First Ahead Report-A Look at KOMU 8 News at 6

On Wednesday December 9th, I did my last dayside live shot shift of the semester. The "New at Six" story featured how firefighters and other law enforcement officials prepare for winter weather. I gave a quick "First Ahead" preview to this story.

Enjoy!

Have a blessed holiday and joyous new year! : )

Local Film Premieres in Columbia

Last night, a film with special ties to Columbia premiered at the RagTag Cinema downtown. The movie "Lit" was produced, directed and filmed all here in town. A Columbia based production company as well as several local actors, students and community members made this film possible. The story follows Dr. Samuel Kete, a tenured English professor who is in trouble and is forced to teach an Introduction to Literature class. His friend, Carrey Wasse, an administrator at the University is also involved in the story as Dr. Kete tries to help with Wasse's marital problems. This full length feature only used 3400 dollars to complete from start to finish. Director, writer and producer Brian Maurer hopes to take the film to independent theatres and film festivals across Missouri.

Link to my story

Five First Nation Report 11/30/09

Here is my Five First Nation Report from this Monday. National stories included a tanker truck explosion, restoration of a World War II plane, and police search for suspects of a police murder in Seattle.

Olten Suspect Charged with First Degree Murder

On Wednesday November 18th, the first trial in the murder case of 9 year-old Elizabeth Olten was held at the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City. The murder occurred on Wednesday October 21st 2009. 15-year old Alyssa Bustamante, after an 8 am hearing, is charged as an adult with first degree murder and armed criminal action.

I attended the first hearing, no cameras or any recording devices allowed when the judge ruled to charge Bustamante as an adult despite her age. Reasons for this decision included the viciousness and severity of the crime as well as insufficient juvenile services. A second hearing in the afternoon stated her indictment of first degree murder, which by definition is that she committed the murder with prior thoughts and reflection, as well as armed criminal action for her use of a knife in the murder. Since Bustamante did not have a lawyer in the second hearing, there were no cameras or recording devices allowed and the judge pleaded not guilty on her behalf.

The next time the court meets Bustamante will be assigned a public defender and until then she is in the custody of the Cole County Sheriff's Department. After the first hearing, Elizabeth Olten's family was very emotional, however Bustamante showed no emotion at either hearings. The next hearing for this case is December 7th.

Link to my story

Five First Nation Report

Here is my national news anchor shift at the 5 pm from Monday November 16th. National stories this evening included tax troubles, Obama visiting China to speak about social media and

Atlantis space shuttle lifting off in Florida.

Local Non-Profits Fight Budget Battle

My '8 on your money' special aired on Wednesday November 11th at the 10 pm show. My story took an in-depth look about how local non-profits in Columbia are affected by the economic recession. After about a month of interviews, research, shooting, writing and editing my story finally came together! In the end, I was very pleased that I was able to humanize the financial problems of local non-profits by not only looking at the decrease of funding, but also highlighting the increase of volunteers. Even though donations are down, people are giving their time to help local organizations. The story turned out to have a positive side, despite all of the financial challenges presented to the non-profits. Here is my video story from the live broadcast as well as a link to my in-depth web story, which includes more information, links and pictures from my video.

Link to my story

First Ahead Report-A Look at KOMU 8 News at 10

Today for my live shot shift, I was the first ahead reporter. Since there are three live reporters every Wednesday for the 5 and 6 pm shows and only 2 live shots in each show, one reporter does a first ahead look on the 5 pm show about a story coming up later in the evening. My 8 on your money story about the effect of the economic recession on local non-profits airs on the 10 pm show tonight. So I did the first ahead report about my own story! The producer and I decided to use some of the video from my package as a rolling bam behind me while I gave a short preview of my story in the studio.

Here it is!

Five First Nation Report

Here is my first nation report from the 5 pm newscast this evening. The national headlines include brewing weather in Mississippi, a plane crash in South Carolina and a truck accident on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program

Wednesday November 4th was an extremely busy day! I went to the station early in the morning to work on my HFR story on non-profits during the recession. I needed to log my interview sound to see what I could use for my story. After I went through all of my interviews, I sat down to write my script. By that time it was about 11 am and it was time to look at story ideas for my dayside live shot for the 5 and 6 pm shows.

I decided to do a story about MODOT's safe and sound bridge improvement program because as of Wednesday they completed over 100 bridges. The program aims to repair and replace bridges across the state. I spoke to the people at MODOT in charge of the program about their construction plans for the future and why this project was so important for Missouri. Most of the bridges average about 60-65 years old so they need to be improved or completely replaced to keep Mid-Missourians safe. I went live for both of the shows off Interstate 70 near the Highway 40 overpass bridge, which is being worked on this coming spring as part of the project. I also used a map graphic in my live shot to show other bridges in and around Boone County, some are complete and some are part of the next phase of the program. The project's goal is to complete all 802 bridges across the state by 2013.

Here is my live shot and my headline from the 6 pm show-enjoy!

Link to my story

Five First Nation Report

Today was the first monday of my new anchor shift. For the rest of the semester, I will be doing the national report at the 5 pm show. It usually consists of three or four of the top national news stories of the day. I anchor the stories in the studio in the first five minutes of the show. Since I have my advanced reporting class until 3:30 at KOMU, I am already at the station so I can do my make-up and read over the stories in just the right time to be ready for the 5 pm show.

Here it is-enjoy!

Getting in Line for Swine Flu

Last wednesday, October 28th, I started my dayside live shot shift for the 5 and 6 pm shows. I arrived at the station around 9 am to work on my non-profit story and discuss with my assignment editor how to best report my story for the day. I found the story on Tuesday and I needed to be at the station early so I could head out into the field by 11 am, when usually dayside live reporters do not arrive until noon or 1 pm. The first swine flu clinic in Boone County was being held at the Boone County Health Department, but not everyone was eligible for the vaccine. The clinic was giving the shot form or the flu mist to only children ages 6 months to four years old at no charge. The Missouri Department of Health made the decision a week ago to lift the ban on a restriction against children getting the swine flu vaccine because it contains a mercury preservative that was originally thought to be dangerous. The CDC approved that this mercury preservative, thimerosal was safe for children so Missouri finally lifted their ban as well.

Considering the clinic only lasted from 1 pm to 5 pm and there was a limited amount of vaccine, we expected to see a large crowd lining up for the vaccine. When I arrived at the Health Department in Columbia around noon, I was not surprised to see a large line of parents and children all along the front of the building. I met a local parent and her son who was getting the vaccine, and was able to follow them inside as they waited and then received the swine flu mist. I also spoke with a few other parents who were excited about this opportunity to keep their children healthy.

It turned out to be a solid story and after my day at the clinic, here is my live hit from the 6 pm show!

Link to my story

First Morning Anchor Shift

On Thursday morning October 15th, I was asked to fill-in for our morning anchor Lauren Whitney. She just got married over the past weekend and was on her honeymoon-so students got to fill-in all week in her absence. This was my first anchoring shift so I was a little nervous but even more excited to finally get some new experience! I arrived at the station around 3:15 am to look over my scripts and do my make-up before the show began at 4:30 am. I anchored with Megan Murphy, who anchors the morning show Monday through Friday. She is a Mizzou alum and was wonderful to work with! We have done work together with some of the franchise stories at the station, but this was my first time as her co-anchor. After setting up at the desk, essentials including a water bottle, lipstick for re-application, my scripts, my IFB and the microphone tightly clipped to my blazer, I was ready to go! Our local morning news show begins at 4:30 am and lasts until 7 am, when the Today Show begins.

The first thirty minutes were a little nerve-racking getting used to the cameras and the time on-air however by the 5 o'clock hour I was comfortable and having the best time! During commercial breaks and weather, Megan was able to help me and critique so throughout the show I could improve my anchoring. The morning show has a great environment due to its conversational mood and relaxed feeling, so I was able to chat with Megan and our meteorologist Eric in a natural fun way. The experience was fulfilling and I learned so much about how I can improve my on-air performance. I hope to do it again soon!

Enjoy the photos and I'll keep you posted on upcoming shifts!

Now to 8 on your money

After my morning live shot and hearty breakfast downtown with my live truck operator, I headed out on my next HFR (hold for release) adventure. My story is about how the economic recession has and is currently affecting non profit organizations in Columbia. After making some preliminary research calls last week, I set up an interview with the executive director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter in Columbia. She was extremely helpful and gave me just the right information that I need for my story. After speaking with her about the positive and negative effects the economy has had on her organization, I have found a theme for my story. The angle I am going to take will focus on time versus money. During the economic recession, non profit organizations typically experience an increase of volunteers giving more of their time, however they lose a significant amount of monetary donation.

Big Brothers Big Sister has seen an influx of mentors, volunteers and participants at events. On the other hand, the amount of money raised at events by individuals and other sources of funding has decreased. Also starting in January, their annual budget will change significantly due to changes put into place by the federal government in terms of education and mentoring program grants. The director discussed these various situations and how the organization is thankful for the growth of volunteers, but also has to change some of their programming based on the budget loss.

The director at Big Brothers Big Sisters also connected me with one of the mentors who participates in the program. He has been very active in the recruitment aspect of getting other volunteers involved over the past year. He gives a good personal angle to my story. He is willing to do an interview as well as let me come along with him and his "little" (the child that he mentors) next time they do an event or play together. We have plans for this Sunday to play games inside or sports outside depending on the weather. This will give my story good visuals as well as a person who is finding a way to give back during these tough times.

Off to more research and interviews so look for more updates coming soon!

Money For Music

This morning's live shot brought good news for MU on a chilly day. This is my last Monday morning live shot shift so it was fun to end on a good note! Speaking of good notes, my story was about a recent donation to the MU School of Music. Supporters of the MU School of Music are still giving even during these tough economic times. A donation of one million dollars made by Dr. Jeanne and Mr. Rex Sinquefield is being used to create the Mizzou New Music Initiative. This initiative will add new scholarships and programs to the MU School of Music. Beginning in Fall 2010, there will be two new full-tuition scholarships for incoming freshman who seek a degree in music composition. The goal is to have8 full ride music composition scholarships by 2013. The money will also allow for two graduate students to participate in the New Music Ensemble. This ensemble works with MU School of Music faculty and student composers to perform on and off campus. This group of graduate students will also have the chance to work with some of the world's leading composers. They will perform music written by MU students and staff. The current New Music Ensemble is having a concert this evening at the Whitmore Recital Hall on the MU campus and that is where I did my live shot.

The shot was well-lit and turned out to be a good story. Afterwards, my live truck operator and I celebrated 8 weeks of successful morning live shots with breakfast downtown at Ernie's diner. An egg white omelette, hash browns and wheat toast was a perfect end to an great morning. Now tune in on KOMU 8 News at 5 and 6 pm for my next 8 weeks of dayside live shots!

Link to the story

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is domestic violence awareness month. The Boone County Safe Shelter is holding a series of events throughout the month to raise education and awareness about the dangers of domestic violence and those trapped in violence can get help. Today marks the start of the "Be The Messenger" campaign which encoruages everyone to talk to one person today, whether it be by phone, text message, email or face to face conversation about the dangers of domestic violence. The shelter's philosophy is that we cannot solve the problem of domestic violence if we cannot talk about it, so the month's activities promote the healthy discussion of domestic violence.

The month's activities also include a project done by the shelter and the MU RSVP center, Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention center, where a clothesline of t-shirts will be displayed in Lowry Mall on the MU campus. Each t-shirt was made by a woman expressing her emotions about domestic violence. Also the 3rd annual "Love Shouldn't Hurt" essay contest deadline is Friday. Middle school and high school students in Columbia are encouraged to write an essay about dating abuse or healthy relationships. This message is important. I enjoyed seeing what other steps the community is taking to spread the word about getting help if you are in a violent home or relationship situation, since it directly connects to my story last week for Hispanic Heritage month.

Link to my story

KOMU 8 En Espanol

After a long month of researching, reporting, shooting, phone calls, interviews, writing, editing, time in and out of the station my story for Hispanic Heritage month finally aired! Last Thursday October 1st, at the 10 pm show, my story on domestic violence in the Hispanic community was released to our viewers in Mid-Missouri. Honestly this was the hardest package I have ever completed and I am extremely proud of all of my work. The story ended up being about 3:30 with interviews, video and special graphics to really make it look visually pleasing as well as present the information in a clear and concise way. I also spent a lot of time with another reporter who translated my entire video story and written web story into spanish. Both the spanish and english video stories and written web stories are online.

One of the biggest improvements that I am trying to make in my personal work is to enhance the online version. I wrote an in-depth web story that includes more interviews and facts that have a hard time squeezing into an on-air package. One of the web masters also assisted me in designing an interactive map that shows all of the counties in our viewing area and as you scroll across them, places to go for domestic violence support pop up with the name and phone number. I also included images and links to various websites about the laws and protections of immigrant women who are trapped in violence.

On Thursday evening, I arrived at the station to make sure the english version was ready to air on the 10 pm show, the spanish version of the package was ready to be posted and both spanish and english web stories and interactive graphics and links were ready to go. After double checking, I put on my studio makeup, practiced my scripts and headed to the studio to do a microphone check and practice with my anchors Angie and Jim. I introduced and tagged the story live at the desk with the anchors and everything went very smoothly. I was extremely pleased the next morning to receive numerous emails and phone calls from my sources and other domestic violence agencies thanking me for putting the message out there. This kind of positive feedback and knowing that I can help the community is why I am a journalist. My adventure with Hispanic Heritage month was a challenging and eye-opening experience. My journalistic skills improved. I also had the opportunity to work with a part of our community and a new language that I had never experienced before. I hope men and women will see my story and know that they can get help if they are in a violent situation.

Link to my story

Link to the spanish version-KOMU 8 en espanol

Columbia's First Bike Move

Early this morning around 9 am, a local cafe moved locations. The new building is about half a mile from the old building but there is something unique about the way they completed the move. The owner of Cafe Berlin, Eli Gay, is part of the PedNet Coalition's No-Car Challenge. This requires participants to be car-free for one month. Eli was worried at first about moving his restaurant successfully without using a car. He and organizers of the challenge had heard about bike moves in other states and decided to plan one right here in Mid-Missouri. The move began at 9 am and about 20-30 volunteers, employees and customers brought out their bikes, cargo bikes and bike trailers to load everything from kitchen appliances to the cafe's tables and chairs.

I arrived outside of Cafe Berlin around 4 am to preview the story and encourage those interested in helping with the move to meet at the cafe at 9 am ready for some riding and moving. I spoke with Gina Overshiner, the organizer of the No-Car Challenge on Sunday night to find out more about the move. To make my story more interesting and informational, Gina graciously agreed to meet me for a live interview for my 6:30 live hit. She brought her bike and bike trailer and answered a few live questions for me about how the bike move came about, how it was going to work and why it is so unique to Columbia. To hear her answers and find out more-here's the story!

Link to the story

Fatal Accident on Highway 63

A foggy morning in Mid-Missouri brought tragedy today. When I arrived at the station around 1 am, the producer and I were listening to the police scanner about a car accident on Highway 63 south, just south of Stadium Boulevard. We heard it was a rollover and confirmed the seriousness of the situation when multiple morning station staff came in describing emergency vehicles and lights lined up along the highway at the scene. I grabbed a camera and a tripod immediately and headed down the highway.

When I arrived, I made sure to put on my neon safety vest( it is the law now when we are on the scene of an accident) and tried to get as close as I could to shoot the scene. One of the fire personnel was extremely helpful however very adamant that I do not get any tape of the car since they were still concerned about a victim caught inside. No one was able to speak with me at the time about the accident because investigators were still searching and documenting the scene. I stayed for about an hour to shoot the investigation as well as the surrounding trucks and lights along the highway. There were about 12 police and fire personnel waiting at the accident for further instruction from the investigator. I was slightly nervous approaching the scene, but I found a safe place to park and a good place shoot my video for my live shot later in the morning. Shortly after I arrived, officials covered the car with a sheet due to the victim inside. After I was done getting video and no one was available to give me an update, I headed back to the station.

Back at the station, I quickly wrote a few scripts for my 4:30 am and 5:30 am live hits and live teases, as well as worked with another reporter to cut my video from the scene and get it ready for the show. My live truck operator headed to the scene to set up my live shot and I followed.

Upon arrival at the scene around 4 am, my operator saw two tow trucks removing the car and by about 4:15 all fire and police personnel had cleared the scene. However in my later live shots when the sun began to rise, tire tracks, debris and the trees where the car was vertically resting after the rollover were visible behind me.

We then learned that the accident was fatal however, did not have anything more about the victim before 7 am when the morning show ended. KOMU 8 News stayed with the story to find out more about the cause of the accident and the victim. We now know it was a 24-year old Columbia woman who was not wearing a seat belt and lost control of her vehicle, a yellow Chevy Cobalt. Stories like this are good experience for a reporter to cover, however it is very hard to remove myself completely from the situation. My heart goes out to the victim's family. When something like this happens it is always a reminder of how dangerous driving can be and how important it is to remain alert and safe while on the road.

Link to the story

First World Report 9/18/09

On Friday, after arriving at the station around 2:00 pm, I received the three international stories from my producer and headed to Studio B (home of the touch screen and mapping program) to make the maps for each story. The first story was about Prime Minister Putin praising Obama's decision to scrap plans for a missile defense shield in Europe. Putin made the announcement in Sochi, Russia. The second story took place in Lisbon, Portugal where the defense leaders from the 28 NATO member countries met to talk about progress in the war in Afghanistan. They began their talks with a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the troops killed in recent operations. The final story took us to Perugia, Italy where the Amanda Knox trial continued. Amanda Knox is the American accused of sexually assaulting and murdering her British roommate. New developments include the defense calling a crime scene investigator to refute claims that bloody footprints found at the crime scene belong to the defendant.

After learning the map-making system last week, setting up the touch screen with the different graphics was much easier. There was some indecision at first as to what international stories were newsworthy enough and then what order to put the stories in. The final decision was made by about 4 pm so I had time to make the maps for the third time and practice with the touch screen to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Unfortunately, during the actual live spot in the show, the touch screen had a program glitch and after the first map, it skipped all the way to the final map. Thankfully the skip did not throw me off completely and I was able to cover the technological mishap by continuing the stories as usual. It was extremely frustrating since the screen was working when I practiced, however it was a good learning experience to be able to think on my feet and not let the technical problems ruin my report.

Here's the story!

Inmates Serve in Boonville

Early this morning, for KOMU 8 News Today, I finally had a working live truck to broadcast all the way from Boonville--which is about 30 miles west of Columbia. I found my story on Sunday and was ready to go, at the station by midnight, to pitch my idea and get started. Monday September 14th was the first day of a week long service project for the Boonslick area. Each year the Boonslick Area Community Service Project partners with local churches and the National Organization of Prison Fellowship, to allow inmates to leave the prison and give back to the community. Fourteen inmates from the Boonville Correctional Center along with parishioners from a local United Methodist church, began refurbishing the historic Katy line train caboose. The parishioners provided the inmates with breakfast and lunch as well as all of the supplies used to sandblast and repaint the caboose. The project focuses on spiritual growth as well for the men as they prepare to end their time in prison.

I wanted to go live from the historic caboose to show what work needed to be done on this piece of history. However, the area was too close to the river for the live truck to get a signal so we had to go live from a park a few blocks away. Overall, my reports went very well. The equipment was set up properly and working, which does not always happen, and I was able to accurately articulate the story with good energy and more confidence than I thought. I enjoyed the story since its focus was about allowing these men to find good positive activities, as well as a support system of people who will continually help them as they transition back into life outside of prison.

Link to the story

My First..First World Report

Another day at the station and always something new to learn! Today was the first day for my First World Report anchor shift for KOMU 8 News at Five. I owe my success to another fellow reporter at KOMU, Katie Steiner, who came in to teach me all about our new touch screen. Just like on the network news show like CNN, we have our very own state-of-the-art touch screen in Studio B right here in Columbia, MO. As the First World Report anchor, the producers find the national stories and network video but it is my responsibility to make the maps for the screen to show where the news is happening all over the world! I learned how to use the new system and program the maps to pop up with the simple click of my finger. It was complicated and challenging, especially since the screen sometimes has a mind of its own---during my live report I had to click it twice to get to one of the maps and it made me nervous but I think I recovered! It was a fun learning experience and as the weeks go on I will definitely improve in my clicking skills. Here's the video-enjoy!

A Word From the Experts

Today I set out on my first few interviews for my story about domestic violence. As always with journalism and working around everyone's changing schedules, two of the interviews were cancelled and two of them continued as planned. My first stop was at Parentlink, which is a warmline center for parents who need answers on how to better serve their family. The great part about it for my story is that they also operate the line in spanish and carry all of the parenting materials and resources in spanish as well. I spoke with a family support specialist who is bilingual and works with all of the Hispanic clients. She has had particular experience with victims of domestic violence and talked to me about how these Hispanic victims can receive help with just a simple phone call. The interview was interesting and inspiring. She answered many of my questions about what triggers domestic violence and how it can be resolved with the ultimate goal of keeping the partners as well as the children in a safe place. Being a Latina herself, she had some wonderful insight into the Hispanic community and was a great asset to my story.

After stopping by the station to upload and convert my video, I headed east to Fulton to speak with another woman who specializes in domestic violence victim advocacy in the Hispanic community. She works with the Coalition Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV) and is also bilingual. She was able to give me more insight into the problem of domestic violence and what local as well as national resources are available for immigrant families to get much-needed help. I was able to ask her about the legal issues with immigrant status and how women who can prove abuse in a relationship will not lose their status if they leave their husband. These details about protection and rights are seldom known in the Hispanic community and my story will get the message out so more Hispanic victims can find help without the fear of deportation. CARDV provided me with domestic violence help materials in spanish as well as other fact sheets and references about why and how domestic violence happens. Both of my interview subjects were extremely compassionate and knowledgeable about this issue and I learned a great deal today.

I am looking forward to some interviews later this week with people in the Hispanic community who use their church to communicate about domestic violence as well as a woman who has survived through the turmoil of a violent relationship. Speaking with them will give me a new inside perspective. The impact that their voices will have on the Hispanic community as they speak out against domestic violence is what I need to really make my piece hit home. More to come soon!

My Investigative Adventure Begins...

Starting in mid-September to mid-October, KOMU 8 News is doing a special series highlighting the Hispanic and Latino community of Mid-Missouri for Hispanic Heritage Month. Along with 4 other reporters and a student producer, I will be doing a story in regards to domestic violence in the Hispanic community, why and when it happens and how Hispanic women can receive help. I have spent today researching and making endless phone calls trying to find out more about who I can speak with on this subject. After speaking with the Cambio Center on the MU campus, I was referred to different volunteers and social workers that typically deal with domestic violence awareness and help in the Latino community. The Boone County Shelter as well as a local domestic violence warmline ParentLink, both have volunteers who speak spanish and work with Hispanic victims in Mid-Missouri. Another great resource I found, is the Coalition Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV). I spoke with a social worker there who specializes in domestic violence in the Latino Community. She is able to connect me with some men and women who are working in their church communities to raise violence awareness and provide help for their Hispanic peers.

I also found statistics about domestic violence in Latin America, how many women are suffering country by country and also which countries have legislation in place to protect their citizens from violence. Another huge aspect of this story is the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a federal law enacted in 1994 that seeks to improve criminal justice and community based responses to domestic violence. Much of this law focuses on protecting women who want to get out of an abusive relationship without losing their legal status in the United States. These provisions are set to protect immigrants and their children from staying in a violent relationship by giving them the option to live legally and independently away from a dangerous spouse.

Next week I will begin conducting interviews with some of the social workers and experts in violence in the Hispanic community. I am also going to speak to a family from El Salvador who is part of the Latino community in Mexico, MO about the work they do to educate their others about the dangers of domestic violence and how Latinos can find help. I also hope to attend a big traditional Hispanic dinner next Sunday night to see how they celebrate their culture in Mid-Missouri.

Wow, I have learned so much and I am excited to see how the story turns out. This HFR series on Hispanic Heritage and KOMU en Espanol, have given me an amazing opportunity to give voice to part of the Mid-Missouri community that is not always heard. This subject of domestic violence is very important and needs to be brought out of silence so help can be found by those who are suffering. This is why I am a journalist.

Mommy Murder Trial

Today was another adventure in the KOMU newsroom. I arrived around midnight with a few story ideas-one was about a Spooktacular film festival coming up in October at the Blue Note-today was the last day for community filmmakers to submit their horror or supernatural films! It was a fun idea but not as timely as some others. My better story idea was a new web tool developed by the Boone County Sheriff's Department making neighborhood crime records and reports readily available on showmeboone.com. The incidents are now mapped and presented online and this tool is extremely helpful for neighborhood watch groups as well as potential real estate buyers and residents. Interesting and informative...however there was a more pressing issue that needed to be addressed. This morning at 9 a.m. a trial was held at the Boone County Courthouse for a woman who was charged of murdering her 2 year old son last July. The boy was abused and according to the autopsy from University Hospital, he ultimately died from blunt force trauma to the head. The boy's father was also charged for his murder and awaits trial in December. This was a prominent issue in the news last summer and viewers have been extremely responsive to knowing what is next for the parents.

With two live reporters and only one working live shot truck, my story was not as dependent on my live location and focused primarily on the facts and history of the case, so I stayed in the newsroom to do live onset hits. This story was a good learning experience for me as far as digging up past court records and researching what had happened last July when the boy was murdered. It was also good anchoring practice due to the fact that my general disposition is bubbly and energetic, which I quickly found out does not work when reporting hard news such as this trial. Hopefully my next shift will take me on location but for now you can watch me in the newsroom.

Link to the story

The Adventures of Advanced Reporting

Definition of Advanced Reporting: By the end of this semester I will polish my reporting, performance and production techniques through in-depth assignments and live newsroom reporting shifts. (courtesy of Randy Reeves, associate MU professor and assignment editor KOMU 8 News)

Basically by the end of the semester I will have 16 live shot shifts, 8 morning news, 8 dayside (live at 5 and 6) and a few HFRs (hold for release) longer form investigative stories for the KOMU 8 franchises, 8 on your money and Target 8 investigates. These new stories will add to my last semester's work of dayside reporting, cut-ins anchoring and producing as well as one 8 on your money story.

All of my reports, anchoring and live shots will be compiled into a resume tape as well as an e-portfolio to be shared with fellow journalists in the real world of actual broadcast employment! As I said before exciting but nerve wracking all at the same time! Those nervous butterflies in my stomach will definitely keep my adrenaline rushing all year long.

My video news packages from January-May 2009 covered a variety of subjects from Daffodil Days at the American Cancer Society, new legislation and protests at the capitol in Jefferson City, CPR classes for middle schoolers, new police dispatch centers, the tobacco tax and even a gluten-free bakery. My 8 on your money story entitled "Economic Escapism at the Movies" showed how despite the recession local cinemas are stilling rolling in the money weekend after weekend.

My task now is to complete my weekly live shots and start searching for some new ideas for my franchise stories. So far some blossoming ideas are the effects of the economy on non-profit corporations-how do projects and fundraising hold up with the downturn? Is volunteering scarce? How does the dynamic of a non-profit organization change when the flow of money changes? I also have always been interested in education and the future of our children so something with the local schools is continually a possibility.

So now it's time to get researching! Stay tuned for more adventures...

Here is my 8 on your money story about escapism at the movies during the economic recession--

Blogging Begins

School is in full swing and so is the sunshine! With senior year comes exciting adventure, filled with slight anxiety that in 9 months I will be stepping into the real world. But nevertheless I am back and ready for the year ahead.

I started my semester bright and early (or really late at night depending on how you look at it) by arriving at KOMU at midnight ready for my KOMU 8 News Today monday morning live shot shift. My producer and I had corresponded earlier that evening and I knew I was headed to Moberly, MO for a preview of Claire McCaskill's forum on healthcare. I wrote my scripts complete with sound bites from some previous stories expressing both sides of the healthcare issue and also a McCaskill sound bite responding to some protesters from another forum on her statewide tour. Her goal is to get feedback from citizens and take it back to Washington when the healthcare bill is debated in the fall. After getting my scripts ready to go, make-up on and live truck operator ready, we headed to Moberly. Upon arrival and after trying for about an hour at three different spots around Moberly, we were not able to receive a signal for the live shot. It was 5 am and we raced back to the station since the show still had two hours remaining. I flew into the station at 5:45 and made it back just in time to do 4 full onset reports about the forum. Quick teamwork and persistence allowed the McCaskill story to stay alive in the studio despite technical troubles with the live shot. As they say- The show must go on! and that it did!

Link to the Story