So very much happens on the news desk that sometimes the little, usual steps are forgotten.  I’m guilty of this.  I work so hard on so many different tasks that I overlook a simple step that would have gotten me everything I needed.  Last week though the simple routine  helped us get an exclusive interview with Timothy Masters, a man who spent 10-years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

In the middle of the afternoon we received a short release from Masters’ attorney saying the Cit...
Continue reading ...

I have repeatedly mentioned this in my posts:  I take calls weekly from viewers upset because they don't have easy access to a computer, let a lone the Internet.  They are upset because our newscasts direct them to our website for further information on the stories.  The calls are mostly from elderly folks, but increasingly the calls are from younger people.  Due to their economic situations, the computer or the Internet, was an expense they could no longer afford.

I try to give out all the i...
Continue reading ...

Two more news collaborations have been completed.  Each utilized Ustream, but in different ways.  The first was Monday where we invited local artists Laurie Maves and Nemo to watch an investigative story by Brian Maass that looked at an art gallery in Aspen accused of plagiarizing art work.  They met Assistant News Director Kristine Strain, watched the story and asked some questions.

Soon after they left the station they broadcast their discussion of the story on Laurie's Ustream channel.  The...
Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

CBS4 News is not new to using social media. The station has been at it for well over a year. (Hey it’s longer than some, shorter than others, but more aggressive than other local media outlets.) I think though that I’m the only one who uses the actual term “news collaboration.”

Collaboration is exactly what we've been doing. From the surgery shared live through Twitter to the Join the Conversation campaign to the Interactive HelpCenter we’re collaborating with the public in our ne...
Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Your hard work on that press release just went bye-bye with the click of the delete button.  You know what’s the saddest about this?  I don’t even know what I deleted.  There was no information, other than your name and contact info in the body of the email.  You expected me to open an attachment to find out what you’re pitching.  I don’t have time to open the attachment.  Delete.

I’m not making this up.  Earlier this morning during a rush on the news desk I deleted four of these ema...
Continue reading ...

I’ve been on the news desk for almost 10 years at CBS4 News.  By now it’s routine and instinctive on how to cover big breaking news events.   First it’s the adrenaline and the rush of semi-controlled chaos as I work to confirm information, move news crews, keep the newsroom informed of every development, etc.  Eventually my silent thoughts of “is this really happening?” creep in and are later followed up by the emotions and thoughts everyone at home watching the event unfold have ha...
Continue reading ...

It seems though I may have programmed the producers too well.  I’ve written how I proudly wear the Dream Killer Tiara as I often have to tell producers they can’t have desired live shots because logistically they’re just not possible. Everyone knows though that I, and the others on the news desk, work hard to make all the requests come true.  

So I was quite surprised yesterday when a producer cancelled a live shot without even talking to me about a way to make it happen. "You’ve go...

Continue reading ...

“I’m in Longmont. Have you received any calls on lights in the sky?  My wife and I and two or three others saw this light that looked like a shooting start until it split into two and then crisscrossed each other until the lights faded out!” 

The caller went on to explain more about the lights.  He said Longmont Police had said the lights were from pyrotechnic skydivers but that he didn’t believe it.  I told him that I couldn’t confirm that but there was a group of pyrotechnic sky...

Continue reading ...

“Misty, I blame you!” exclaimed the producer half in jest half in frustration.  “All these weird truck problems are all you!” 

“Yep, that’s me.  I caused the tire to go flat,” I responded with a laugh.

Sometimes when it seems all is going wrong, all you can do is make a joke out of it as you work to make sure the viewer would never know what obstacles with which you’re dealing.  Tonight it was a flat tire on a live truck.  The truck was already in position for the 5pm newsc...

Continue reading ...

Monday night (Nov. 2) after 6 p.m. I heard a call to respond to a stabbing in Jefferson County. Several agencies were called to send crews, including K-9, set up a perimeter to search for suspects. Immediately my new antennas went up and I was on alert. I had few crews – let me rephrase – NO crews, available to send to just check out the scene. I needed information and I needed logistic plans A – D.

I waited a few minutes to give dispatchers enough time to do their jobs before I bothered...

Continue reading ...

I’m never sure how things like this happen, but it’s frustrating.  I think there was miscommunication all around this afternoon.  I say all around because the problem just wasn’t here in the newsroom.  We almost missed an important story all because the right questions weren’t asked and those who were supposed to have all the details had little information themselves.

An intern answered one of the many phone calls this afternoon and was told of an upcoming press event.  The event was...

Continue reading ...

I understand how difficult it is to be a PIO or PR rep during breaking news or a developing situation.  (For rest of post I will use PIO-Public Information Officer-to refer to all media reps.)  I relate to your job as I compare it to that of my own as an assignment editor.  I only know what is happening by what I’m told by news crews on scene, witnesses or PIOs; or by what I hear on the scanners. 

Producers, writers, editors, managers, reporters, photographers constantly ask me for more det...

Continue reading ...

Since September 10^th when the undercover video at ACORN was released I, and my coworkers, have taken many calls, emails and social media comments on the story.  With confidence I can say 90% of the comments were nasty and mean.  Only a few times did I see an email, direct Twitter message, or phone call that didn’t make me brace myself for another lashing.  Those few comments were actually questions instead of accusation.  They were questions of “how is a national story like ACORN covered ...

Continue reading ...

This afternoon the news desk received two very viable news tips.  I was unable to confirm either tip.  My gut tells me that tomorrow, both tips will be a story.

 

It’s frustrating when this happens.  I can only do so much from the news desk like make as many calls as possible until I reach anyone who will give me an answer.  If the answer is no comment or no that’s incorrect, I’m stuck. 

 

I’m on the news desk communicating through email, phone calls and even Twitter.  None of this r...

Continue reading ...

"I NEED ALL THE INTERNS IN THIS NEWSROOM TO ANSWER THE PHONES!!!!"

I'd cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice and shouted out into the newsroom in a very stern voice.

I didn't even think.  I just yelled.  The entire newsroom went quiet.  Then a couple of the producers chimed in, "Please. Please help answer the phones." 

The phones were ringing constantly and the afternoon storms were just starting to cause havoc.  My coworker on the desk and I were working to gather information and...

Continue reading ...

Drove back from Vegas this morning. Rushed to work. Walked into a newsroom that was buzzing with urgency of covering tornadoes. I've been gone for a week. Almost every day that I was gone there was severe weather coverage. (Many have joked tornado alley moved, but actually I believe this is more traditional to Colorado weather patterns and what's been out of the ordinary is the lack of such weather.)

It was obvious this dance had been done quite recently and people were in auto-mode; which doe...
Continue reading ...

Friday night, 9:58pm: I hear the producer say over the RTS "Misty - Somebody tell Jennifer Zeppelin we're less than a minute away from the show!"

My head snaps up and I see Jennifer McRae half-way between me and the weather center. "Jennifer! Go tell Jennifer Zeppelin we're less than a minute away!"

Jennifer looks at Jennifer Miller standing across the producer pod from her. "Jennifer! You've got less than a minute! RUN!"

Me: "NO! Wrong Jennifer! Jennifer Zeppelin, ZEPPELIN!"

I'm not heard becaus...
Continue reading ...

It's as silent as it ever gets in the newsroom. I only hear background noise of scanners, keyboard keys clicking and a far off television. My shift is only half over but I feel spent for a job that is relatively sedentary.

I'm spent because from the moment I walk in the door until about this time every night it's go go go time. I may walk off the desk to track down photographers, editors, engineers, producers, etc., but I'm mostly confined to the news desk where everything comes at me. Constan...
Continue reading ...

Today is so not yesterday. Today was busy to start because of back-to-back meetings followed by the rush to actually get caught up on everything with only an hour to go before news-time. Yesterday started off with my coworker saying, "Oh, by the way your night side photographers are screwy today" and ended with this Tweet "WMF PIO: confirms 14-yr old arrested for arson and reckless endangerment for starting the fire. Suspected of playing w/a lighter near bushes."

It was so busy that I realized...
Continue reading ...

It's day two of book (Nielsen ratings period)and we're chugging along just fine. To be honest, the stress of scheduling all the special shoots and edits for stories that are going to be aired in the next few weeks seems to have eased up. I'm not sure why. There's still a lot of blue ink on our assignment board.

Oh, I should explain blue ink. We keep tracks of assignments on a big dry erase board and several smaller boards depending on the day/stories, and of course in the computer. Assignments...
Continue reading ...

I started this blog over a week ago and every time I sit down to write it, I can't seem to get out what I want to say. This block has left me feeling like there's nothing else I can blog about until I get this out. So please, if ramble and take tangents, remember it's my way of trying to connect the dots. I'd love your feedback and ideas.

I agree Lacey, it's been too long since I blogged.

Last week was a horrible week for journalism in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News closed. There were lay offs...
Continue reading ...

Sometimes breaking news is only covered because of timing and resources. Shootings, bank robberies, fights, chases, searches, stand offs, auto/pedestrian accidents, etc happen regularly on a daily basis. There is simply no way to cover everything that happens. Plus, this may be cold but true, who really cares about all of this? Incidents happen and resolve without injuries or without road closings, school lockdowns, evacuation. Sometimes there are injured victims, sometimes there are road clo...
Continue reading ...

I'd just hung up the phone. I heard laughter coming from the 10 p.m. newscast meeting in the news directors office. The rest of the newsroom was relatively quiet, even the scanners.

BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ

Blared from the ceiling. The fire alarm was going off.

No one moved except the assistant news director who came out of the meeting to look around. She looked at me and I said, "I'll call the security guard."

Security guard, "I think it's the main water line."
Me, "So I don't have to evacuate th...
Continue reading ...

4:55pm
I'm listening to Denver police conduct some kind of undercover bust. I've already moved Copter4. I've asked Doug to track down a photographer to go on the ground. I've told the producers what I'm hearing.

We're on alert for a homicide suspect that has been wanted since Wednesday night when he allegedly forced his girlfriend off the road, walked up to her car, and shot her. I can tell the officer on the scanner is tense as he moves other officers into location to move in on a suspect. Cou...
Continue reading ...

Thursday, January 29, 2009