I've been keeping really busy lately. Every weekday, I help my mom do at home and around town what she cannot do herself. Today, it was taking my parents' poodle to the vet to have his teeth cleaned, Mom in tow. It's been kinda nice spending quality time with my mom. To her benefit, she's found out how well I've learned to cook!
As of today, my mom has one week left before she gets a walking cast. Before you get too excited, it's still going to be about two weeks after she gets her walking cast before she can walk without crutches, and she's still not going to be able to drive until she's completely free of casts and splints and everything.
So, that's what I'm doing during the daytime. And if you've been wondering why I've not said anything lately about searching for work, it's because I did find something. It's only part-time, but it's gaining me some attention, whether I really want to be publicly recognized or not: I've been hired as a radio news anchor. I only work one or two weeknights regularly, and I'm also working weekends. All of my hours are evening and nighttime. Most of the time, unless I'm covering for someone, I get off work at midnight, and get to bed at about 1 a.m.
I'm enjoying my work, although I wish I worked more hours and got more pay for my education and experience. On the plus side, my schedule is flexible and my boss is wonderful. I've never heard any of my co-workers speak ill of him. In fact, it's been the complete opposite: they have all said how understanding and kind he is.
The really cool thing is that I almost always know what's happening in the world/community before anyone else does, and it's up to me to get that information out there, and/or send out one of our reporters to get the info. I get to write up stories, record voice clips, and deliver that information to the largest listening audience in all of Kansas.
Now, this broadcasting group and the two stations (FM and AM) that I'm associated with play music, too. However, because of my personal preferences and because I'm way too busy to pay attention to it, I don't listen to the music: I focus on the news I'm reporting. It's important in this industry to make it seem as if you're talking directly to each and every person who's listening. So I pay close attention to the news, completely ignoring the music that's played, if I can help it. ;)
I'll type more later, I promise. :)
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3 comments:
You have the coolest job ever. ;)
I agree. Very cool. How does being a Christian affect what you do? Are there stories that you approach differently than your colleagues because of your faith?
Honestly, I know I'm not the only Christian on staff. What's more, I'm not the only one who's a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. But I've not been there long enough to know how others approach certain stories.
I think it does affect how I approach certain stories, though. The gatekeeping function of my job can be very intoxicating. There are times that I don't want to report on a certain story because of its subject matter, and I really have to think about that.
One thing I do, though, is to vary my newscasts. Since I have one every hour, I don't use the same stories every time. If there's a story I find objectionable, I might use it in every third newscast instead of every other one.
The funny thing is, I've been a journalist for seven years, and I've never had the power to decide what gets reported until now. Like I said, it's intoxicating. Not sure if that's good or bad right now.
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