Arriving at Fox 61 Studios on election night, I was nervous. I didn’t want to do anything that would affect the live show and being such a historic night and election I felt the pressure was really on. To be able to be at this place, and see how the news cast works is an amazing experience for anyone, especially for me being a young journalism major, albeit print. Walking into the studio the nerves subsided and I soon became somewhat comfortable being around the producers and live personalities that put the show together.

The somewhat serene studio became very hectic when it came time for the ten o’clock news broadcast and my nerves completely disappeared then because it seemed that everything was so hectic, and I was able to sit on the set of the morning show and watch the show live. It was amazing to see everything that goes into putting a news broadcast together, being so close to what was happening you could feel the energy, and the excitement of the historic night. It was interesting to see how the live personalities behaved when not on camera compared to when reading a story with the camera on them. Watching the show live you could see more of the slip-ups that occurred compared to watching it on television and you can see how the anchors just keep going; they don’t get caught up with the problems that occur.

Being able to be in the production room was an amazing experience as well. Seeing everything that goes into a live show from that aspect was quite an experience, I never knew it could be so difficult. Deciding where to put stories in the newscast, how long an interview should be, and when it comes down to it what stories should be cut all takes place in a somewhat small production office on the spot. While watching the producers it occurred to me that this is a job I could never do because I cannot make decisions.

Overall spending a few hours at Fox 61 Studios on election night was an amazing experience that I am lucky to have been a part of. This is an experience I will not soon forget and it has shown me more why I want to be a print journalist. Sitting next to a writer for the newscast, and the producers, I realized that print is more for me. Seeing the on air personalities that people watch every night was amazing and seeing all the hard work that goes into the production is something I am very happy to have been able to see.