It’s been said journalists should know a little about a lot of things. I like that and I have taken it to heart.
As a hungry, young reporter, I would do anything to gain experience and hone my skills. Report on Christmas Day? No problem. Anchor the news on New Years Eve? Absolutely. Drive through a major snowstorm to get three photos of the first storm of the year? Bring it on!
After more than 20 years working in news, I still tell the interns and early-career journalists that it’s valuable to learn as much as possible about the profession and the different roles journalists play in an organization. It makes you a better journalist, more employable and more understanding of the mission from every angle.
Like most places, newsroom staffing in the summer can be bare bones. As I approach my one-year anniversary at Ideastream, I pride myself on serving in so many different roles. I'm not quite as energetic as the hungry, young reporter of two decades ago, but I have done my best to learn and to step in wherever I'm needed. That's my job.
A few weeks ago, our midday host Jeff St. Clair was off for a few days, and I was assigned to fill-in during his shift. It wasn’t much different than my usual work routine; gather news, write, edit and sometimes record. But in this case, I headed down to the studio to anchor live newscasts and host live local breaks during afternoon programming.
Piece of cake, plus it was fun.
This week, Amanda Rabinowitz, our afternoon host, is off. I’m filling-in for her hosting "All Things Considered." ATC starts at 4 p.m., so it's a later shift for me. I was aghast last night when I left the office and the parking garage was full. Crowds of people flocked to the elevator as I got off. Everyone was singing ‘Beat it’. I looked around for cameras thinking I was in some sort of gotcha video. Then I remembered it was opening night for "MJ: The Musical." Relief.
The real fun begins when Amy Eddings, who works mornings, is off. I’ve hosted "Morning Edition" several times during the last year and, honestly, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't get me wrong. I love the show. And Samson Auble, the technical director, is a blast to work with. But that schedule — the microphone goes on at 5 a.m. and you need to prepare the newscasts before that — never gets easier.
I really respect people like Amy and others who work nontraditional hours. An uncle of mine worked third shift for as long as I can remember. It's almost like a foreign language. I envy those who have it mastered.
It's all about trying to get enough sleep. The worst part, the last time I substituted for Amy, was right after dinner the night before a shift, when I told everyone goodnight and dramatically headed to bed at 7:30 p.m. I closed the shades, darkening the bedroom as best I could. I imagined myself a soldier trying to get in a few winks in a foxhole before the next battle.
After about 20 minutes, the dog parked outside the bedroom door began to whine. That’s when I pulled off my CPAP mask, raised my eye cover and yelled, “The dog!” in the hopes my husband would hear me and take action. He did.
I fell asleep surprisingly fast before waking up after what seemed like a perfect 8 hours of shut eye. Then I glanced at my phone and realized it was only 9:15 p.m.
Getting back to sleep was the fun part, just when I started to get comfortable again, Mike, my husband, and the dog started to creep in for their bedtimes. The slow motion of the door closing, and the soft click of the lock had me so annoyed. I arose from my fetal sleeping position and yelled , “Just get in bed.” The dog thought I was playing and licked me until my CPAP mask slipped off, leaving me gasping for air.
I then spent the next few hours dozing in and out of consciousness, constantly talking to myself, calculating how much time I had left to sleep: “Ok, If I fall asleep in ten minutes, I’ll have three more hours.”
Ten minutes came and went and I was still awake. “Two and half more hours plus the two I got before, that’s enough, right?” I then spent the next 45 minutes Googling “How much sleep can I survive on?” and “Will only four hours of sleep kill you?” Mike and the dog were snoring by this point. I was doomed.
About three minutes before my 2:30 a.m. alarm went off, I woke up, then rolled over and just as I got comfy for those final three minutes, the alarm blared. The dog jumped and I reached in the dark to shut off my CPAP. I channeled Darth Vader as the air slowly stopped pushing through the hose. At this point, I looked like Darth Vader without his mask: tired, worn, wounds and all.
I was ready for the Death Star to explode.
A quick shower and a cup of coffee and I was out the door. When I made it to the entrance at work, I noticed three people laughing and stumbling down the street, no doubt after a night of drinking and shenanigans. I stopped myself from yelling, “Shhh, some of us are just waking up!” I resent them.
In the elevator, I caught a glimpse of my reflection and realized I need a haircut. One more half inch and I will have the same hairstyle as Nancy Regan in 1985. Somehow it didn’t bother me at this early hour.
Once I’m at work and in the building I’m fine. I start the day and enjoy building the newscasts and delivering the news. On the morning shift, you're telling people something for the first time. It's a rush.
The early shifts remind me of my time in Arkansas, my second job in journalism. I was working at a CBS television affiliate and learned not only to report and anchor, but also forecast the weather. Before I knew it, my desire to "help out" had me waking up at 3 a.m. on weekend mornings to forecast the weather on the morning newscasts, followed by a nap then a return to do the evening newscasts.
I met Jenny Hamel, the host of the "Sound of Ideas," in Arkansas in the early 2000’s. She would anchor the weekend evening newscasts. Every weekend when I would stumble in from my nap to do the shows, Jenny would tell me if I needed to perk it up or if the sleepy seeds in my eyes were noticeable on camera. I did that shift for nearly two years before packing it up and heading to my next adventure. Jenny and I reconnected at Ideastream and I’m terrified she will point out my lingering eye crusts when I fill-in for Amy.
Despite the need for a coffee IV and a vat of eye cream, I really do enjoy Morning Edition. It's a great show, I just wish it started at noon. I'll be wishing even harder next week, when Amy's off and Darth Vader fills in again.
Knowing a little about a lot of things has served me well and I still preach that gospel to the interns.
And I've added a verse: Get your sleep.
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