Southern Sports Network Studio Work - 3 hours

Wednesday February 23 - Today I met John Luti in the studio and he taught me lots of new things. He showed me how to put together different packages, like the "formula" of nat sound, and then an interview, and not to just show an interview too long but its better to put b roll over it. I learned how the work the mics, the sound, and the cameras. He showed me how an interview would work sitting at the desk, or how to actually anchor a show. For example, how to switch back and forth between the two cameras. He basically showed me the basics of how studio runs. We are now planning to work on the Mocs-Tigers game package after spring break so he can show me how to really put a package together.

Total Practicum Hours - 13 hours

Practicum Midterm

Now that I have almost a semester and a half finished of college, I know that broadcast is definitely the right field for me. I have learned the basic things like how to work the camera, how to interview, and how to write. I have improved my communication skills by learning how to work with large groups of people, meet deadlines, and prioritize my goals. Overall I think the most important thing that I have learned is the direction that I want to head in this field. My ultimate goal is to be a news anchor.

Being a news anchor has been my dream for a while now. During my junior and senior years of high school I anchored for the morning news program. I loved getting ready each morning in the studio. It was so fun being on camera, delivering my lines and getting to be the face of the morning show. Besides, just enjoying being on camera I like the journalism and reporting side of broadcasting. I got a taste of this in high school, as well. I reported for the school newspaper in addition to a weekly column that ran in two Philadelphia papers. These experiences combined lead me into the broadcasting and reporting field.

I entered Florida Southern with these intentions and months later still have the same goal. I did some research to find out what the job of a news anchor consists of and what the duties of a news anchor are. As I already knew, being an anchor involves more than just reading lines given to you on a teleprompter. It’s a lot of hard work, long hours, knowledge, and research. From what I have found, the basic duties of a news anchor are to investigate, interview, write, anchor and edit packages. It is our duty to keep the public informed of current events, the news that is going on in the local cities and even across the world.

In order to be a good anchor, you have to be an excellent reporter. This is done by finding reliable leads, interviewing credible witnesses or sources, doing some investigation and eventually developing the research into stories. Once you have the information, you have to use communication skills to write about it in an informative, yet interesting way. Once it is written, the news then has to be delivered on air in a confident, presentable manner. Other duties of a news anchor could include organizing and writing material, using social platforms for updates, and evaluating and analyzing news stories to make sure there is not a slant or bias to them. All of this has to be done all while meeting crucial deadlines.

In my research I found distinctions between what different anchors report on. Some may specialize in sports, politics, economics, pop culture, health, the community or just the general news in a specific town or area. I am not sure of exactly what I would like to report on. Right now, reporting the news just for a specific city seems like something I would be interested in. I grew up watching the Philadelphia news, and that’s something I aspire to do. It doesn’t specifically have to be that area, but I like the general morning or evening news programs that cover every type of news from current events, to politics to sports to celebrity news. There’s something that would be entertaining and informative for every different kind of viewer.

Overall being a news anchor seems like a fast paced, interesting job that would utilize all of the skills I have. After researching the different positions I am confident with my goal and hope to one day achieve it.

Interlachen Story - 1 hour

During this past week I finished up interviewing and wrote the story about the theatre arts department for the yearbook. I wrote about the department itself, the students, and different events they have throughout the year.


Total Practicum Hours - 10 hours

Interlachen Meeting and Engaged Learning Interview - 2 hours

Tuesday February 22- Today we had another Interlachen staff meeting. We discussed the upcoming deadlines and the final things that need to be done. Bob said that he wants a printed out copy of the book soon so we can all look at it. We figured out what still needs to be done. The deadline for everything is going to be March 18, so we have to get everything finished before then.

On the same day I worked with Cynthia on an engaged learning project she is working on. I helped her with the camera and then she interviewed me about my experiences with engaged learning.


Total Practicum Hours - 9 hours

Wellness TV shoot - 1 hour

Thursday February 17 - Today I met Consuelo for a Wellness TV shoot. I'm helping her with the segment for spring break and what to bring and how to prepare your car before leaving. I set up an interview with my friend who is going to Panama City. We met at the pool and Consuelo showed me how to set up the camera. Then I learned how to work the wireless mics. Once she had the mic on, I learned different techniques for making the shoot look good. She showed me how to make the person in shot look good in relation to the background. Then we interviewed her about where she was going and how she is preparing.

Total Practicum Hours - 7 hours

Interlachen Meeting and Interview 1.5 hours

Tuesday February 15 - Today there was another Interlachen staff meeting. We discussed the upcoming events and the quickly approaching deadline. This last about an hour
After the meeting I sent out more emails to the theatre department, because thats how the teachers preferred their interviews. Now I have to write the blurbs about the department for the yearbook.

Total Practicum hours - 6 hours

Interlachen Meeting, Interlachen Interview, and Business Department Interview Meeting - 2.5 hours

Wednesday February 2 - Today I was working in the business department and met with Dr. Mike Tracy. We discussed the plan for the business interviews this semester. What we plan to do is finish up all the faculty interviews, start editing and then put it on his own youtube channel. He is also trying to work on playing it on one of tv's in the hallways of the business department.

Today I also sent out emails trying to set up interviews in the theater department. For the most part, the faculty preferred email interviews so I sent out my questions and when I hear back from them I will write this theater arts section for the yearbook. This took a half hour.

Tuesday February 8 - Today we had another Interlachen meeting. We discussed upcoming events and availability of shots. After the meeting we had a "brainstorming session" with Austen about things that we can film. He told us that we need just student things, not necessary sports or specific events. So then we discussed upcoming events, like Greek life, that can be filmed. This took about an hour.

Total Practicum Hours - 6 hours

Interlachen Meeting and Shoot - 1.5 hours

Tuesday February 1 - Today I went to a shoot with Lauren, Meghan and Janine. They were shooting a JC Penny's ad for a class. I obsereved how to work the camera, and the different shooting techniques they used. The shoot took about 30 minutes.

Today was also another Interlachen staff meeting. Now the pressures really on and we discussed upcoming deadlines. Bob told us that he would like everything finished by Spring Break, which is only a few weeks away. We talked about ways to fit everything in and upcoming shoots for the week. This meeting lasted about an hour.

I also contacted Anna about the Southern News Network. I work during the meeting and shooting times, but that is something I would really like to be involed in.

Total Practicum Hours - 3 hours 30 minutes