Lessons from Diane Sawyer

It's Saturday, and that means it's my day off. 

It's not a day off for the news business. 

Above is a still image from the KESQ-TV website from today, July 11, 2009. 

The story that our weekend reporter did today is about an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record for simultaneous skinny dipping. A group of people at a nudist resort in Palm Springs took part and we covered it. 

Some might want to know if this is news, especially when looking at the other stories in the "Big Stories" section (you can see there's an Amber Alert and an embezzlement probe among other stories). However, I'll tell you what Diane Sawyer told me when I first met her in 1994 (and then later in 2007). 

She said, "Man bites dog is news." Under that philosophy, man jumping naked into a swimming pool just as hundreds of other people do so around the country and Canada, then yes, it's news. 

Actually, looking back at the newspaper article I wrote for the high school newspaper in 1995, "The San Pasqual Sentinel," this is what she said: 

"Sawyer said that if you asked anyone what positive stories they remember in the media, they can't name one. 'That's because they only remember the negative ones. It's human nature; man bites dog is news.' The best way the public can stay informed is by changing the channel, she said, while making a motion of changing the channel with her thumb."

 

I enjoyed meeting Diane Sawyer. At the time, I wanted to be a news anchor, and badly. She gave me wonderful advice and continued to "pen-pal" me a few times over the course of the years. 

It was a moment of personal pride to show her how that experienced changed my life when she and her staff allowed me to come to Good Morning America to say hello. 

She Works Hard For Her Money

Several suggestions today that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is resigning from her post because of money.

The main "suggester" is the father of her grandchild, Levi Johnston. Photo is courtesy AP.

Politico.com has a story about this. You can read about it by clicking here.

"I've seen how stressful this job was for her, and she came home late at night and things like that," he said. But Johnston added, "I think the big deal was the book. That was millions of dollars."

You've Heard it Before

Fire season is in full swing, so some communities are beginning to hold meetings to encourage residents to be prepared. 

Some may not know it, but it is state law to have 100 feet of defensible space. 

Last night, this blog pointed out a special program called "Don't Get Burned." Like clockwork, a community announced a seminar to train its residents to do just that.

I'm not sure if that's considered clairvoyance on my part or not. 

Don't Get Burned

Fire season is in full swing. This means that on a daily to weekly basis a fire will break out somewhere within the KESQ-TV viewing area. 

Sometimes, the acreage is small. At first, a fire will be reported at just 2 acres. Within a half hour, the information can change and a fire will grow to as many as 80 acres. What I always find interesting is how fi

re crews, whether it is Cal Fire, or local fire departments, can suggest that a 2 acre fire has potential for 500 to 2,000 acres. 

That's what happens with fire coverage. It's either something, or it's nothing. 

Today's fire coverage started with updating information on a fire that started last night. I suppose it's called "continuing coverage." Tuesday, we learned that a dirt biker illegally took his bike into an area. When his engine overheated, it sparked a fire. We got the interview as he sat in the back of a police car. 

Today, signs of fire season continuing came when the Getty Center in Los Angeles had to be evacuated. It started out as a 2 acre fire, then grew to 10, and then 80 acres. The photo used at the beginning of this blog is courtesy KABC and via KESQ.COM.

Then, just as I found video to use of that fire, reports of another fire, closer to Palm Springs broke out. This one shut down a Highway for a short time. 

Speaking of fire coverage, in 2007 I had the opportunity to work on a special project about fire safety and prevention. Under my direction, it was called "Don't Get Burned." The information from that news special report is still available online at KESQ.COM. Click on the above graphic to read about it. 

And, for news anytime, log onto KESQ.COM. Links are featured to the left of this blog. 

Just Moments Ago..

 The death and memorial of a pop star. Marines killed in Afghanistan. Journalists held in North Korea. A serial killer, killed. 

As a professional newscast producer I live daily, if not hourly, with what's "wrong" in the world. Journalism isn't just part of my life. It is a way of life. 

You could say I got the bug early. Here I am (holding the newspaper), circa 1982, bringing in the newspaper. It's "The Modesto Bee." My dad, a newspaper editor most of my life, worked there. 

From the front steps of one house to the newspaper newsroom in another town. My dad would invite me into work to watch him write or read editorials. He would let me grab some pens and paper and write "memos" to the reporters. 

 I used to say I was playing "office." 

 What I was really doing was telling stories. I certainly had many to tell. It started as a young version of Dan Rather interviewing an even younger Katie Couric. Dad would ask me questions and I'd give him the answers. Then, he would write them down. We did this in what we call the "red books." 

Sometimes, I would write my own words. 

The happy writing of a young four-year-old self turned into newspaper editing for high school, the young desire to be a news anchor and the eventual career interview with Diane Sawyer and Leeza Gibbons. I aspired to be like them. 

My first job in television news started in 1999 at XETV Channel 6 in San Diego. It was then a burgeoning new television station under the direction of Rupert Murdoch's order that all Fox affiliates start a newscast. I was the TelePrompTer operator the night we launched. Soon after, I started writing. Then, I started working with the anchors and reporters on story development and what we call "sweeps pieces." 

In 2003, after a few years at XETV and one year at an independent station in San Diego, I took my first full-time news producing job at KESQ-TV in Palm Desert, CA. 

As a newscast producer my skills deal largely with writing, editing, communicating, and time. There is always something happening, somewhere. 

Writing this blog is nothing new, I've had a blog for a while. I am also on Facebook and LinkedIn. They are two sites that are hard to avoid.

I am seeking a Master's Degree in Management with an emphasis in Business Continuity largely because the business of news is changing. 

When I'm not producing a newscast or studying for my graduate degree, you can find me spending time with my boyfriend, Nathan Baca, a reporter at KESQ-TV, visiting Palm Springs Wine & Art in downtown Palm Springs, or visiting my family in Northern San Diego County.