By Valencia Wicker on October 7, 2009 10:15 AM
I had the awesome opportunity to work for ABC News NY as a news desk assistant over the summer. I was assigned to America This Morning, which is a 30 minute newscast beginning at 4:30 am, and Good Morning America.
This experience couldn't have been better. I had a chance to understand television news from a real world perspective, which gave me great insight about what to expect once I enter the journalism world as a young professional.
I worked the overnight shift, also known as the "Graveyard Shift", from midnight to 9am. Aside from learning how to stay awake, my duties were essentially to assist in the production of each news show in any possible way.
My first duty of the night was to help compile leading news stories from all of the major new sources, including newspapers, news magazines and television competitors, for ABC affiliates, producers and key persons outside of the network across the country.
Second, I was responsible for gathering all video compenents for news segments, Techbytes and Moneyscope. Techbytes is a technology segment that features stories about the latest technology. Moneyscope is a business segment that incorporates stories about major corporations, the economy and anything dealing with finance. The video for these segments range from screen grabs to specific shots of grocery bagging, which can be very hectic, as you can imagine.
As if this doesn't seem as enough accountability, I was also responsible for getting show run-downs to all production staff, as well as the show and reporter package scripts to the anchors and floor management.
My life at ABC taught me how to conquer long hours, last minute changes and how to absorb a ton of information in a short period of time. Most importantly, it confirmed my love for journalism and I met some amazing people. What more could a journalist ask for?
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