Super Semester Blog Log #5
Since my last blog post, I have resigned my position as producer for the LUTV newscasts and have taken the role as an anchor. Anchoring has shown to be a lot more challenging than I first thought it would be. For example, I never realized how much voice work it took to make myself sound good. I also had to get used to seeing myself on screen. I have hosted segments at LUTV such as Lion Pride Sports, but I had never anchored for news.
Watching myself read stories during a newscast review was so weird. I didn’t like the way I looked, talked, sat, anything. It took some getting used to before I could give myself criticism that would actually benefit me. I learned that the lighting at the anchor desk is harsh, so I need to make some changes to how I do my makeup so I don’t look washed out or too shiny.
In the future, I definitely need to look online and see how news anchors look good on television. I realize that certain colors look good on screen, and some do not. I also realize that I might need to make changes with my makeup.
What I Have Learned
I also need to work on how my voice sounds. After meeting with Jill and reading through a few scripts, she pointed out a flaw in my reading. I had a tendency to put emphasis on almost every other word, so it sounded like my emphasis was fluctuating like a roller coaster. Learning to have a consistent reading voice for news is definitely something I need to work on.
Writing for the newscasts has been a lot of fun. I love writing, especially for news, but unfortunately I didn’t pick up on the broadcast style of writing right away. I leaned more towards AP style for newspapers in my leads, which is not how they should be written for broadcasts. Although I had to redo them a few times, my leads came out stronger after each meeting with Jill.
Anchoring is definitely not what I see myself doing in the future. I want to work behind the scenes in newscasts, preferably sportscasts. Although it isn’t my favorite thing to do, anchoring did teach me a lot. I learned how to write better which can help me in writing any stories for news. I also learned how to structure stories better, which could help with producing and the flow of the newscast.
What’s Next?
I still have a couple more days of anchoring, and then I will move on to doing sports and weather. I have been the weather person multiple times over the past year working at LUTV as well as sports. I feel that those areas will be easier for me and I will be able to thrive. Although anchoring isn’t what I see myself doing as a profession, it has been a lot of fun being up there and reading at the news desk. I never feel uncomfortable or scared when I am up there, if anything, I feel excited. It’s a great experience.
