Let me begin by making note of the vast differences between my current and previous internships. Using the “apples and oranges” comparison between KPLC and WFAA would fall short of adequate. The stations are completely different environments, with each offering unique experiences and opportunities to grow and learn.

At KPLC, I worked with journalists who are in the early years of their careers, hungry for any shot at their big break.

WFAA has a long-standing reputation as one of the top news stations in the country, with some of the most respected names in broadcast journalism on their team. I’m looking forward to building on the incredible foundation KPLC has already provided me.

Doing my part to help the environment (and my wallet), I commute to work via the DART Rail, which is a very clean and safe form of transportation. Being all too familiar with the traffic woes of the Metroplex, I jumped at this opportunity.

The commute was relatively brief, as I was entertained by the circus of characters who also rely on the metro rail for transit. There was a good mix of people wearing suits, those in street clothes, as well as blue collar workers.

I arrived this morning at WFAA to a giant stack of forms and employment paperwork, whose initial shock was lessened by a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

My internship supervisor, Valerie Roberts, is the Executive Producer for the 10 p.m. newscast. Orientation didn’t take long and I was introduced to several staff members, including Gary Cogill, WFAA’s movie critic. I suspect he will provide for interesting conversation. I received my “@wfaa.com” e-mail account (sorry, business use only). I also familiarized myself with iNEWS, the electronic newsroom software client. I’ll be able to access scripts, wires, and work on packages.

I had a brief meeting with David Schechter, my mentor for the summer. I’ve done some research on his work at the station and I think I’m going to come away with invaluable guidance. I sense he’s a very intuitive person and I hope to learn a lot about specialized reporting from him.

Eventually I’ll put this to use in investigative or government reporting. I toured around the station, making stops in the creative services and editing departments, meeting some of the people I’ll be working with.After a brief meeting with the News Director, Michael Valentine, I got my photo ID and security keycard.

I’ll head back tomorrow to start my first full day.

On a side note, I’m used to the hot, dry Dallas summers. Things are a little different here, lately. Ongoing rains during the past week have ended a three-year drought over most of North Texas. The sun has poked out from behind the clouds to bake us a few times, but the wet weather reminds me of home.

Thanks for stopping in, I’ll have a little more interesting thoughts and even pictures in my next post.

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of the corporation and employees of WFAA-TV, Belo Corp., or Northwestern State University. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2007 Lane Luckie