PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Whew! The past couple of weeks have been a roller coaster again! Some days slow, some days ripping with activities. Events from the sales, news, engineering and weather department are all in store for today’s blog.
Day 14: Of course it was blazing hot. Again. However, Jeff texted me in the morning before I went to work asking if I wanted to see him bake some cookies on a car dash for the afternoon newscasts. Always looking for action outside of the studio, I said yes! We proceeded outside into the sweltering heat. We were both sweating even with the shade and breeze, but it was still a blast to see the cooking in action.
During the evening, I also shadowed Craig Loper in the sports department to see how he puts together news segments. It’s a bit different there as they have to produce their own show and segments, but the environment is very relaxed.
Day 15: Intern Sales Day. Oh man was it chaotic. I got a taste of a sales meeting. Everyone pitches ideas and updates in the meeting with tons of numbers flying through the air. Outside of the meeting, there are numerous active phone calls and swiftly sent emails. It’s basically a non-stop train through the different clients.
After sales, I went to visit Bob Bennett in the news department. The way he stacks together his shows is very methodical, and the Nielsen ratings show for it. I only saw how he stacked his show together, but he has to write all of the text that the anchors read and create the graphics (lower thirds, etc.) in only a couple hours leading up to the newscast. It’s hard work for sure.
Bob, Jeff, and I did take a little detour to get a quick “shelfie sefie” of the incoming thunderstorm that was going to pour down on us.
Day 16: Another day, another department: Engineering! This department is everything. Without it, WAVY wouldn’t exist. They work on both technical and non-technical issues. Engineering monitors the telecasts for issues, but they also actively fix problems elsewhere by making wires, replacing equipment, and just regular ol’ troubleshooting. I have to give them huge props for their extraordinary work to keep the station going.
After visiting the engineering department, I worked on making meteograms from scratch. These are quite complicated to make since they are automated, but once you have a template, you can easily replicate the graphic for any weather variable.
Day 17: I was back in the studio. Recall on Day 12 I went with Ricky to Patio 10 to work with AR graphics. This day, I got up on the double big screen and got a lot of interactive time explaining hail with more AR graphics!
This was so much fun to record. At first it was a little tricky not being able to see the object in front of me, but once I got the hang of it, it was a breeze.
Day 18: To downtown Portsmouth! I went out with Meteorologist Steve Fundaro to go shoot a stand-up on a new application that visualizes what our climate will look like in 60 years. It was windy and cloudy, but I still loved being out in the field.
I got a really good chance to taste more departments around the station and venture outside of the studio with unique activities. I’m excited to see what my last 3 weeks have in store for me as my internship comes to a close. Now, here is your weekend forecast.
Forecast Discussion
A cold front will continue dropping south past the Outer Banks with high pressure building in from the north. Conditions will be pleasant all weekend.
Saturday is looking absolutely beautiful with sunny conditions in store. It will be a bit breezy, but the breeze will feel pleasant with temperatures in the mid-80s. Humidity will be lower than Friday.
Sunday looks pleasant again with continued sunny conditions. Winds out of the NE will continue to keep the region cooler than normal. Conditions out on the water will still be choppy, so be careful when venturing out into the water.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
