What Did You Do Today?

Tuesday was a busy day. I went from one story to another to another all day long. So here is a break down of my work day. Most of these times are not exact but in the general ball park.

8:50 AM - Get to work and evaluate what stories I want to pitch in the morning meeting to cover for the day.

9:15 AM - Morning news meeting starts.

9:45 AM - I have my three stories to cover for the day.

10:00 AM - I'm out the door and headed to the "LBS" or local bike shop to get reaction about a city councilman proposing a tax on cyclists that ride on the roads.

10:15 AM - Show up to the shop. I didn't call ahead of time because it's easier for people to say no over the phone than in person so I just like to show up. Sometimes you have to persuade people to talk and it's a lot easier for me to do that in person. At first no one in the shop believed me about the story. They thought I was actually making it up and pulling a prank, but after showing my press credentials I was able to get some interviews.

10:30 AM - I'm back in the news car and wondering whether to start writing the story or head to my next story to get their on time. I decide it's better to write the story and show up a little late to my next story.

10:50 AM - I'm done logging the interview and writing the story. Now I head to the Delta Center for a press conference.

11:05 AM - I walk in the security area of the Delta Center and figure the press conference hasn't started after all nothing starts right on time. Well except for this press conference so I have to sneak in the back. This press conference is on the Tour of Utah cycle race. It sounds pretty interesting and everyone keeps focusing on the last stage of the race which goes from Salt Lake City to Park City to Sundance over the Alpine Loop through Alpine in to Draper and ends at Snowbird. In all it's 114 miles and 17,000 feet of climbing, even the professional racers say it will be the toughest leg of racing in the world.

11:30 AM - Press conference is now starting to go a little longer than I expected and I still have to get my other bike story done and in the station for the start of the noon newscast. I really want to get up and interview one of the local professional racers. About this same time someone from the audience asks a strange question, "Wow, this event sounds great how can I learn more?" I was standing next to another reporter and we both looked at each other and rolled our eyes knowing this was a planted question that a reporter would never ask from someone connected to the race.

11:45 AM - I'm back in my news car and I have 10 minutes to get my bike tax story in for the noon newscast. I record the audio in to the lap top computer and the soundbites and then send it in to the station. After that I start logging the interviews from the Tour of Utah to send that in for the start of the 12:30 newscast.

12:30 PM - I get a call from a former collegue from several years ago asking why the media was reporting certain angles of yesterdays immigration rallies. It made for an interesting debate that I wasn't expecting.

12:45 PM - I'm off to the Capitol where the governor is going to sign several bills. I get up there and all the parking spots are gone so I have to park about a block away and hike in to the east building just like during the legislative session.

1:05 PM - Five minutes late again but luckily it hasn't started yet. The governor signs bills one at a time. He sits in his office and then comes in to the conference room once everyone is there. Once he gives his speech and signs a bill he goes back in to the office, the next group comes in for the next bill and then he comes back out the door again. This happens over and over again.

1:40 PM - I get a call from the station asking what my third story is going to be. I tell them it's the new bills the governor is signing. They tell me that there is now a 3 PM press conference at Tracy Aviary because a bald eagle is missing. That doesn't happen every day so I take off from the Capitol and head back to the station.

2:00 PM - I start to finish all the soundbites from the first two stories I had been working on earlier. These soundbites will be played during the afternoon newscast. I want to get everything out of the way so I can get to the press conference at 3 PM. I also log the interviews at the Capitol and leave those for the afternoon newscast.

2:45 PM - I finish with all my earlier stories and I leave the station and head for Tracy Aviary.

3:05 PM - I arrive at Liberty Park where I was at for several hours yesterday covering the immigration rally. It's much easier to find a parking spot today. Again I'm 5 minutes late, notice a pattern here? Luckily Alex Cabrero from Channel 5 see's me hustling up and delays the start of the presser. Then channel 13 shows up later than me and I don't feel too bad. It was a pretty interesting story. The staff takes out the bald eagle for some training and it just flies off. They had a transmitter on the bird and they were able to find it Sunday near Parley's canyon and the Millcreek area but haven't seen it since. The bird is blind in one eye and can't hunt for food so they are desperate to find the bald eagle quickly.

3:30 PM - I'm back in the news car and logging the interview to send in the story. The afternoon newscast starts in just 30 minutes.

4:10 PM - I finish writing and editing and I'm feeling good about the day. After all I've covered 4 stories now. Right then I get another call from the station saying there is some spot news. There is a house fire and they want me to head that direction. I had heard some sirens a while ago but didn't think anything about it. I get the address and head east on 13th South. I could see the smoke from the park.

4:25 PM - I try to get up as close as I can to the fire. A police officer yells at me and asks why I'm driving up there because she can't see the news car logo straight on. TV trucks have microwave's on top which makes them easy to spot but our cars look like regular cars. Once she spots the logo I'm finally allowed through. I find a parking spot and wonder if I have to go live at 4:30 in just a few minutes. I hope not since I've just barely arrived and can't even see the house at this point. I ask the police officers at the end of the street if I can walk up there and they say I can as long as I stay on the opposite side of the street from the fire. It's an amazing fire with lots of smoke. Neighbors are all over the place just watching the house burn. Luckily I'm able to get an interview right away with the battalion chief so I have some information. During the interview with all of the media I'm holding my microphone and the channel 5 microphone when I get a call from the station. I'm trying to figure out how to answer the phone without any hands. I eventually do and they want me live at 4:40 PM. That's no problem now that I know what's going on.

4:40 PM - Live interview on air with Scott & Maria.

4:45 PM - I start to interview neighbors and then realize I probably need to go live at 5 so I need to get back to my car.

5 PM - I find the soundbite I want to use and I go live at the start of the newscast. At the end of the story instead of ending by saying the usual "reporting live, Lance Bandley, KSL Newsradio," they want me to toss to Andy Farnsworth who is our "eye in the sky" traffic reporter so he can give his angle from above the fire. I've never done that before but that sounds easy enough. I also have to make sure I don't say anything that Andy will say right after me.

5:10 PM - I start to send in soundbites to the station so they can use them whenever they want for other newscasts. I also call the station and ask if I'm going to stay out here and report live or if they just want me to send in the story and call it good for the day. They want me live again at 6 PM so I stay out there and find more soundbites to use at 6.

5:25 PM - I can't get a good signal on my computer to send in my soundbites so I have to move a block away. I barely get the soundbites in for 5:30 PM but it's too late for that newscast.

5:45 PM - I'm writing down my script to go live at 6 PM and then I get a call from the station asking me to put together a wrap which is basically a regular full story without being live. Well this information would have been wonderful a long time ago (like at 5:10 PM when I asked) but now I have to start over. I pull out my computer and start writing as fast as possible. I barely get the story in on time for 6 PM.

6:05 PM - I start to head back to the station after 5 stories and one wild day, but at least when I get home I can watch the Yankees and Red Sox game.

7:30 PM - I get home and the baseball game is postponed due to bad weather and I missed garbage day, again.