March Madness: Last Year to This Year

Every year at this time I always have done basketball. In West Virginia it was the MAC tournament, at The Network it was three years of high school basketball. Now that I am here in the media hole waiting for UNC to take on Eastern Kentucky I thought I'd not the differences between The Network and this year.

The Network (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday):

• Work my normal shift while trying to get all the equipment needed for the tournament. Usually one of those days I'm stuck at the statehouse waiting for the reporter to actually do something. I sit and stew for the day because I know I have stuff that has to get done.


• One day is editing special stories for the news in between the games. Still trying to get equipment secured


• Find and label 40 tapes for this week. You need at least three tapes per game: first half, second half and a post game tape. I also have to black two tapes for editing.


• Usually get into some kind of an argument over securing the portable editors. The production crew wants one, but every year it is known that we need two to do the job right, yet every year they have to have one. We agree to share and that usually ends somewhere with a fight.


• Multiple takes with management that have nothing to do with what I need. So more time is wasted there.

Game Days

1. Get to the station around 8:00am, I pull an editor the size of a large steamer case into my car grab tapes and start my way over to the arena.


2. I get into our room and start to set up my editor.


3. Get a call from the other photographer as he is loading the other editor in his car and tells me my reporter is running late.


4. I get to my spot on the floor and start to shoot.


5. I finish game #1 and then I go and shoot a stand up and send the other photographer to grab sound.


6. Reporter finished the look live and I run to the truck that is up a set of stairs and feed.


7. Get a little time to rest and watch most of the second game.


8. After the second game I shoot post of that game and then run the tapes to edit.


9. I then start to shoot the third game.


10. Repeat the steps from 5-7.


11. repeat all steps the next day


12. Championship day either be at the arena doing look lives after each game or be an editor at the station for the games.

This Year (Monday)

Spend time with The Wife

This Year (Tuesday)

Travel day

This Year (Wednesday)

1. Get to the arena and set up.


2. Leave and have lunch


3. come back and wait for interviews.


4. Record interviews in lap top because I can't shoot the coach and key players interview.


5. Go to the locker room and get some other players.


6. Get practice video


7. edit for the 6, 7 and 11pm

This Year (Game day)

1. Clean up hard drive and lap top space.


2. Shot live shots


3. record games into my lap top, because I can't shoot them.


4. Record Post game into my lap top.


5. Go to locker room and get player sound.


6. Edit something for the morning show.

I like this NCAA thing. I'm working a lot less, but getting almost the same hours. I love my new job