon High was the toughest get in the case of interviewees, but the byte was worth the wait.  I actually had more interviews than I could use.

Guns on campus began simply as a package on firearms, but morphed into one about legislation.  Senate Bill 234 is currently making its way through senate committees. The new legislation will allow students and faculty to open-carry guns on campus.  I hope I did not stray too far off the track when covering the bill, but I thought the information provided was relevant.  Interviews were hard to come by.  I traveled to a few pawn shops before I received cooperation from Mike's Pawn.  My official SOT came from FSU chief of police David Perry.

Arriving early was a major part of everything running smoothly.  I was able to get a couple interviews early, and in the event a interviewee was late, they were very apologetic and gave me anything I wanted.

First News Assignment

Today's class started out with a 30 minute quiz on a few general terms of broadcast journalism.  I felt like I did well on the assignment, although there were a few I couldn't define.  My goal for the end of the semester is to be able to define all 30 terms on the quiz throughly.  

I was also given two stories to cover over the next two weeks. The first, new class size requirements, seems like an easy subject.  The interviewees should be willing to speak about the subject, and research should be easy.

The second might not be so simple.  My B package covers guns and college students with emphasis on the recent shootings in the area.  I feel like it may be too soon for some to comment on the situation.  Hopefully, students will be passionate enough to give me some good bytes.