My day at KVUE

I was extremely elated this week when I opened an email from my shadow coach and saw that this week I would be shadowing KVUE reporter Shelton Green. Anyone that knows me knows that I aspire to one day be a broadcast journalist, and eventually produce award winning documentaries. So, when I found out I’d be shadowing Shelton Green I was absolutely overjoyed.

I met him at around 2 p.m. and he led me to KVUE office where a lot of the reporters that I usually see on my television glass, were quietly tapping away at their computer’s keyboard. The lack of hustle and bustle in the office shocked me, from what I was told it was a “slow” news day.

I sat with Shelton at his desk and we talked about my hopes and dreams. I told my plans for the future: attend a four year college (possibly his alma mater UNT), make a name for my self in the broadcast news industry as a reporter or anchor, and lastly produce documentaries (my dream job). He informed me that this is a tough business to break into but if you remain passionate about journalism and determined to succeed, you will. Luckily I had the benefit of getting an opportunity to speak with almost all of the KVUE reporters. A lot of them graduated from schools that I have been interested in for some time now so they were able to tell me about their J-Schools.

After conversing with Shelton and meeting other anchors/reporters, I accompanied Shelton to a meeting regarding both the five and ten o’clock news for that day. I was surprised to see how laid back everyone seemed, no one was anxious about the impending deadline and stress that comes with pulling together a news program within a short period of time.

When the meeting concluded Shelton and I went back to his desk. I decided to take full advantage of my time spent with him by showing him one of the news packages I recently finished. I thought who better to get feedback from than a reporter working at one of the top news stations. I was astonished when he said he had very little feedback to give me, it was an overall good piece. My heart jumped with joy and my heart practically dropped to the floor. His words gave me a bit of a confidence booster and allowed me to finally believe in my work and not be so critical on myself.

The cherry on top of this great day was getting to sit in on the live taping of the 5 o’clock news. It was like an out of body experience actually watching the anchors deliver news to the masses in person, rather than on television. The anchors were so poised and easy going. Commercial breaks were spent with laughter and playful banter between colleagues. It seemed like a place that I would easily be able to adapt to when my time came.