This semester we have had many great guest speaker come in and talk to us about the art of sports journalism, but our most special day was Monday May 5th, 2014. Our class was left in awe when we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the KTVU news studio at Jack London Square in Oakland. We met with Emmy award winning sports anchor Mark Ibanez and lead anchors Frank Somerville and Julie Haener. It was a very special day to say the least.
When you first arrive there are these huge KTVU logos scattered everywhere. You know this place has history with all the trophies contained behind glass shelves. Then Ibanez arrives and greets us, then proceeds to take us to the writing room where reporters and writers prepare the shows scripts. It is a chaotic scene where you can hear fingers hitting keyboards and papers rustling between low-kept voices.
It is a high-demand area, but not as rigorous as our next stop on the tour: the control room. This tiny closeted room, with only 4 people inside, is the brain of the news show. Inside they cut in and out of commercials, switch segments, play teasers, and tell the reporters and anchors any new information they may need to know through ear pieces. It is a high-stress workplace. We just stood there in silence but I felt I was under pressure to stay quiet.
Then finally we moved onto the actual news stage where anchors Somerville and Haener did an actual segment for television that day. Once again it felt like our jobs to be quiet and watch them at work. It was incredible. The KTVU studio left us with plenty of memories, and it was a day that our class will never forget.
The Pitch Press 