Top of the Morning!

There's always something new going on at 6abc. This week, we continue our efforts with ACCUfact, which features our Chief Meteorologist Cecily Tynan giving viewers short 30-second facts about weather. Katelyn and I got a chance to sit in on the shoot and assist Mara in producing the spot.

In addition to the spot, Katelyn and I were given another assignment that will last throughout the entire month of April. The creative services team introduced us to POP's -- Proof of Performance spots-- where we collect tid bits from newscasts throughout the week to produce an "end of the week" promo that showcases how diligent our news team has been over the duration of the week. It is my job to collect that footage each day and cut video that I believe would make the team look good in a promo. For this month, we're showcasing the morning news team. I learned that many people think the morning news is meant to be light and transitional, but there certainly is a lot of news that breaks over night. Morning news is definitely underrated in some senses. As far as creative services is concerned, it is our job to showcase the morning news in a different light. One that is fast-paced, breaking, and cutting edge.

On another note, my demo reel is coming along fine and should be ready in a few short weeks.

Those were my highlights throughout the week. Now for some topicals.

Today at 4-

A plane skids off a runway at Philadelphia International! We're learning more about how the incident unfolded.

Then-

It's time to save with 6abc. We show you how to make healthy food choices without breaking the bank.

AND-

There's jackpot drama stirring up in Maryland.Why one of the alleged winners remains a mystery.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. A gusty start to the work week but temps will climb in the next few days. I'll have those details in the ACCU weather forecast.

Today on Action News at 4.

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Today at 4-

A local police officer allegedly caught selling drugs on the job! We are live at the press conference learning more about the arrest.

Then-

Officials say the Texan twisters ruined hundreds of homes. We're live in Dallas as residents begin to assess the damage.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. After a beautiful spring day, March-like weather makes a comeback. Find out when in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

Sushi lovers, listen up! Hear about the one roll that officials suspect of being salmonella infested.

Today at 4.

It's a PSA type of week

Lots going on this week, that's for sure! The first semi-big event happening is a shoot with the Philadelphia Transit Safety Commission alongside our own traffic/meteorologist Karen Rogers. Although not produced or written by peers in the Creative Services department, I got the opportunity to sit in on the excitement creating a new spot to promote public safety in Philadelphia. The shoot seemed to take forever to shoot since the transit commissioners aren't pro's in front of the camera, but it was definitely worth watching.

6abc is in the beginning stages in preparation for Girl Scout's 100th anniversary. Teaming up with Girl Scouts of America, the Creative Services department reached out to our anchors/reporters who were Girl Scouts in the past. I was surprised with the amount of talent who were actually girls scouts and agreed to be apart of a special promo in honor of the anniversary. Assisting Mara with the shoot, I've gone around to take pictures of talent as well as edit footage for the upcoming promo.

In continuation of last weeks mission to get demo tape together for my resume, Michaela and I wrapped up our efforts by shooting standups and teases (as 6abc talent) in the actual Action News facility. In the process, we got help from producers of the 11pm show to help us film. They also gave us pointers on how to better ourselves (with an audience perspective) in front of the camera. We are the luckiest interns EVER!

Now for my weekly topicals:

Today at 4-

Action News is at the White House for an exclusive interview with Michelle Obama. Tune in as Shirleen Allicot sits down with the first lady herself.

Then-

The 11-year-old girl struck and killed by an SUV has been identified. We have new details on the fatal crash.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Cecily Tynan. An incredibly windy start to the work week. I'm tracking more cool weather ahead in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

A Las Vegas gun shop takes a shot at throwing unique weddings! How couples are having a BLAST at their ceremonies.

Today at 4.

_______________________________________

Today at 4-

Car vandals strike again in northeast Philadelphia! We show you why residents are now in the market for a paint job.

Then-

A fire erupts with passengers abroad a Greyhound bus. Hear how they escape from the fast moving blaze. 

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Rain is on the way but I'm tracking warm changes for our weekend. I'll have the details in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

Hey Phillies fans.. Fire up those taste buds. We head out to Citizens Bank Park to sample what's new on the opening day menu.

Today at 4.

For a Good Cause

This week began a bit slow, but picked up after a surprise shoot with 4pm anchor Alicia Vitarelli who organized a prom dress give away with a local community college. The Cumberland County College is hosting an event called "Belle of the Ball" that aims to help underprivileged high school seniors afford prom dresses. Alicia and a few people in the news room collected old dresses to give away to the college. I did a mini behind the scenes project with a strict deadline of 4pm before the newscast began. How stressful! It turned out great and I was so proud that I was able to shoot and edit and the segment under a tight deadline.

Here is the link of the video published on Action News' and Alicia's facebook pages.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2980383952043

The next big project I'm preparing for, is for my standup reel. As an aspiring reporter myself, it is essential that I have demo reel out on the field reporting stories. Although I haven't prepared full packages, I've created about 20 journalistic stand-ups that I'll spend all day shooting this Saturday. Since 6abc is owned and operated by Disney, interns are allowed to operate equipment. This was exciting news for me and I can not wait to compile my first reel. I love the camera, so hopefully the camera will love me back!

Here's a couple topicals from the week.

Tonight at 11-

The death of a 79-year-old woman is now ruled a homicide. We're learning more as police continue to investigate.

Then-

9 students are injured as a SUV and a school bus collide. Now police are looking into how the crash went down.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Cecily Tynan. A beautiful start to the first day of Spring. I'm tracking even warmer temperatures coming up in the ACCU weather forecast.

And-

Could temperatures of the iPad3 pose dangers to your health? Consumer reporter Nydia Han asks local experts. 

Tonight at 11.

________________________________________

Today at 4-

The man accused of raping and killing a 9-year-old girl has been found guilty. We have new details of his sentencing.

Then-

Mother versus shark! Hear how a mom springs into action as a shark pulls her child under water.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Winter closes out with a sunny, warm day. I'm tracking near record temperatures coming up in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

12 celebs head to the ballroom for the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars. We have an inside look as they prepare for the big night.  

Today at 4.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Besides the usual operational tasks I've been mastering week by week, the department is beginning preliminary preparations for a new promotional spot with our talent. I can't get into extreme detail for confidential reasons, however, the spot aims to feature several of our meteorologists as the region prepares to gear up for the season to change. One of the first things we do to prepare for a shoot is create a mockup (which doesn't cost as much money) so the General Manager can get a visual idea of what the spot will look like. That is where I come in. Throughout the week, I've been asked to join the production team in the studio to act as if I were one of the meteorologists. I must say, its a lot of fun helping create a mockup of something that the weather team will end up doing a month from now. The General Manager will either approve the project or defer it for additional research and planning. Slowly, I've began to realize that thousands of dollars are on the line and I'm apart of something very important for the stations brand and image.

Since my ultimate goal is on camera broadcasting, Michaela and I will be filming stand-ups next week to "beef up" our resumes as we prepare to enter the big bad world of journalism. I've been creating mock stand-ups (as if I were a Reporter) to film on ABC's equipment while its available.

Here's a few topicals from the week. One of the topicals deals with the UPMC shooting at Pitt during spring break. 6abc's Chad Pradelli traveled 5 hours to report the story.-- Just shows how much of a headline the incident was.

Today at 4-

Former Rutgers student is convicted in the webcam spy case. We'll show you how the verdict has sparked changes on campus.

Then-

George Clooney taken away in handcuffs! Hear why the action gets arrested in the nation's capital.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Temperatures cooled down today but things are looking up for your Saint Patrick's Day weekend. Details to come in the ACCU weather forecast.

And-

Freebie Friday is here at last. How YOU can score free coffee, detergent, breakfast, and more.

Today at 4.

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Tonight at 11-

2 people are dead after a shooting in a Pittsburgh hospital. Chad Pradelli reports live from the scene with the latest.

Then-

A drug bust turns sour after two suspects open fire on undercover officers. Now police are after the gunman.

Plus-

Cooler temperatures will arrive just in time for the weekend. I'm Meteorologist Cecily Tynan. Is winter back? Find out in the ACCU weather forecast.

And-

Before heading to the pharmacy, we'll show you how you can money on prescription drugs at the click of a button.

Tonight at 11.

Week of Newness

This week was a relatively slow one for me. My experience at ABC is becoming routine (which isn't a bad thing). Week by week I continue to maximize my time by submitting work to the best of my ability. In return, I receive great criticism on my writing and my supervisors have noticed a major improvement in my work. That being said, in these next few weeks, I plan to take things further by getting more involved in the editing process. I'm learning that there is so much more to broadcast news than camera and anchor. There is a ton of editing, logging, file transferring, rendering, etc. that is involved with each story, segment and newscast. As a young journalist, it is very important that I know as many facets of news production as possible. It'll set me apart from the rest.

This week, I've written two more semi-perfect promos this week. Once again, Mara had not thing to change about them.

Today at 4-

A tire slashing spree continues to cause fury in a New Jersey neighborhood. Now some residents are going through unusual lengths to protect their tires.

Then-

One of the biggest days for the Republican party has arrived-- Super Tuesday. A rundown on what to watch for as voters wrap-up at the polls.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Get ready for an end-of-the-week warm up! I'll have the details in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

Can your social media score save you money? Learn how to use it and get great deals on apparel.

Today at 4.


AND THE OTHER.....

Today at 4-

A New Jersey fire chars through an apartment complex leaving dozens homeless. We're live on the scene learning more about the destructive blaze.

Then-

$450,000 worth of jewelry stolen in 45 seconds! We have the surveillance footage of the thieves in action.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Temperatures cool down for the weekend ahead but mild weather makes a comeback. Find out when in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

This remarkable rescue video goes viral. How a group of beachgoers save more than 30 dolphins.

Today on Action News at 4.

Touring/ The Perfect Topical

Michaela, who serves as the stations tour coordinator/guide, requested that I help her deliver a tour to a group of media students from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Michaela split the group in two and there it was-- the first time I've ever given a tour of the station. I have to admit, I was VERY nervous. I can understand that public speaking is very important in my profession, but for some reason, I was terrified. I just felt like I wasn't ready. I felt like I was rushing through the building, giving wrong information and stumbling alot. In the end though, I got a very good review and my audience was pleased with their tour. I'm assuming this will be the first of many tours to come!

In addition to giving a good tour, I was especially proud of my topical writing today. As always, Mara reads my topicals every day and gives constructive feedback on how I can improve them. Well, today I submitted the document for review and she had nothing to correct. She said it was flawless and needed no further corrections!

Here it is:

A man causes a frenzy after a security breach at the Philadelphia International Airport. Action News has the exclusive video of the intruder in action.

Then-

New details in the Jerry Sandusky case! What several alleged victims are now telling investigators.

Plus-

I'm meteorologist Cecily Tynan. Yet another mild day but I'm tracking a wet start for the weekend ahead. More details in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

It's an end to an era for free checking at one major bank. Find out if you'll have to pay fees for your checking account.

Tonight at 11.

Ratings Period Wrap-Up

Thursday marks the end of the February "sweeps" also known as the ratings period. As I've learned previously, the ratings period occurs during the month of February where networks measure how many people are tuning in to the network for our newscasts. To celebrate the end of February and the countless hours devoted to making sure the Channel 6 came out on top, President/General Manager threw a lunch meeting for the entire building to end the "sweeps period" on a good note.

To start off the meeting, Lee Daniels and his assistant presented us with a powerpoint presentation detailing exactly what went on this month. To make things relatively short, he explained that according to Nielson's results, 6abc averaged 5,000,000 views per day (between 6.5 hours of newscast). Not only does this double numbers from other stations, on some days, it triples. Although our primary newscasts are favorable over others, ABC (as a network) is still competing against NBC who continues to lead in numbers from the TODAY show and primetime television during the evening hours. Although NBC wins in their primetime line-up, those viewers seem to switch over to 6abc after their shows are over. This goes to show that Philadelphians are loyal to ABC's news product. Quite frankly, that is all we care about here. Everything else is in the network's hands.

Once again, being able to participate in this meeting taught me alot about how important ratings are-- they make our money! On the other hand, it shows how much effort goes into producing a stellar newscast. For Creative Services, it imperative that (during sweeps) our teasers and promo spots encourage viewers to want to tune into 6abc for the news. What serious pressure that must be!

Here's a look at a topical today:

Today at 4-

Shots are fired in an Ohio school killing one student and injuring others. We have new updates following the devastating morning.

Then-

Several dogs are rescued from a suspected dog-fighting operation. We're live on the scene learning more about the dangerous ring.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Another beautiful day to start the work week. Will it continue? Find out in the ACCU weather forecast.

Then-

The Academy Awards may be over but Alicia Vitarelli is live in Hollywood with even more buzz.

Today at 4.  

Action News at THON!

2012 is the first year that 6abc decided to travel down to Penn State University to cover their annual Dance Marathon which raises millions of dollars every year to fight pediatric cancer. Action News found out that we were the only station in the region to cover the event during our weekend newscasts, a fact we were proud of as the event wrapped up.

As far as Creative Services is concerned, we produced a 30 second spot with our stations veteran-Jim Gardner. The spot involved Jim discussing Penn State controversial stance in the media and how Thon will aim to turn all the negative into a positive with one goal in mind- raising money for pediatric cancer. As we were filming, I got to witness how inspiring Jim Gardner is. I definitely look up to him as a role model.

Here's the finished spot:

It came out great!

Here's a little topical recap of the week:

Tonight at 11-

A local man shot outside his home. Now police are gathering clues in search for the suspects.

Then-

The woman accused of running over a nine-year-old girl has turned herself in. We're learning more about the alleged hit-and-run driver.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Cecily Tynan. Our span of spring-like weather continues. But, how long will it last? Find out in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

Dozens of residents come home to find they're missing door knockers. Why these items have become so appealing to thieves.

Tonight at 11.

AND ANOTHER:

Today at 4:

A massive oil spill continues to send sickening fumes over the Delaware Valley. Why residents are concerned about their health.

Then-

The Philadelphia Archdiocese is announcing the fate of four catholic high schools. We're their with all the latest.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Mild weather is moving out of our region. I'm tracking cooler temperatures in time for the weekend, coming up in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

The stars are gearing up for the biggest event in Hollywood. Alicia Vitarelli is live at the Oscars with the coverage.

Today at 4.

Gearing up for the Public...

This week marks a relatively big week for the social media sector of the Creative Services Department. The department launched the first "Lunch with the Talent campaign"-- created to increase the amount of subscribers to our Facebook page. Throughout the past two weeks, Maria and I have been compiling an excel worksheet of all the people who entered the "Lunch with Meteorologist Adam Joseph" contest. Since Adam is our top talent, over 4,000 single individuals entered the contest not including several individuals who entered the contest hundreds of times. Throughout these past weeks, we've been logging every single name into the excel worksheet. Note for next time-> include that multiple entries will not increase chances of winning lunch with Adam Joseph.

After randomly selecting the winners and announcing them via Facebook, they were invited to the station (with a guest) to receive a free tour and of course meet the famous Adam Joseph!

We showered our guests with gifts, food and knowledge about 6abc and our road to becoming the best news station in the Southeastern PA region. Along with assisting Maria with the event, I am gearing up to add another bullet to the list my responsibilities: TOUR GUIDING!

Maria and Mike have started to train me on giving tours of our new station which interns usually have done in the past. In fact, Mike asked if I was willing to give tours over the Summer. Nothing is finalized but the longer I stay in the building, the happier I will be...

Baby Steps in getting a job. Baby steps..

The Review..

Today (Friday) has been a good day! What made today special was the fact that I got my midterm evaluation today. I was nervous all week about it (since Mara told me ahead of time) and it was today!

I received rave reviews about my performance as an intern, which really put me in a good mood! The only bit of constructive criticism I received was just to keep working on my editing skills. I'm a beginner at Final Cut so its only natural that I have these beginner road blocks so often.

Today, Tim asked for me to give him a rundown of the Nielson ratings reports. After reading over it carefully, I noticed that 6abc ranks #1 in the entire region (as far as news) and the importance of primetime television in correlation with how well our newscasts typically play out-- ratings wise! Learning about the ratings system is pretty cool but I think there is a better way to gather ratings.

Topical time!

Today at 4-
Drivers are in for big delays as the Platt Bridge construction project begins tonight. Sarah Bloomquist has the full report.

Then-

Dozens of dead chickens found scattered in a local cemetery! Now police are searching for those responsible.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Melissa Magee. After a windy start, temperatures are starting to look up. I'll have all the details in the ACCu weather forecast.

AND-

A local mother and her daughter score tickets to the 84th Academy Awards. More about their road to the red carpet.

Today at 4!

Adios, until next week.

Midway Madness

This week marks the half way point of my experience here at Channel 6 Action News. I can not believe this experience is half way over.

This week, after a few weeks of battling with our camera/computer system, Katelyn and I finally produced our 3rd video for Good Morning America and The Philadelphia Flyers. We posted on our WPVI youtube channel and its already had over 600 page views. Fans really love our Behind the Scenes videos!

Drum roll please. . . .

I'm very happy with the way it turned out and so did the department. I received an abundance of praise from the News Director, Tom Davis as well as Bernie P., President and General Manager who gave it a unanimous thumbs up! Thereafter, we were able to distribute the video to the public. And yes, that is my annoying voice you hear in the background. (I hate my speaking voice).

In addition to making finalizations on this video, I've written a topical for mostly everyday of the week. I love topicals!

Today at 4-

New details on the dispute between neighbors that ended in tragedy. We're learning more about the suspect involved in the deadly shooting.

Then-

A man is caught stealing an expensive watch in airport security. We have footage of the thief in action.

Plus-

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Our string of mild weather may come to an abrupt end. More details in your ACCU Weather forecast.

AND-

It's that time again! Karen Rogers is out with her favorite sign, offering $600 to someone in need.

Today on Action News at 4.

Looking forward to a great week!

Getting the hang of things..

With the constant problems accumulating this week, I got a break to discuss the ins and outs of the ratings period. I learned that the Ratings Period just started this month where local television stations compete for the best ratings in the area. Tim printed out a sheet of numbers that displayed the ratings for the entire day.

The ratings period is a time when stations gather information to track and find out which shows are successful and which are not. In turn, this helps networks decide which programs are successful and worthy of keeping on air. 

Tim and I met for about an hour to discuss Nielson ratings and how 160,000 people in the tri-state area represent the millions of cultures and demographics who watch television at any given time. There is a percentage that represents viewership per time block which indicates the times of day people are watching television. It wasn't a stock that Primetime blocks had the highest percentage. They don't call it primetime for no reason. 

To make things short and brief, Tim showed me that we monitor the ratings so the Promotions department has an idea of what we need to do more promoting of. The morning, noon, 5pm and 6pm shatter all the competition across the board--- beating NBC, CBS and Fox. Since the 4pm is a relatively new newscast (replacing Oprah), the ratings are not as strong as the other well-established newscasts. The 11pm is also up for grabs because Fox produces a newscast an hour earlier---giving viewers a chance to watch the news earlier. This would make sense for our, since we focus our energies on writing topicals for the 4pm and 11pm newscasts.

Isn't it amazing how television works?

Good Morning Ammmmeerrriccaaa!

This week, we continued to jumpstart our Behind the Scenes project for Good Morning America's shoot with the Action News team and the Philadelphia Flyers. Katelyn and I ran into quite a few problems with the footage I shot a few weeks ago. The entire beginning of the week consisted of me uploading video from the flip camera we use and logging it into our final cut project. What made things more frustrating was the fact that I filmed some of the footage on my phone which made us have to convert the footage in a different format than normal. In the end, though, we were able to get everything on the same plane.

Here's a few topicals from the week.

Today at 4-

Dealers caught on surveillance! What Camden police are doing to clear drugs off their streets.

Then-

A prosecutor is investigating the death of Cardinal Bevilacqua. Why results from a toxicology test could raise a few eyebrows.

Plus-

I'm meteorologist Adam Joseph. More snow is on the way just in time for the weekend. How much to expect in the ACCU weather forecast.

AND-

This purple squirrel has become an internet sensation! Why the colorful creature has everyone buzzing.

Today on Action News at 4.

Social Media 101

Yet another special event I was able to participate in this week was a station-wide Social Media meeting where the Creative Services department held several information sessions to inform people about the stations strategies and expectations on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. It was housed in the station's state of the art conference room where producers, executive producers, vice presidents, anchors and the President/General Manager came together to ask questions and get a little more educated on how social media impacts the business.

A big topic of discussion came up when the Special Reports executive producer brought up how the Joe Paterno case was handled. CBS Sports reported (a day early) that Paterno was dead when he really was not.

Journalism 101: Never report on the death of someone unless it is 100% accurate and a reputable source on behalf of the person comes forward. CBS Sports and CBS Inc. was in serious trouble after that false report.   

I say this to say that social media played a huge role in that mistake. Someone, on behalf of CBS sports, reported that story via social networking. CBS, being a reputable source (in my eyes at least), released the story and dozens of other stations took the story and ran with it. Our station, however, waited to report his death--calling it "alleged reports of Paterno's death." If anyone, known to work at 6abc, reported the story (personal or professional) then the station could've received flack for it. This goes to show how powerful social media networking is, and how its changing the dynamics of journalism.

Working Behind the Scenes..

Another fresh week down with another Behind the Scenes project for the Philadelphia Auto Show under my belt. Mara gave me a heads up that she wanted the video done by the end of the week (a few days before the Auto Show wrapped up). It was a strict deadline indeed, but with the help of Katelyn, we were able to get it done within the deadline.

This week, I realized how much time and patience goes into the editing process. This go round, we used a flip cam  which is a very portable and convenient way of shooting footage while participating in fast paced activities. It was great up into Katelyn and I sat down in the editing booth and began logging tape into Final Cut Pro. We spent two whole days figuring out how to properly log the video and transfer them so they'd be viewable for the audience. This project ended up being the guinea big to figure out how to do everything the proper way. In the end we finally figured it out and released the video to the public. Here it is!!

As I said earlier, it was awesome meeting so many fans. I even signed a couple autographs myself. So random.

As always, I love to share my topical writings with you. Here's an exciting one from Tuesday:

Today at 4--

A man is charged for raping a teenage girl and throwing her out a window! We're learning more about the chain of events leading up to the attack.

Then--

Family and friends are waiting anxiously as Somali rescue, Jessical Buchanan returns to Philadelphia. Sarah Bloomquist is reporting live from Mobile 6.

Plus--

I'm Meteorologist Adam Joseph. We're tracking warm temperatures ahead. But how long will it last? Find out in your ACCU Weather forecast.

AND--

Why pay more? How this furniture shop promises to save you some cash on your favorite brands.

Today on Action News at 4.

In addition, I'm continuing to help Maria with writing teasers followed by posts to our Facebook page. We have 145,526 fans and counting. 3rd news station in the entire country to hit that number!! Woohoo!!

She's been having me do TODAY IN HISTORY daily posts where I have to research something interesting that has happened in the past on that particular day. It's popular among the Action News fans :-)

Start to engines...

The debut of the 2012 Philadelphia Auto Show! I haven't been to the car show (since I've been in Pittsburgh for the past 3 years) so its cool to be on the other side of the fence and work as a media representative for one of the most anticipated events in Philadelphia.

Katelyn and I carpooled to the Philadelphia Convention Center where we joined Mara, Evan and Diane who were preparing to set up the booth and free giveaways. They all warned me that I'd be in for a rude awakening since this was my first event like this.

I must say, it definitely was a whirlwind of a day. Ever since the first group of talent arrived, there was a steady line of fans who awaited autographs from their favorite newscasters. Thousands of people lined up throughout the day and it was my job to film them getting excited and meeting their favorite news personalities.

I had so much fun interacting with our fans and getting an idea of what our fans look like. We spend so much time interacting with them online, its cool to put a face on them as they came and went throughout the day. In the process, we got some amazing footage to compile into another behind the scenes vid.

As discussed last week, I was in a commercial for the Philadelphia Auto Show that aired from Tuesday-Saturday night.

Here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2677004647750

Everybody thought it was funny and it was pretty fun to make.

Another topical from this past week for your reading pleasure:

Tonight at 11-

The search is on for the killer of a local grocery store clerk. Action News brings you an exclusive interview from the victims family.

Then-

A serial arsonist in NJ caught on tape! We have the surveillance footage of the criminal in action.

Plus-

Yesterday a 62-foot whale washes up along a New Jersey beach. Why the mammal is attracting such big crowds.

AND-

President Obama delivers his third state of the union address. Monica Malpass has the latest report live from the nations capital.

Tonight on Action News at 11.

What a week it's been..

Its Friday, the end of my fourth week at ABC, and I can't believe all of the things I've learned over the course of just one month. Week 1: Working as a Production Assistant for the highly anticipated promo of the Big Board. Week 2: Working with the Philadelphia Flyers for Good Morning America Week 3: Being in a full length commercial, participating in the Philadelphia Auto Show and producing my first project that debuted on the 6ABC website. I'm moving right along!

Today, I had a goal in mind. I wanted to finish up the Behind the Scenes video that I reported, shot and edited (all by myself) with some guidance from the Creative Service department. The department has been getting antsy over it so I wanted to finish up some editing a post it online by 5pm.



I showed the video to the assistant director who gave me some last minute pointers on how to make the video pop! I've attached the video (which already has almost 800 views on Youtube) of the project I've been working on for 3 whole weeks. My bosses and supervisors thought I did a terrific job which put me in a good mood for the weekend!


I'm working another Saturday to help out for the Philadelphia Auto Show. 16 of our talent have volunteered to sign autographs at a booth in front of our news vans. This could be verryyyy interesting...

Ohh.. and here's another topical from today...

Today at 4--

A 3-day memorial service is planned for Joe Paterno. We're live on campus with all the details.

Then--

Four people have been arrested in the murder of a local pizza driver. We have the latest details on the suspects.

Plus--

Snow has moved out. Mild weather has moved in. I'm meteorologist, Adam Joseph. How long will these temperatures last? Find out in the Accu Weather forecast.

AND--

How can you entertain your kids without spending a ton of money? We'll take you to a new toy store that your kids and your bank account may love.

Today on Action News at 4.

I personally love doing these! So fun.

Oscar noms anyone?

As I mentioned yesterday, our department is busy with another promotion shoot for the Philadelphia Auto Show premiering next Saturday. Action News hosts several promotional events and signs autographs on the first day of the auto show, which brings a lot of people to the show. The Creative Services department is producing a promo and I was selected to participate in a small role for the shoot. As always, I can’t discuss much of the details behind the shoot before it airs on television, but I will say that the promo is very entertaining! I love being on camera and will continue to participate in video shoots as needed. Stay tuned for the final product when it debuts on Wednesday!

            For the remainder of the day, I wrote another topical for the 4pm news. Here it is:

Today at 4—

Bundle up and get those shovels ready. I’m Meteorologist Adam Joseph. Snow is approaching fast! Find out when in the ACCU weather forecast.

Then—

An arrest has been made in connection to a suspicious Montgomery County burglary. The odd details that may shock you.

Plus---

New exclusive team coverage at the South Carolina primary. Stick around for Rick Williams’ live updates at the polls.

AND---

McDonalds reinvents their famous Happy Meal. Find out what’s new for the popular menu item.

Today on Action News at 4.

After topical time, Maria (Social Media Producer) allowed me to write and hyperlink some news clips for our Facebook page. It felt great to have the power of facilitating web content on behalf of the entire station. Baby steps to my dream….

Partner in crime...

Another day at good ol’ 6ABC. I began my day, like everyday, updating the daily twitter counts for all of the news personalities at the station. I get faster and faster each day. Afterwards, I spent some time in the production suite putting some final touches on the Behind the Scenes Big Board video. There are a lot of minor details like audio, color consistency, but Mike (VP of Creative Services) thought it was very funny.

            I showed Katelyn (the new intern), some of the things I was working on and she began to help me out with the editing process. The next phase of the project is getting graphics and rolling credits together. I think this will tie everything together.

            In addition to my time editing, I met with Renee Washington (Executive Producer of the 11pm news), to get a run down on todays news stories for the 11pm topical. There were many stories to choose from including the main story: 4 Philadelphian teens who attacked and assaulted a 64-year-old war veteran. Today’s topical went smoothly since there were a lot of breaking details to tease.

            Tomorrow, I’ll be in my second promo shoot for the Philadelphia Auto Show. Super excited! 

GMA Flyers Shoot!

Today Mara, Maria and I were put on assignment to do a promo shoot for Good Morning America with the Philadelphia Flyers. Last year, Good Morning America did a special promotion with the Philadelphia Phillies where Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos would shout out a different city every week and ask how each city says “Good Morning America.” Philadelphia was chosen again for 2012 so the department was asked to team up with the Creative Services team from Good Morning America, to get film shots of the Philadelphia Flyers saying “Good Morning America.”

            We arrived at the Flyers practice stadium and waited patiently for the team to finish practice so we could film our morning news team interacting with the Flyers. We had a limited amount of time with two of the Flyers players so we had to film fast. I can’t give two many details out (for confidential reasons) but the shoot went well! I can’t wait for the finish project.

            Throughout the day, my tasks were to film the Behind the Scenes footage of the shoot and assist the production staff on set. I got some really funny footage of the news anchors and Flyers that I’m excited to begin editing. Hopefully, as the internship moves forward, I’ll have the opportunity to write scripts and generate ideas as I become more familiar with the types of projects that the department produces. Loving my journey so far!

This is BIG!

Whew, what a day! I am so exhausted.

Today was the big day. After a year of orchestration, the BIG BOARD promo shoot finally came true. I arrived on set ready to film some behind the scenes footage which will debut on the 6ABC website after the actual promo airs on channel 6. I will film, log, edit and produce everything from choosing music to deciding which moments are most entertaining from todays shoot.

News personalities Nydia Han, Melissa Magee, Karen Rogers, Cecily Tynan, Matt O'Donnell, Alicia Vitarelli and Adam Joseph were all in good spirits and ready to film. Throughout the day, it was my job to catch the talent during brief moments of off time and get them to interact with the camera. In a way, it helped make the day last a bit more fun and lively. The commercial process is very tedious! Patience is definitely required.

After the long process of rehearsing and filming to perfection, I sat down and had lunch with Meteorologist Melissa Magee who was kind enough to snap this photo with me. As a young broadcaster herself, she shared a lot of advise with me about finding a job and discovering your niche/ultimate passion in the journalistic world. Starting out in a small market in Nebraska, Melissa became interested in meteorology after she discovered 'News' wasn't for her. It was like having lunch with a celeb!

Here's meteorologist Cecily Tynan and Special Reports reporter Nydia Han shooting a spot in front of the Big Board.

After shooting an hour and half worth of footage over a six hour time frame, I managed to get some really funny behind the scenes footage of the shoot. 

Can't wait to put it all together and begin to edit on Monday!

Lights, Camera, Action!

I arrived a bit early to the station today because we are beginning the first day of the "Big Board" promo shoot. After Bruce showed me how to operate the camera used for the Behind the Scenes footage, I was off on my own. I began interviewing the crew as they set up a scene for the promo. As I learned throughout the day, we were shooting the last scene of the promo, first! It was my job to capture behind the scenes footage of the crew setting up and rehearsing before Jim Gardner arrived on set.

Jim Gardner, for those who don't know, is the face of journalism in all of Philadelphia. He has been will 6ABC for more than 30 years and is very well respected. After Jim arrived on set, Evan (the producer) wanted me to pose as a worker in the newsroom. So, instead of shooting the remainder of the behind the scenes footage, I got a brief cameo in the promo shoot with Jim. Very very exciting!

After the shoot ended, I helped Evan with 11pm topical writing. I'm actually getting the hang of writing topicals. They are getting better and better! Here's a look at today's topical:

Tonight at 11--

A Delaware blaze destroys close to 20 apartment units. New details on what caused that 2-alarm fire costing residents their homes.

Then--

A woman in a wheelchair struck and killed by 3 hit-and-run drivers. The haunting details that make this accident even more tragic.

Plus--

We made it through the coldest day of the season. Meteorologist Cecily Tynan is tracking how things may be looking up in your ACCU WEATHER forecast.

AND--

A suspicious device found at the King of Prussia Mall. Find out what has police and emergency units raising their brows.

Tonight at 11.

By the time topical time ended, I occupied the remainder of the day by viewing some more of the archived footage of old topicals, behind the scenes footage and bloopers. There's a big day ahead so I want to be prepared for our big photo shoot tomorrow. My call time is 8 a.m.

Time to get some sleep.

Becoming a Final Cut Pro

The Creative Services Department uses a Macintosh program, Final Cut Pro, to produce their promotions content for commercials, teasers and other special promotions projects for the station. As apart of my responsibility, the department wants me to master the program because its the primary tool we use to produce edit our content.

Today was all about getting familiar with Final Cut Pro. Bruce (Photography producer) and Tim (Asst. Director) gave me the run down on the program which seemed pretty easy to work. I've worked with iMovie in the past and they seem to be similar. Next week's assignment will be the ultimate test as I am responsible for producing the Behind the Scenes content for this big (and expensive) promotions shoot on Saturday. The idea for the Behind the Scenes segment is to film how things operate behind the scenes while focusing on how silly the anchors/crew members are. I'm really excited about it!

After receiving a crash course on Final Cut Pro, I sat and looked through hundreds of archives of teasers, Behind the Scenes footage and final projects. I thought it was very important to study how these videos are produced because I will be responsible for producing them in the future. It was very helpful to look through the archives and get some ideas for the upcoming shoot.

Lastly, Maria (Social Media Producer) gave me a small project to end the day. ABC pays out a lot of money for radio stations to link wpvi.com from their online pages. The promotions department uses a program called, Omniture, which tracks and displays how many people click on the wpvi.com link. This program also helps ABC determine whether the radio station is worth keeping around. If only two people are clicking on the link per month, it is not worth it to us. My job was to pull up the reports via Omniture and record the figures in an Excel spreadsheet. It took a few hours but it wasn't too hard.

Overall, I had another great day! Continuing to learn so much....

Survived to stay another day!

Day Two is complete! Similar to yesterday, it hit me today. I'm working for ABC News. I'm so excited for these next few months. I'm already on board for a major commercial shoot for Saturday and this is only my second day of work.

Executive Producer, Mara Webb gave me some homework for the night. I was assigned to watch the noon news before coming into work and write a few topicals to be reviewed later in the day. I wrote six different topicals covering breaking news stories accumulating from the morning to noon newscasts. It was my first stab at afternoon topicals and I actually did pretty well. Mara gave me a few pointers about writing topicals. Being in school, I typically write in an editorial style. Topicals, as Mara explained, are not editorials. Rather, they are brief 30 second teasers that air at 3:30pm and 7:00pm everyday to get viewers interested in the upcoming newscast. Its almost like writing mini commercials. After writing the scripts, we get them approved by the news department and film them about a half hour before they air.

In addition to learning the process of topicals, I met Monica Malpass (5pm anchor), Kenneth Moton (General Assignment reporter), engineers in Master Control and Bernie P. (the stations general manager). Super exciting. I definitely plan on building relationships with these people. NETWORKING !!!!

Start to a New Beginning

Today was the beginning of the rest of my life! I really cannot believe I'm an intern for 6ABC. I've been watching this station since I was in elementary school. Now, I'm sitting next to award-winning journalists, directors, producers who've been doing this for longer than I've been alive. It's quite surreal.

Prior to entering the newly built 6ABC building, I didn't know what to expect. Security made my ID badge which will grant me access to every door in the building. The assistant director of Creative Services (Tim Fenstermacher) came and welcomed me to the department. Thereafter, he showed me to my desk and the producers and coordinators I'd be working with over the next four months. Maria, the Social Media producer (who sits directly behind me) is very bubbly and pleasant. Diane, the Creative Services coordinator is also very nice and welcomed me to the department!

Tim explained that I'd be working closely with Maria to facilitate the station's growing social media pages. She gave me access to all of the anchors' professional Facebook sites as well as the general Facebook page for the department of meteorology and a few popular newscasts such as "6at4" and "The Thanksgiving Day Parade."I was surprised that Maria gave me access so quickly. It made me feel powerful.

I also met the VP of Creative Services, Mike Monsell, who is a bit intimidating. I've dealt with worse so I'm not complaining. Right away, he gave me an assignment. He showed me an old calendar of 2011 and told me to update it to 2012. All holidays, annual special events and projects were to be transported to the 2012 calendar. It wasn't difficult at first until I realized that different holidays and special events fall on different days in 2012. Google really came in handy today!

Being that I am a perfectionist, the calendar project took an hour. Mike was pleased with my diligence and commitment to the small project so hopefully he'll warm up.

Executive producer, Mara Webb gave me a brief tour of the building. I met tons of producers, anchors and reporters! I was so excited to meet them! Adam Joseph, Alicia Vitarelli, Brian Taff... the list goes on. Today's an exciting day.

Today, I learned the art of writing topicals. Topicals are teasers that the Creative Services (Promotions) Department is responsible for writing for the upcoming newscast. For example, Mara writes a 20-30 sec teaser that airs at 3:30pm everyday for the 4:00pm newscast. Every day she checks in with Matt Dennis, executive producer of the 4pm news, to see what stories are upcoming. He gives us 4-5 stories to choose from and Mara takes them and condenses them into a 30 second teaser. It's definitely harder than it sounds. I practiced writing my first teaser which actually ended up reading more like a newspaper headline. Whoops! I have to remember that I work for Promotions, not News. She reassured that I would get the hang of it soon enough. She said my writing is strong! (Thanks PITT)

As the day wrapped up, I got to sit in on the first department meeting where Mike officially welcomed me to the department. He gave me a couple assignments for the upcoming weeks:

1. Get 100 of my Facebook friends to like the 6ABC Action News Facebook page.
2. Write a haiku for the next meeting.
3. Be prepared to shoot the behind the scenes footage of our big promo video shoot on Saturday.

Thats right! I started just in time to be apart of the first big promotion shoot of the year. This is gonna be BIG!

Overall, today was so exciting. I can actually see myself working here after this experience is over. Round two tomorrow!