Monday, May 26, 2008
As I was driving into work on this Memorial Day, I could not help but to notice all of the normal people out grilling, riding bikes and simply enjoying the day. As you may know a newsroom is one of those places that never closes, which means holidays are just another day. Of course some staff members take the holidays off, but for the most part we still have a core group of people working. That includes the assignment desk, producers, reporters, web staff, photographers, you get the point. The scariest thing is some of us have grown accustomed to working on holidays. I celebrated Christmas last year the week before just to have time with my family. Thanksgiving is a chance for us to eat a great meal at work and take turns keeping each other awake after the turkey kicks in. Overall we are committed to working day in and out to provide our viewers with the most accurate, balanced and to the point news this area has to offer.
Best,
Dominique
Posted by on 05/26 at 04:43 PM
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Saturday, May 24, 2008
As you may notice blogs are the hottest thing on nearly every website you visit. Here at NBC17 alone we have a variety of them that will keep you reading and sometimes entertained for days. While reading the Fayetteville Observer online today, I came across a fantastic blog and wanted to share it with you as well. With Our Troops is a blog like no other, the Fayetteville Observer regularly sends reporters and photographers to Iraq and Afghanistan to spend time with the soldiers fighting from Fort Bragg. If you’ve ever wanted a first hand look at what our brave men and women in the service are experiencing daily, I encourage you to check out With Our Troops.
Best,
Dominique Hogue
Posted by on 05/24 at 10:41 AM
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
It’s no secret Sunday is the slowest news day of the week 99% of the time. When I moved to this area I immediately noticed religious services are very popular amongst residents and occupy several hours of their Sunday. If you know of any special Sunday services, programs or fundraisers I would love to hear from you! The event doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. From missionary trips to community outreach days, I want to know what’s important to you. Hyperlocal news is what we are all about, so start sending those ideas my way; you can reach me at .
Happy Sunday,
Dominique
Posted by on 05/11 at 12:47 PM
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
Gas, Gas, Gas it seems to be the common topic dominating many news reports these days. With fuel prices at a record high, no one can ignore the struggling economy around us. That being said, what are you doing to offset the rising cost of gas and other basic necessities? Are you dining out less, driving to fewer places, only shopping when necessary? We here at NBC17 are always striving to provide accurate and sometimes creative coverage on various topics. Our Multimedia Content Center would love to hear your money saving tips. Feel free to comment on this blog entry, or e-mail us at .
Best,
Dominique
Posted by on 05/10 at 09:22 AM
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
For the past two months, candidates for President (and their surrogates) have been campaigning across the state of North Carolina.
The candidates make grand entrances to roaring crowds of fans and supporters but little did you know the preparation for that short speech was days in the making.
Planning for political stumping is a time consuming operation. If you were not already aware, the candidates for the White House (and their surrogates) are given Secret Service protection. As a result, a simple stop for an ice cream can become a big deal, not to mention taking hours to plan.
They are called the “Advance Team” and they plan out every detail of a Presidential candidate’s life. The team consists of people who have highly specific tasks and functions...worrying about things like the position of the stage, the height of the podium, the location of the trash dumpsters in the parking lot, and even what roads the motorcade will take coming in, going out and any alternate routes should they be necessary.
In the newsroom, it’s a similar operation. We await the event logistics from the respective campaigns and then, in turn, begin our planning process. We almost always will do a “site survey,” which consists of an actual visit to the site of the event. We are looking for things like where will the media trucks park? How many feet of cable will we need from the live truck to the room or stage? Is the location a microwave shot or satellite shot? and so much more.... Much like there are multiple people working on the Presidential “advance team,” there is a team of people in our newsroom planning out how to cover these events.
Let us not forget about the U.S Secret Service....the group of people who arrange the media “pre-set”. This is the time when the media can get into the room with our equipment and set up. Often times the pre-set is somewhere between 3-4 hours ahead of the event. (example: a 6pm event would have a 1pm or 2pm preset). This can make for some very long days.
In the end, the biggest delay can be with the actual candidates themselves. Having help plan our political coverage in recent weeks, I can tell you that the candidates almost NEVER arrive on time. It always seemed to be an hour or more delay, every time.
Hours and even days of planning all come down to a short speech before it’s on to the next campaign event. And, for the “advance team” - it’s the end of one day and the beginning of planning for the next stop in the road to the White House.
Posted by on 05/08 at 02:12 PM
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