Change 4 Utah

In the past couple of weeks, ABC4 has been going through some changes that have affected Good Things Utah specifically. Gretchen Jensen, one of the now former hosts of Good Things Utah, was given her own segment on the 4PM news called "Utah Works" where she will be spotlighting businesses all across Utah. It was a really sad day to see her go, but I am so happy for her and she is excited to expand her reach into a different part of the news business.

Because Gretchen was just so awesome, Good Things Utah had to hire TWO new hosts just to take her place, but they are pretty amazing themselves. Reagan Leadbetter, who was a host before Gretchen, is back on the show and Jessie Miller, who was an intern for ABC4 eight years ago is also on the show! Reagan will be hosting with Nicea and Troy on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Jessie will be co-hosting with Nicea and Troy on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. They have been with us for just a couple of weeks now, but I already love them both! I will be spotlighting them on my blog a little bit later so you can get to know them a little bit more.

Change is definitely a huge part of the television business. One minute you are comfortable in one place, and the next they are moving you somewhere completely different. Or, you might find a job that is better suited for you and you might decide to go elsewhere on your own. You never really know what could happen. That is the a beauty of all of this and it's one thing that, as I've been talking to different people here at ABC4, everyone really loves. I can't wait to start my own career to see where it takes me!

The interns with Gretchen on her last day -- we are missing her so much!

Nicea with our two new hosts -- Jessie and Reagan

In the Edit Bay

At ABC4, there are about 15 edit bays throughout the whole station.The edit bays are where the videographers [mostly] and reporters/anchors [sometimes] edit video, sound bites, packages, and things like that. For packages in particular, the reporters and anchors have to write down all of the sound bites word-for-word to give to our closed-captioning person so that there are subtitles for those people watching at home who need it.

Since interning, I have been lucky enough to have been asked by a few of the reporters and anchors to basically do their job for them and write out their soundbites. It's really not as bad as you think -- I actually kind of liked it. For example, one day Nicea was super busy and she asked me to write out her soundbites for a package about peanut allergies. I learned more than I thought I ever could about peanut allergies just because I had to write down every word that Nicea's interviewees said.

I would say it was definitely a good experience for me to be able to do that because it really shows that there is more to television than just looking pretty in front of the camera. There is work involved and it's not always the most glamorous. Sometimes it's sitting in a dark edit bay, listening as closely as you can to every syllable someone says, and getting a hand cramp from writing so fast. But that is okay because it makes things a little more real.

My notepad and the computer -- ABC4 uses Adobe Premiere as their editing software.

Two computer screens at once -- what!

It doesn't have to be pretty, the words just have to be perfect -- no pressure.

Smoothies and Soccer

At Good Things Utah, there is a different chef in the kitchen every day -- but there's not always a professional soccer player in the kitchen. Before one of the shows last month [sorry, I'm a bit behind] Real Salt Lake player Chris Wingert came into the studio to shoot a pre-recorded segment for the midday show.

Chris is a defender for Real Salt Lake and he is sponsored by Core Power -- an all-natural high protein drink -- so in his segment, he made compared Core Power milk to regular milk and Glenn Willey couldn't tell the difference! Then he made some delicious smoothies with the Core Power and wrapped up the segment with Glenn and Emily.

Not only was it cool to meet a Real Salt Lake player, but I love watching the segments being put together by so many different people. There are so many things that go into producing just a 5-minute segment. There is the guest, the hosts, the camera people, the producer, the director, the technical director, the audio person, and the time beforehand getting ready for the segment. So many people have no idea about all of the things that go into it, but it takes a lot of time, money, and man power. That is definitely one of the biggest things I've learned while interning at ABC4. Television takes WORK.

[left to right]: Chris Wingert, Emily Clark, and Glen Willey in the kitchen.

Chris and I

[left to right]: Shelby, Kelly, Myself, and Kelcey -- the interns with our Core Power!

The Cheesiest Day of the Year

My day off is Monday, so yesterday John and I decided to celebrate National Cheese Day! [Yep, it's a thing.] A little while ago, John sent me an email that had "32 Ways to Celebrate Cheese Day" so we picked the three things that looked the most delicious and made them! It was super fun going to the store and picking out all of the ingredients and then taking over Russ and Linda's kitchen to create cheesy delectables.

We went to WinCo to get everything that we needed for the recipes. 

Our cheese shopping list was as follows:

- Mozzarella

- Parmesan

- Gorgonzola

- Brie

- Ricotta

- Dubliner 

The three recipes that we picked were:

- Caprese Salad

- Quattro Formaggi Flatbread

- Nutella Brie Bites

We also made Brazilian Lemonade to drink. I have made this drink before and I got the recipe from my best friend Molly. It has nothing to do with cheese day, but it is delicious!

Here is how everything turned out...

Caprese Salad

Quattro Formaggi Flatbread

Nutella Brie Bites

Brazilian Lemonade

All of these recipes are definitely repeats. We used whole wheat flour for the flatbread so it was on the healthier side and the Nutella Brie Bites were a perfect combination of chocolate and cheese. Delectable! We also bought some Dill Sea Salt and Olive Oil Triscuits to have with each of the cheeses. The Dubliner is an Irish sweet sharp cheddar cheese. It was so delicious and is definitely a new favorite cheese of mine.

Thanks to Russ and Linda for letting us take over the kitchen and also thanks to those two, Bonnie, and Ish for being our taste testers. It was a fun day! I can't wait until next year!

It's All About the Weather

Who said interns never get to be on the air?? A few weeks ago one of ABC4's meteorologists, Curtis Ray, needed some help with the weather on the station's weather porch. The weather porch is a nice rooftop garden provided by Millcreek Gardens fully equipped with a green screen and remote-controlled camera. 

Curtis broadcasts the weather from the rooftop garden every so often and on this day he needed some help. It was a blistering June day and he decided it would be funny if the interns stood around him and fanned him on the air. Of course, us interns were all for it and we happily obliged. We even got to talk on the air! [What?!] I don't exactly remember what I said because I was kind of on cloud nine, but it was probably really witty and awesome. It was pretty awesome and I'm pretty sure I'll get discovered because of this brief weather stint [right?]. 

Well, even if I don't I can say I was an intern on the air -- even if it was only weather.

The lights and the remote-controlled camera.

The green screen.

The four interns with Curtis Ray -- check out those smiles!

Talking to Tom and Kermit

Working for a television station definitely has its perks. For example, the Wednesday before the 4th of July I got to talk to Tom Bergeron and Kermit the Frog via satellite before Nicea and Troy interviewed them on the show. 

That Wednesday I was in the Control Room with Megan helping her with her Producer duties. As we were getting ready for the segment with Tom, Kermit, Nicea and Troy, we had to have a sound check to make sure Tom and Kermit could be heard from our end. Much to my dismay [yeah, right] I answered the phone call from the studio where Tom and Kermit were located and made sure the connection was there. I told Tom and Kermit that it was Utah on the line and asked them if they were ready to go. They promptly responded with a hearty "yes" and continued to make fun of one another. It was an awesome 10-second conversation! Now I can say I've talked to Tom Bergeron and KERMIT THE FROG! WHAT! 

Needless to say, I love my internship. 

Right after I made sure the connection was clear.

Tom giving Kermit a pre-interview back rub.

All ready for the interview.

Tom and Kermit talking to Nicea and Troy from the view of the computer monitor in the control room.

Tom and Kermit talking to Nicea and Troy from the view of one of the big monitors above the Producer chair.

Writing the Web Stories

You know the stories you read underneath the videos on news station websites?? I get to write those! We use a website called "Inergize" so that we can share the web stories we write with our producer and then publish them to the Good Things Utah website. We write the title for the story, the tease, and then the story that goes with the video that is posted. The videos that we attach to the web stories come from a website/program called "Syndicaster." This website is where all of the shows are stored and broken up into separate segments.

Writing web stories on Inergize.

Pulling video segments from Syndicaster.

The Producer Rundown I look at to know what stories to write.

In the Producer's Chair

Some days, when there is not a lot to do in the studio during the show, I get to sit in the Control Room with our Producer, Megan, and call out cues throughout to the hosts. Each host -- Nicea, Gretchen, and Troy -- have an IFB in their ear that they can hear the Producer through. This is important because the Producer tells them how much time they have left, if there is something they are forgetting, last minute information, and anything else that they need to know during the show.

When I am in the booth with Megan she lets me call out the cues which is pretty awesome. I talk directly to the hosts and call out everything that I mentioned above. The producer also times the show to make sure that it doesn't go over or under the time allotted for Good Things Utah between 9am and 10am. If the show goes over, it will be cut off by whatever programming is on next. If the show goes under, viewers are disappointed because they are expecting an hour long show. It is the Producer's job to fill time or cut content and when I am in the booth, those decisions are mine. 

When I first had the opportunity to do it, I was terrified! The timing of the show was on me and it was my responsibility to keep the hosts on task. Megan was there for support, but she threw me right into it. I learned a lot and I have continued to learn each time I am in the booth.

As you can see from the pictures, there are quite a few monitors that are split up into sections so that the Producer and the Director can see what is going on everywhere -- from each camera to the computer that the Producer controls to other programming that is going on -- the control room has it all.

So many monitors!

Timing the show on the Producer computer.

Selfie wearing the Producer headset.

From the Camera's Point of View

While interning at ABC4, I have been able to wear many different hats all over the station. One of my favorites, surprisingly, is running the studio cameras during the show. For those of you who don't know what a studio camera person does, I will explain it.

Basically, I wear a headset that is connected to the Director's headset. Carl, our director, calls out the cues for each camera and whoever is operating the camera gets the camera into the position that the director wants you to be in. For Good Things Utah, there are 3 cameras that are mobile and are operated by 3 camera people. There are also cameras up above that can only move certain ways and the Technical Director operates those ones and puts them where the Director of the show wants them. 

The crew also gets the Director's rundown which lays out all of the camera shots and where they are supposed to be throughout the show. The rundowns are a big help because you can set up for the shots and get prepared even before the Director calls out the cue.

It is pretty awesome to be able to hear the director and be an actual part of what goes on television. The shots that the camera people set up are well thought out and if something goes wrong, it could mess up the whole show. 

Focusing on my next cue!

My view from behind the camera.

Internship Responsibilities

As an intern my job is not always super glamorous, but I have learned a ton already and I actually get to do quite a bit. Here is just a taste of what my schedule is like each day:

8am: 

Arrive at the station

8am-9am: 

Get ready for the show

Welcome guests and get them everything they need

Print scripts

Go over the rundown with the producer and the hosts

Make sure the studio is clean

Listen in on the crew meeting and go over the director rundown

Help set up cameras

Do whatever else needs to be done before the show

9am-10am:

Show time

Run cameras

Move set pieces

Herd guests to where they need to be

Watch over the audience

Sit in the booth with the producer [call out times, cues, etc.]

10am-1pm:

Write web stories

Write headlines and promos for the next day

Make phone calls for the producer

Think of new segments and share ideas with the producer

Go on shoots with the hosts/reporters/photographers

Prepare for upcoming events/contests

Log video

Record things for reel if there is extra time

xoxo, B.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog!

I have been working hard on getting this all set up so that I have a record of one of the best summers to date and so that those of you who are interested can see what I've been up to. It has definitely been a summer for the books and I'm so excited to share it with all of you!

 I am living in North Ogden with one of the best families I know, I am interning at ABC4 in Salt Lake, and I work part-time as a server at Texas Roadhouse. I am super busy, but I love making so many memories and making the most of the summer time. 

Hopefully you get a few laughs out of it and find at least some things interesting! Feel free to explore, comment, and take a look into my crazy life!

xoxo, B.