Week 11 July 25- 31, 2016
Monday was the start of the Crosstown Classic between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. I didn’t get a chance to leave to office and do pre-game because a team was already sent. So I spent the day inside logging the game. I asked Mark what the most difficult part of his job was, he said that it was fitting so much information into such a small window of time and then putting your own spin on it. Mark explained that the evening news isn’t the first source for news anymore, so people mostly tune it to hear your take on what they already know. It is up to you to take information that everybody knows and make it unique and memorable to the audience. Wednesday was an uneventful day of logging baseball games. Saturday I went down to cover Bears summer camp in Bourbonnais. While doing so I got a real sense of the “hurry up and wait” aspect of the job as all the media followed each other in a giant pack to a single location and then waited for players and coaches to become available. I also got to drive a golf cart while I was there so that was fun. I had the good fortune to meet Eric (I didn’t get his last name) an associate producer for Fox Sports and an MSU alum. He graduated in 2011 and we talked for a good 20 minutes about the business. He told me he never wanted to be on air because of the pressure of not saying anything that will get you in trouble and that he self admittedly didn’t have “the personality” for it. I told him what I was doing at Michigan State (BTN, Impact Radio etc.) and he complemented me on doing so much saying “the more you can do the better, especially in this business”.
I also met Aldo Perri, senior sports producer at Comcast Sports Network. He and I talked for nearly an hour about high school, college and professional sports. Mostly chatting and swapping stories. He has been in the business for 25 years so he has seen a thing or two. Probably the most interesting thing he told me is that nearly every major story he has seen “something similar has happened before.”
On the way back Mike (the camera man I was accompanying) and I talked about the internship and what I took away from it now that I was approaching the end. He told me that, judging by our interactions, that I was going to go far because of my willingness to listen, learn and adapt when the moment called for it. Mike went even farther by saying that my friendly and down to earth personality would serve me well when dealing with current and future colleagues. It was certainly pleasing the hear from him and I finished my second-to-last week at ABC 7 convinced that I had made a positive impact on a number of people.
Week 12 Aug. 1-7, 2016
Hard to believe this is my last week at ABC 7. Recently I have started to feel a bit more readily accepted by some of the regulars in the newsroom. I myself have grown accustomed to working there. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and this marks the beginning of my last blog post.
Monday started off a bit hectic, as I had to wait 40 minutes outside of Wrigley Field for my pre-game credential to be approved. There was a lot of media there so I think my name was lost or overlooked for some reason. But Larry Snyder took care of it after I called him and explained the situation. At least I got to talk to the window attendants at length about baseball, which was enjoyable. Monday was also the day I said goodbye to producer Jason Smith. I enjoyed working with him, his easygoing but fair nature was something I appreciated and he was a joy to work under.
Wednesday was another day of logging baseball games and getting Cubs post game. I was finally given authorization to ask a specific player (Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr.) a few questions about his season. Unfortunately he slipped out of the locker-room while we were getting quotes from other players. I was disappointed that another chance to interview someone slipped away. It was also my last day seeing anchor Jim Rose. Despite my limited time with him, he has taught me a fair deal. Jim is the type of person that remains humble and approachable despite his near celebrity status in Chicago. I keep thinking back to the Blackhawks convention and how he took pictures and gave autographs with every person who came up to him. He didn’t need to do that but he did it anyway out of respect for the people who watch him.
Friday was a long day, my last day. It was kind of bittersweet. On one hand I am happy to complete my internship but on the other I have grown accustomed to working at ABC 7. Overall I feel this internship was a very positive experience. Through it I made substantial growth in my understanding of both the sports journalism field and about the real world workplace. I feel more confident moving forward with my career then I ever have been.
2 Minutes 4 Ruffing 