Inside the Newsroom

I had a horrid day on T.V. Hill today.

This morning I filled in for the morning associate producer. This means I get up at midnight, get to work at 1am, write half the show, print scripts for the director, print and take scripts to the studio for the anchor, copy over scripts to our second hour, then write and booth the cut-ins which are those three minutes of local news you get near the half hour during The Today Show, Good Morning America, or The Early Show.

I twice mistimed the cut-ins meaning we cut off the anchor midstory once, and midsentence another time.

Our morning anchor was understandibly upset. He came into the control room after we were done.

"That's two down the drain," he said. "You've got to get faster."
"I know," I said.
Once before I'd taken a story out of prompter as he started reading.
"That's two in a row," he continued. "And it's not because of me."
"Oh no, it was on me," I said.

The director told me the quiver in the normally quiet anchor's voice meant I had avoided being cursed out or even worse being demeaned in front of the entire newsroom.

Then my colleague tweeted the following, "The thing about producing...you spend all day on one show. and one little thing, blows that whole day up! sigh."

I experienced it in my own little way today.

In a few hours I attempt to redeem myself.
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