Summer at 6
It’s a Thursday night and I’ve been dreading putting this together all week long. My summer at 6 has been filled with adventures and unfortunately, like all good things, it has come to an end. I’ve gone to car accidents, child abductions, state championships and tons of other stories in all types of situations and varying conditions. I’ve met great people, learned some new things and challenged myself to be the best intern of the group. I seriously believe I’ve achieved everything I set out to accomplish in early May when I began this journey.
There are so many things running through my mind as I sit here in my office and write this that I know I will forget something or someone. Know this: Everyone in that building that I interacted with had an impact on me in some way.
Whether we saw each other on a daily basis or only crossed paths once, you had an impact on me and I appreciate it.
Words will never express just how thankful I am to the whole WOWT team, but we are journalists, right?! So, I’d like to thank everyone that made this summer special for me.
Don — You were the reporter I worked with the most on my Wednesdays. Thanks for all of the great advice and lessons, I will take them into my final year and I know they’ll be of use.
Erin — In my opinion, you are one of the best reporters in that newsroom. I have huge expectations for you and I’m confident you will exceed them.
Collin — You were in my shoes a year ago and now look where you are. I can look to someone like you for motivation and understanding that this market is a possible starting point for me. You’re the only team member I spent any time with outside of work and I appreciate you taking the time out to do that. I am glad you are excited to be at your dream station, but you have the potential to go much higher. I also have high expectations for you.
Jenna — I didn’t get many interactions with the Daybreak crew, but you were one of them. Thanks for talking to the unfamiliar face sitting in the computer across from yours even though it was always the end of your shift. It meant a lot.
Brandon — We never got to work together, but you gave me advice every time you saw me. Whether it was how to get to California, how to prepare my reel or the nuances of a newsroom, you were always willing to talk despite being busy with your own work. I also appreciate the ‘star intern’ and ‘best-dressed intern’ comments, they made my day.
Chase — My very first assignment was with you doing the UberPitch story. Letting me and my car be on TV my first day, hell yeah! That was an incredible standup and I loved the creativity of it.
Kelly & Bradley — Crazy to think that I have a connection to both of your younger brothers. I am currently more tenured at the station, but not for long. I believe you two will be around for awhile. Continue to learn and improve and you’ll be quite alright.
Mike & John — I didn’t have a ton of interactions with the two of you, but I think I still learned a lot. Learning by example is the best way to put it. Just by sitting back and watching how you two were in the newsroom and how you worked taught me so much. You’re two of the most respected journalists in Omaha and for good reason. This station is lucky to have two professionals like yourselves.
Brian — Seems like it was years ago that I was sitting in a conference room in Minneapolis sitting in on your ‘This Assignment Sucks!’ presentation. Getting to meet you and experience that a month before my internship was key for me. The work you do is award-winning and for good reason. I absolutely love your work and am consistently drawn in by your stories.
Dave — One interaction. Midnight on a Friday after a full day of CWS coverage, I finally got to meet you. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to work together more. You have a great personality and made me feel like I was a good friend of yours right away. Also, thanks for the editing desk. Spent a lot of time at yours over the course of the summer, desk buddy.
Knicely — John, my desk buddy. I enjoyed our casual conversation and you giving me the opportunity to learn from you while you anchored. I learned a lot from you even when it may not have seemed like it. Your cool demeanor is something I am definitely hoping to emulate in my career. You’re a staple in this market and a talisman to this station. P.S. — Hope you enjoyed your round with my father, he really enjoyed it.
Malorie — Journalism is clearly in your blood and your partnership with John is as solid as steel. You always gave the interns a chance to learn and brought the females under your wing to absorb as much as they could, even those who were not interns at the station. You take parenting very seriously as well and hopefully I’m half as serious about my kids when I’m older.
Matthew — We only REALLY got to work together once on that Cox story, but we pretty much hung out every Friday. You were one of the few people at 6 I knew by name before I had started. You’re a great guy and one I definitely felt like I could go and talk to if I needed to.
Jessica — Matt’s partner-in-crime on the weekends. From the very first day, you always gave me compliments. One week it’s my shoes, the next it’s my pants. This was before we were even formally introduced. From then on, I knew I liked, and more importantly, respected you. I’m glad I was able to introduce my girlfriend to you as well. You’re really the only one she got to meet and she really enjoyed it. You’re just as passionate about parenting as Malorie and I know that is one of the best compliments I can give. I look forward to seeing how your twins grow!
Ross — Ross, you are by far the jolliest guy in the newsroom. Always a smile on your face and happy to talk and teach. You introduced me to more people at the CWS than I’ll ever be able to remember, but I appreciate your willingness to show me off despite not getting to work with me as much.
Jeff — If there’s anyone who knows me better in the newsroom than anyone, it’s you. Every Friday from the first week to the last, we worked together. You are the most dedicated sports reporter in Omaha. You always told me ‘Show them you’re there, show them you care.’ No one exemplifies that more than you. Those local stories that KETV and KMTV could care less about, you’re there putting in the effort to get them. You are the ideal local sports guy. Always willing to report on local stories that MATTER to our city. I learned more from you than anyone else. I opened up to you more than anyone else. From day one, there was a connection there that I just didn’t have with anyone else. You allowed me to be as hands-on as ever from our first day together. I’ll always remember the tricks of the trade you showed me, but more importantly, I’ll remember the conversations we had about life in general. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I do know that we will be staying in touch. Thank you, seriously.
Roger — While we are on the subject of people who have taught me a lot, I might as well talk about Roger. No one has or ever will teach me more about this business than you. In school, you taught me how to work a camera and edit. At WOWT, you taught me how to be a reporter and colleague. No one in that building can teach like you. In my opinion, no one deserves a promotion more than you, even though you might not want those positions. You can do it all, you are the rock of that station and I wish you got more recognition for it. I can speak for the other interns when I say we all appreciate what you were able to teach us. Always giving us time to talk or review and criticize our work. I’m looking forward to seeing you on campus this Fall and hope everything is well as always.
Adam — Glad to see you doing so well in your professional career, but even happier that things are going well for you personally. I am glad we got to work together plenty this Summer. Hopefully the positives continue to roll in for you.
Weather Authority — There wasn’t a ton of interaction between us, but you guys are the best in Omaha. Rusty, you deserve to be Chief Meteorologist and the city is much better off with you at the helm. This team will dominate the market with you overseeing things. Brad, no one can forecast the weather in street shoes like you can. Always stay cool like the other side of the pillow. Jared, I’m glad to see Wyatt is home and doing well. You are going to be a great father and are an important cog in the Weather Authority machine.
Cassie, Dennis, LeAnne — Thanks for the opportunity to be around and interact with everyone. Whether you just retired or were just recently hired, it was an absolute pleasure working with you.
Wayne — My man! Probably one of my better friends on the team. You were open to me from the get-go and I always enjoyed talking and getting to know you. You are one of the nicest and funniest guys in that building and you can light up a room as soon as you walk into it.
Jacquie — My fellow star intern! We handled our business this year. We didn’t know each other until the CWS, but we hit it off instantly. Thanks for all of the lunches and talks about our internships and lives. You are extremely talented(obviously) and a shoe-in for a job once you graduate. If Denver is the end goal, you should have no problem reaching it. Keep in touch.
MCC — Thank you all for assisting us with our ‘interncasts’ and Lauren a special thank you for the help on Saturdays. I know I learned a lot and hopefully you did too. You’re a great group of people and have those newscasts running flawlessly.
Kevin, Eric, Jessica — Producers extraordinaire! Kevin, first off, congrats on your promotion. You absolutely deserve it and it could not have gone to a greater person. Eric, thanks for always checking up and seeing how I was doing, you’re a fantastic guy. Jessica, hopefully with the jumble in personnel lately you’ll get an opportunity to work while the sun is up! Way to represent for us Mavericks!
Joel — It’s only been a couple weeks since we met, but I am extremely excited about the future. I knew if there was going to be a chance for me to get into the business side of this career, you were the one I would need to talk to. Thankfully, you accepted a meeting with me and have been very open to the idea of working with me in the future in some aspect. I’m very excited about that. You are a great guy and definitely someone I could see myself working for. Thank you.
Again, I’m sure there are people I forgot. Please, excuse me. It’s 12:46 in the morning and no amount of coffee could bring my brain back into focus. The main point is that I enjoyed myself and learned a ton. I will never be able to express my full gratitude toward all of you. It was a hell of a summer for me and hopefully you will all be seeing me soon! In the meantime, please stay in touch.
Interested to see that Interncast I mentioned? You can here! Thanks to Grace for being my co-host and Jacquie for directing! Turned out great!
