Fox 8 News, this is Brooke.
Not going to lie ya'll- there isn't really much to blog about. Cory and I have been hunkered down since March 13th and with the Governor's new proclamation, we'll be here for a bit longer. We are both very lucky that we've been able to work from home this whole time, and spend our days with Cory in his office and me at the kitchen table, constantly walking in on one another's meetings. Stella is also a part of most of our meetings because she has no chill and barks at everyone and everything she hears from her perch in our bed. The weekends are the hardest for us-- I mean we moved to a city that we love to do ALL the things, and now, ALL the things are cancelled.
So, let's chat about my super exciting couple of months after graduation working for Fox 8. I graduated the best university in the world with a degree in Journalism. [As a sidenote, I had a professor come to me when I was a junior and tell me I wasn't cut out to be a journalist-- I scoffed it off.] I graduated on a Saturday in May 2011 and began working for Fox 8 on a Monday. Now, if you grew up in the New Orleans area, there are three most watched stations, and everyone has their favorite. You've got Eric Paulsen and Sally Ann Roberts on WWL Channel 4; you've got the Queen of Weather Margaret Orr on WDSU Channel 6; and then you've got John Snell and Nancy Parker and Bob Breck on WVUE Channel 8. Thankfully, the summer before my senior year, I got to be an intern with Fox 8 so when I was ready to graduate, they were ready to hire me. For me, I didn't want to work with any other team, so when they offered me a part-time minimum wage position, I said Yes! I was a PA (production assistant) and had some fun duties while working there-- also, some not so fun duties. They included: running the teleprompter, writing the stories at the end of the news for the anchors, answering phone calls and email, a bit of video editing, going with photographers to shoot video footage, tagging along with reporters for stories, etc. Exciting stuff.
Guest Stars and Teleprompters
As an intern, then later as an employee, Saints players
would be in and out of the studio for interviews. I have this hella grainy picture of Thomas Morstead (shout out to my first iPhone), who we all know is now one of my favorite players. Meeting him and his flip flops was cool. I also have a picture of Darren Sharper in the studio, and for obvious reasons, is no longer cool and exciting. Also, running the teleprompter is a bit trickier than you'd think. One time, someone was in the studio and I wanted to listen and watch the story, so I ran through that closed captioning so fast so I didn't have to roll it during the story. Well, that's a no-no. The producer was like "uh. what the hell Brooke? Roll that again, along with the story, you dummy." Probably said it nicer, or probably didn't.
Favorite Part: the police scanners
As part of my role, I had to work Saturday and Sunday from midnight to 8am. I was in the studio by myself and was responsible for two things: listening to the police scanners and calling the Police and Fire Departments every 2 hours to see if anything was going on. If something happened, like a fire or a shooting, then I'd have to call and wake up a photographer to go get some footage. Oh yeah, you guessed it, people hated me, especially if NOLA wasn't being cool and there was a shooting at 3am. I would go to bed at 4pm everyday and wake up at 11pm-- I was living with Mimi and Papa, so I'd eat dinner that Papa had saved for me and then head to the studio. I really got a lot of wedding planning done during this time, to be honest, and watched SO many movies. My favorite two stories from listening to those scanners are as follows.
Runner Up: Needless to say, being in the studio by yourself is a bit creepy, especially when you only have the consistent rattle of the police scanners. One night, I heard a voice say "Hey Jim. You heading that way?" So, I immediately turned my attention that way to see what was happening. "Yep. Go ahead." I start praying that the Quarter is behaving itself this night. "Let me go ahead and get a burger, medium well, with all the dressing, except fu**ing tomatoes. Fries and for the love of God, make sure they don't forget my Coke!" After the original officer, there proceeded to be a few more orders put in and Jim 10-4'd them and I assume headed to get the burgers. Which, made me laugh, but also made me super hungry.
Winner, Winner: Someone radios in and for some reason, cannot give his location because he is hysterically laughing. Once he collects himself, he gives the location, somewhere on Bourbon and ask for EMS. Someone else radios in to ask him what's going on. Apparently, there was a fight. Officer A was called over and noticed a guy laying in the street with a crowd around him. He starts questioning and gets this story. There was a.... drag queen I think it was, in the middle of the street, swatting people on the butt with a whip of some sort. If you've ever been to Bourbon, this is not surprising. Well, the man that the nice Queen hit did not appreciate it or like it, so went to throw a punch. Y'all, the drag queen kicked this guys butt and left him in the middle of the street before officers got there. The officer could NOT stop laughing. I literally will never forget this moment in my life, and how in the world I was going to type it for my bosses in my overnight report. I got called into said bosses office that Monday to fully explain the story to everyone-- it was a first for all of us.
My time there quickly ran out, as I went on a story one day that changed my life and outlook on working in the news world. It's a field that gets a bad rep (ahem Donald Trump's crusade on #fakenews), that isn't always unwarranted, but is a field that requires the most dedication and commitment. I decided I didn't want to be a part of that world after going to my third location in one day of a shooting, with the last one containing a man in the woods, deceased, and having to watch his family show up and mourn. I am thankful for my time there, my months of living with Mimi and Papa and the stories I have to share. I still love John Snell, am so sad that Nancy Parker is gone and happy that ol' Bob got to retire.
See y'all soon. Praying you're staying safe, have plenty of hand sanitizer and aren't tired of your spouse/pets/children too much.
Red Beans and Ricely Yours,
B
Guest Stars and Teleprompters
would be in and out of the studio for interviews. I have this hella grainy picture of Thomas Morstead (shout out to my first iPhone), who we all know is now one of my favorite players. Meeting him and his flip flops was cool. I also have a picture of Darren Sharper in the studio, and for obvious reasons, is no longer cool and exciting. Also, running the teleprompter is a bit trickier than you'd think. One time, someone was in the studio and I wanted to listen and watch the story, so I ran through that closed captioning so fast so I didn't have to roll it during the story. Well, that's a no-no. The producer was like "uh. what the hell Brooke? Roll that again, along with the story, you dummy." Probably said it nicer, or probably didn't.
Favorite Part: the police scanners
As part of my role, I had to work Saturday and Sunday from midnight to 8am. I was in the studio by myself and was responsible for two things: listening to the police scanners and calling the Police and Fire Departments every 2 hours to see if anything was going on. If something happened, like a fire or a shooting, then I'd have to call and wake up a photographer to go get some footage. Oh yeah, you guessed it, people hated me, especially if NOLA wasn't being cool and there was a shooting at 3am. I would go to bed at 4pm everyday and wake up at 11pm-- I was living with Mimi and Papa, so I'd eat dinner that Papa had saved for me and then head to the studio. I really got a lot of wedding planning done during this time, to be honest, and watched SO many movies. My favorite two stories from listening to those scanners are as follows.
Runner Up: Needless to say, being in the studio by yourself is a bit creepy, especially when you only have the consistent rattle of the police scanners. One night, I heard a voice say "Hey Jim. You heading that way?" So, I immediately turned my attention that way to see what was happening. "Yep. Go ahead." I start praying that the Quarter is behaving itself this night. "Let me go ahead and get a burger, medium well, with all the dressing, except fu**ing tomatoes. Fries and for the love of God, make sure they don't forget my Coke!" After the original officer, there proceeded to be a few more orders put in and Jim 10-4'd them and I assume headed to get the burgers. Which, made me laugh, but also made me super hungry.Winner, Winner: Someone radios in and for some reason, cannot give his location because he is hysterically laughing. Once he collects himself, he gives the location, somewhere on Bourbon and ask for EMS. Someone else radios in to ask him what's going on. Apparently, there was a fight. Officer A was called over and noticed a guy laying in the street with a crowd around him. He starts questioning and gets this story. There was a.... drag queen I think it was, in the middle of the street, swatting people on the butt with a whip of some sort. If you've ever been to Bourbon, this is not surprising. Well, the man that the nice Queen hit did not appreciate it or like it, so went to throw a punch. Y'all, the drag queen kicked this guys butt and left him in the middle of the street before officers got there. The officer could NOT stop laughing. I literally will never forget this moment in my life, and how in the world I was going to type it for my bosses in my overnight report. I got called into said bosses office that Monday to fully explain the story to everyone-- it was a first for all of us.
My time there quickly ran out, as I went on a story one day that changed my life and outlook on working in the news world. It's a field that gets a bad rep (ahem Donald Trump's crusade on #fakenews), that isn't always unwarranted, but is a field that requires the most dedication and commitment. I decided I didn't want to be a part of that world after going to my third location in one day of a shooting, with the last one containing a man in the woods, deceased, and having to watch his family show up and mourn. I am thankful for my time there, my months of living with Mimi and Papa and the stories I have to share. I still love John Snell, am so sad that Nancy Parker is gone and happy that ol' Bob got to retire.See y'all soon. Praying you're staying safe, have plenty of hand sanitizer and aren't tired of your spouse/pets/children too much.
Red Beans and Ricely Yours,
B
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