News doesn't stop and in fact I think it get's busier just when we need it to be slow the most. The cold weather causes the pace of house fires to pick up and for some reason at this time of year it seems like people lose their ability to drive safely.
And then there's sweeps. Four times every year, February, May, July and November, TV stations around the nation gear up with special reports, fancy graphics and marketing schemes to draw attention to their product. All of this to get as many viewers watching as possible so that the advertising rates for the following year can be boosted, or kept steady.
For photographers like me, sweeps means lots of work shooting and producing special stories that are more involved and longer than your typical nightly news story. I have clocked in a lot of overtime since the middle of October working on 4 different stories, two of which have hit the airwaves already. Just last week I capped off a 55 hour week by working a nearly 20 hour day preparing a story to air and shooting high school football.
And outside of the news, I have taken on a new responsiblity in my spare time. I have been tapped to be a basketball coach for my son's little league basketball team. I don't know a lot about basketball, but I am planning on staying at a Holiday Inn Express soon, so it shouldn't be a problem. I have 5 'how to coach' books and have found a bunch of web sites that have tips and hints.
We have had one practice and have 3 more before our first game. Wish me luck!
1 comment:
i feel your pain. between 2 hurricanes and sweeps, there ain't enough time in the day. my kids keep asking who's the stranger that shakes them out of bed in the morning.
here's to the end of sweeps and a return to news.
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