Typically, one faces a number of challenges in starting a new job. We are about to have a couple of people step into the shoes of the two most important jobs in our nation, President and Vice President. Last night on KAUZ.com, we live-streamed the Vice Presidential debate between Senator Joseph Biden (D) and Governor Sarah Palin (R). I was nowhere near a T.V. when the debate aired, but thanks to our website, I was able to watch much of it anyway.
In a CNN.com V.P. debate viewer poll conducted of 611 adult Americans, CNN.com reported viewer response was as follows: Biden 43% said Biden spent more time attacking the opponent 53% of viewers of the debate said Biden was more likely to bring change 51% of debate viewers overall said Biden won the debate 57% said Biden showed himself to be the more intelligent V.P. candidate
Palin
36% said Palin spent more time attacking the opponent 42% chose Palin as the most likely candidate to bring change 36% of those surveyed said Palin had won 26%surveyed felt Palin was more intelligent in the debate
From my seat, the really telling numbers are the fact that not even 50% of the debate watchers feel that Palin would be qualified to step into Presidential shoes, while 87% of those viewing said that Senator Joe Biden, with 35 years experience in the Senate, would be prepared to step in as President if the need were to arise.
CNN.com lets you see "How the World Reacted" to the Vice Presidential debate.
Journalists Around the World React to V.P. Debate
SPAIN The Spanish media said Palin did better than expected, but Biden clearly won the debate.
U.K. The British press said Biden won hands down, but that Palin passed the "what-is-she-doing-here" test.
IRAQ The Iraq CNN correspondent reports Iraqis are too caught up with their own pressing problems to pay much attention to our V.P. debate.
ISRAEL The Israeli media played it safe, sitting on the fence and praising both sides.
KENYA Kenyan journalists report Obama is the only candidate they even consider, since Obama's father is a native Kenyan.
PAKISTAN In Islamabad, CNN reports Pakistanis were surprised by Biden's claims that Pakistani missiles could reach Israel but were critical of Palin's lack of substance on Pakistan's security issues.
INDIA CNN reports that Indians were most concerned with two specific topics in the V.P. debate: their nuclear neighbor Pakistan and the state of the U.S. economy because India has a lot of money invested in the U.S. Overall, the Indian media reports that residents of India were pleased by Biden's knowledge of Pakistan and noticed Palin's lack of knowledge on the subject.
CHINA Reports indicate the people of China are not much concerned with the U.S. V.P. debate, but more concerned with Palin's look and "signature eyeglasses."
JAPAN Like China, the people of Japan are more concerned with Palin's "signature eyeglasses," which were designed by their countryman and are now quite popular worldwide.
Palin uses her lack of experience to her advantage by appealing to, as she said, "Joe Six-Pack American." Well, I'm no Joe and I don't drink. I am an American. I did not like Palin's unwillingness to answer directly the questions which were asked of her. She kept returning to what became her mantra for the evening: "I may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let 'em know my track record also." I am an American and a person. And I wanted to know the answers to those questions Palin ignored, avoided, or glossed over.
I much preferred Biden's answers. I think that Senator McCain's choice of Governor Palin as his running mate was a mistake. There were many more capable, many more experienced, many more educated women in the Republican party who could have been his choice.
I suppose time and votes will tell the real story in a few weeks time. I will definitely be casting my ballot. I would advise every single one of my countrymen to do the same.
My name is Stacey Geer. Officially I am a Technical Director. I direct the Monday through Friday 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts. Like many people here, I have many other roles. I produce a little, edit, design graphics, and I am learning the on air side of Meteorolgy. Its great in this business when everyone knows how to do a little bit of everything. It makes it easier for us to help each other and get things done faster. In this business it is really important for all of us to work together, especially if someone is sick. Everyone here is great and is always willing to help out anyone who may need them. It is really great to work in a place where people care about you and will do anything to help you.
If you lived in Wichita Falls in July of 2007, you know firsthand the real-life fear and panic that people feel when forced to face disaster. Last night, sheets of heavy rain fell across Texoma, leading to what many are calling "sheet flooding." Areas around Texoma were flooded mostly by too much rain falling too fast.
Last month, I switched to the post of Website Director here at KAUZ, but today I got to put on my flood boots and go play photog again. I say "play" but anyone who has ever worked as a photographer--especially in extreme conditions--knows it isn't always fun and it definitely "ain't easy." But today, I DID have some fun, only because I got the chance to do something I have always wanted to do--shoot from a helicopter. Thanks to County Judge Woody Gossum, we were able to arrive at the Kickapoo Downtown Airport before the D.P.S. chopper ever arrived. After waiting for our county and city officials to take their rides, the judge requested that we be allowed to go up. The officials and we at KAUZ agreed that we wanted to be able to give citizens of Wichita Falls, Pleasant Valley, and the surrounding areas a bird's eye view of the flood damage.
The Texas Department of Public Safety's chopper was (D.P.S.) piloted by Matt Murphy of the Garland P.D.--who is assigned to the D.P.S.--and Keith Welch of the D.P.S. The two of them were nice enough to take myself and my reporter, Lindsey Rogers, up in their helicopter so that we could see the areas that had been affected the most by the flooding. We got some great aerial shots. They flew us over the hardest hit areas of 367 and 269, Huntington Lane and Wellington Road. We flew past our station, and I got a shot of our Doppler Radar tower, which had been churning out data like crazy for the past several hours. The helicopter is less than a week old, the pilots told us, and is, according to our news director Dan, a new sort of whirly-bird --it has five blades instead of the usual four. The ride was smooth, the pilots were friendly and very helpful in identifying what roads we were flying over at a given time. When I called my mother excited to tell her, she asked if I had been scared. Here's the thing--you never know if you're going to get the chance to do something like that again. A nagging feeling of apprehension tugged at me when we first lifted off. But I countered that feeling with the thought, "This is SO cool!" And that's where my head was--in the clouds. I was floating in the clouds to be riding so near them, in a chopper, in a news exclusive.
I have never ridden in a helicopter in my life. I turn 29 in less than a week and I cannot think of a better birthday present. The experience is one I will not forget. Even if I ride in a helicopter many more times in my life, this was my first time. It will stand out in my memory. An awesome memory--the gift that keeps on giving. :)
Isn't it nice to know there is a television station in Texoma that you can rely on to bring you up-to-the-minute information when you need it most? As flood waters rose and the rain continued to fall, who was on the air at 2:45 AM and all throughout the morning live bringing you road closures and updates on the floodwaters? KAUZ was. Who was live in the streets once the lightning settled and we were able to bring you a remote shot from US 287 and Loop 11? KAUZ was. Who had helicopter footage of the Texoma Flooding and the most detailed reports on flood areas and road washouts? KAUZ did. Not only did KAUZ do all of this for you, KAUZ was the ONLY station to do all of this for you. The best breaking news coverage on the air, and online. It IS nice to know there is a television station you can always turn on and get the latest information, no matter the time of day or night. We're proud to call ourselves Texoma's News Station. And now, you know why. It's what YOU'VE come to expect.
Thanks for watching! Jake McDaniel Promotions Director
First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jake McDaniel and I'm the Senior Director at KAUZ-TV. My official title is Production Manager - although as mentioned in previous blogs throughout the site, I wear many hats. My main job at KAUZ is to oversee all of the technical production. I also manage the promotions/marketing, creative, and website altogether as one.
As senior director, I play a key role in many newscasts, although you will never see or hear of me, unless of course Jermaine Ferrell gives me a common shout-out on the air, such as "Roll that tape..." However, I feel that I should speak for all director's of the station, and for the production crew as well. Although you see the wonderful people on air, a lot of viewers don't realize that there are more than twice as many people on the other side of the camera at the exact moment you're watching the news. There is no turning back in live television, so anything we do, you see. Instantly, without delay.
Now, what is a director? The person who sits at a big board of buttons with a headset and tells everyone what to do while pushing those buttons - in lamens terms of course. The director "calls and punches" the show, in TV terms. Basically, they tell all of the camera operators, anchors, engineers, and everyone involved in the on-air production what to do, where to go, and how to set their camera shots, etc. All the meanwhile listening to what is on-air at the present time and pushing the buttons that actually emulate what you see on television. Yes, when you see the wrong camera, or wrong graphic, or wrong video pop up on screen, ultimately, you can blame me or whoever is "directing." Do I mess up? You bet! Every single day. In a technical business, there are technical errors. It's impossible to avoid in live television. You see it happen on network news, though not quite as often.
Is my job hard? Absolutely! I would not still be doing it if it was not difficult. I love the challenge and the stress and the intense moments when things go wrong. It drives you to want more! If my job was the same thing every single day, I probably would not have been in television as long as I have. I started at KAUZ at the age of 17 and have been there ever since. I'm not going to try to sound like a TV hero, I'm only 20. Most of the people I work with are just starters as well. But my upper bosses are obviously much more experienced in the business that I am. I learn something new every single day, and honestly, so do they. It is impossible to be completely knowledgeable in the business. There is so much to learn.
Severe weather, breaking news, regular newscasts, morning weather cut-ins during the early show, news updates... Everything that broadcasts (and yes we do it all live), the production crew is there to broadcast it. My place of employment never closes. It's open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. The hours stink on just about every single shift. So why do we all do it? We love our jobs and we have a passion for what we do. However, there is one thing that drives us to keep up the good work and push for more, no matter how bad a newscast, no matter how bad the mistakes.. no matter how intense the stress. At KAUZ, we are a family. A special family. A family that you can't understand, unless you are a part of our family. Obviously, we consider everyone in Texoma a part of our family, because we are in your living room every night. And if we're not, we strive to be there. But our family within the walls of the studios of KAUZ, on that ever noticeable hill in Wichita Falls off of Seymour Highway, is a family I can trust and depend on to be there for me, or help me out, or do their best to make me look good, as I do my best to make anyone else look good all the time. My family at KAUZ is my television family. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. Even on Thanksgiving day, when we all have to be at work for a regular day's work, we gather together with leftovers from our own family feasts and have another huge feast together, as a family.
If you watch KAUZ, we thank you for watching. If you don't regularly watch, I take this opportunity to welcome you into our family, and encourage you to welcome us into your living room. Television is a powerful thing... It's as easy as turning on the TV, and you can even use the remote and not move! We've made it our commitment to bring the best news, weather, and sports coverage to Texoma both on the air and on-line. That's why we named ourselves Texoma's News Station. We're the oldest TV station in the market. We're a station of "firsts." First on the air in 1953, and every one of our newscasts is first on the air before anyone else. First station to go to color. First station to go digital. First and only station with it's own live, powerful doppler radar, which makes a "5 minute advantage" difference between us and the competition. It's our commitment to bring you the news and weather you need, first and fast, and complete.
So remember, as you watch KAUZ, whether it be news, or regular programming... Many people both in front of, and behind the camera are working hard for you. Thanks for watching.
Many of you may have seen me out and about in the area with a big camera on my shoulder. My name is Abbie Carter and I am KAUZ.com’s Website Director as of August ’08…so make KAUZ.com your homepage! But for the past two years, I spent my afternoons, evenings, and some nights “running-and-gunning” throughout north-central Texas and southern Oklahoma as a T.V. news photographer.
I was—and still, at heart, am—a T.V. news “photog.” That’s newsroom slang for a “photographer.” We are not those who are comfortable staring into the eye of a camera, we’re standing happily behind it. We see the world through the lens of a camera and try to show you what we see. It isn’t as easy as it may sound.
Imagine this: you are sleeping, cocooned in a bed of warm blankets, when suddenly the shrieking ululation of police sirens rips you from your slumber. You wake with a start, thinking, “was there an accident outside my window?” before you realize, “No, I’m on-call tonight.” Welcome to photog world.
We are the camera jockeys, the run-and-gunners, the slingers, the ‘togs. We work in the field with police officers, firefighters, and EMTs on a daily basis. When everyone else is running away from a fire or gunshots, we are right behind the law enforcement, running toward what everyone else is running away from. Typically, we aren’t as well-dressed. Sloughing through boggy flooded fields and kneeling in hot tar on the side of a freeway isn’t conducive to being “well-dressed” or “neat” in appearance. Don’t get me wrong—we’re professionals. We’re just the professionals who are often dripping in sweat and a bit dirty. Our chief photographer here at KAUZ is a man by the name of Jim. While he may not post on here, you might read mention of him in others’ blogs. He and Daniel, our other long-time photographer, are brilliant shooters who love what they do. I learned from them every day that I worked as a photog and continue to learn from them to this day.
There are a lot more people behind the scenes putting together a newscast than there are people in front of the camera. Those in front of the camera and behind the scenes work together every day and night to put together informative newscasts to keep their community up-to-the-minute in news, weather, and sports.
A lot of us wear many hats but hold only one title. I can tell you that you could pick a random person out of our newsroom and that individual would be several of the following: a video editor, a prompter and camera operator, a sound person, a graphics designer, a writer, a copy editor, a reporter, a KAUZ.com website assistant, a director, a producer, and a photographer.
We have a great team here at KAUZ staffed with so many hard-working, dedicated souls who do their jobs well because they love what they do. So the next time you see one of our vehicles out driving around or see our lovely Big Red live truck up-and-running at a community event, tell our KAUZ team members you appreciate them. It just might make their day.
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