Yesterday I completed two VOSOTs (voice over, sound on tape) on Wartburgs efforts in recyclemania. I mentioned in an earlier post that I went to Waverly to talk to Emily Rogers, the student leader, about how they are increasing their recycling efforts. She was great and showed me around campus. I had a VOSOT on the 5 and 6. 

I am finally getting to know Avid! It is a touchy system and you have to know each little step when setting up a project. This is finally sinking in with me. 


Half the reason I love this career path is the fact that it is so rewarding. After airing a piece, you know that you are bringing information to the public that they may not have known if it weren't for you! It is well worth the effort you put in. 
 
The days at KWWL have been flying by! I am trying to learn as much as I can in the remainder of my time there. The story I am currently working on is a package on Wartburg's RecycleMania efforts. RecycleMania is a nationwide competition that encourages students to increase their recycling habits. Seven schools in Iowa are taking part in the competition this year. I met with Emily Rogers who is their student leader. Emily was great to talk to and showed me around Wartburg's campus highlighting where they recycled. This should be on air sometime this week. 

Last week there was a breaking story happening in Vinton, IA. A woman claimed being shot after coming home to two intruders in her home. I went to get more information and met a photographer there. When I arrived, not much was happening. Our primary information source was the woman's neighbor. Our photographer set up and I asked her a few questions. POA: I have learned that the more specific you are in the questions you ask, the better sound bites you will turn out. Even if it is rewording the same question or asking a question pinpointing a smaller aspect of her previous answer. 

I only have about four more weeks left at KWWL and I will make the most of them! 
 
I have officially gone out to my first accident. I was sitting at my desk when the scanner piped up and alerted us about an accident involving a tractor. Our news director was already out shooting an accident earlier that day so it was my turn. 

I grabbed my gear as fast as I could and was off to the intersection of Kimbal and Orange in Waterloo. When I arrived, I noticed that it was very low key. A tractor was turning left and the woman driving behind her failed to notice his signal and went to pass. She was hit on the passenger side. Everyone was okay and her car suffered minor damage. 

This was still a challenging shoot because the road was so narrow. I didn't want to get in the way but it was hard with the police car, tractor, and car on a narrow road. I managed to get some good shots for the show that night. 

I love the rush of jumping up, grabbing everything you need, and getting to where news is happening. Then getting back to the station to edit the video you shot before the closest show. I love the atmosphere of the news room and the news business in general. You never know what is going to happen.  POA: Be ready for the unexpected. You never know when news will break and they need you to go get video. Especially in Iowa you never know what the weather will be like so it is handy to have back up clothes/boots in your bag or car. 
 
I arrived at the station on Friday expecting a typical day of assisting producers write stories for broadcast and web but when I asked our news director what I would be doing that day he had something else in mind. I joined the team that would be covering a mother's surprise visit to Orange Elementary. It was her son's 6th birthday and she had been gone for about four months serving our country in the Marine Corps. 

I could hardly imagine how the mother of D'Kylan Woods felt as she was approaching the classroom. When examining her face, she was beaming with excitement and couldn't wait to have that special moment with her son. When she walked in, it took D'Kylan a moment to register who it was because the class was expecting a "celebrity reader". Shakelia (D'Kylan's mom) was not suppose to return until July this year so when D'Kylan recognized his mom he took off running towards her and found himself in his mom's arms again. 


This was incredibly emotional for everyone who witnessed it. I even found a few tears running down my face. The two of them are headed back to Washington D.C. It was a very special day in my news career. POA: It is these experiences and how you handle them that shape who you are not only as a person but as a reporter or news entity. Record these memories so you have something to look back on and see all of the experiences that have shaped you.