#fieldreporting

We often shine the spotlight on big tasks in field service repairs, installations, customer visits. But the quiet detail that holds everything together is reporting. Good reporting is more than paperwork. It captures the story of each job, keeps the office and technicians in sync, and gives customers the confidence that the work is done right. With the right tools, reporting stops being a chore and becomes the bridge between great service and great business.

Reporters from Neon Tommy and Annenberg TV News covered the USC hospitality workers protest last Thursday. Both in the field and back in house, students analyzed what happened and shared their thoughts on how they can better collaborate on stories.

In my sophomore year at the University at Albany I decided check out the University News Station, ATV 360°, and see if a future in broadcasting was for me. I signed on as a field reporter, which turned out to be a much heftier task than I had originally imagined.

As a field reported for ATV 360° I was responsible for all aspects of creating a report; so I had to find my story, produce it, film it, edit it, and then present it to the ATV 360°directors, anchors, fellow field reporters, and anyone else who was present in the editing room at that time. If my story made the cut, which fortunately it always did, it was aired on the University's News Station. Throughout out the semester I submitted 3 field reports and learned ton about what goes into putting on a regular news cast, it’s a HUGE undertaking.

  Alas, I decided that field reporting was not for me, but in the end I was very grateful for the experience.  I gained the type of knowledge and skills that cannot be taught in a classroom. When I was filming, I had to push myself to be outgoing and go up to random people that were passing by and ask them to be a part of my segment. I gained a lot of confidence and really sharpened my social skills, as well as my presenting and public speaking skills. Through the interviews I conducted, I was able to meet so many great faculty, staff members, and student leaders that I would have never had to opportunity to meet otherwise. I also learned a ton of interesting facts about the inner workings of UAlbany through my own news stories, as well as everyone else’s. Learning how to edit film using Final Cut Pro is yet another valuable skill that I am thankful for gaining.

When all was said and done, I had a great time! I would encourage any students who might possibly be interested in a career in broadcasting to go check out their school’s TV and radio programs. You can’t go wrong; either you’ll love it and you can begin to build your portfolio, and if you don’t love it, you’ll still learn plenty of valuable lessons as you stumble along.

The link below will bring you to the videos of my field reports, please keep in mind that I was only a sophomore in college :)

UAlbany Purple and Gold Awards

State Quad Renovations

Pepsi Refresh Challenge: SelflessTee