I’m grateful that 2013 is here, but boy is it busy!
TV stations across the country are gearing up for “sweeps,” basically a month where we bring you some of our finest news reports. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why we don’t give you our best year-round – we do – but there are four months a year that we are measured for how many viewers tune into our shows. The station with the most viewers can charge more for advertising (translation, more money).
Anyway, a lot of our time has been focused on sweeps, which can kind-of-sort-of explain my absence.
However, a lot of my time has been sucked into TV reporting contests and my April wedding.
CONTESTS
News contests may seem silly, but I strive to improve my work every day. About 90 percent of the year, I turn a story a day. Occasionally, my bosses give me more time for sweeps stories or a feature series. I’m proud of my work, as I’ve won many awards through the Ohio New Photographer Association, the National Press Photographers Association, the Emmys, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and more.
Gearing up for these contests, however, is quite a task.
Many of the awards contests cost money. The Emmys, for example, will cost about $100 just to enter. Now, I’m not much of a gambler, but when it comes to my work, this is something I’m willing to bet on.
The one thing that frustrates me about the contests are individuals who continuously win. These people are talented and deserve their wins. But some stations or journalists are given the opportunity of having days to work on a story, whereas I am usually given hours. I guess that’s the nature of the beast, and I just need to learn to suck it up! Hah.
Anyway, by the end of the month, it’ll all be done. I’ve submitted about half my contest entries so far, but this weekend, I hope to have everything finished. It’ll be such a relief.
WEDDING
I would say I couldn’t believe I’m getting married in just a few months, but that’s silly. I’ve known about my wedding for a while now. My fiancé has been a real trooper in the process. Though, I wish I were able to plan a wedding in the city I live. I am getting married back in my hometown, at the very church where my oldest sister and my parents wed. It’ll be a real treat to be back home, sharing the moment with my very close friends and family.
Hiring people has been a wreck. It’s hard getting people to call back and commit, which I find strange. The wedding industry is so lucrative, you’d think a photographer or DJ would be diligent about returning phone calls. But no. Oh well… better to learn those things now. If they are slackers today they probably will be just as bad on the big day!
The only major thing left to figure out is a DJ. My fiancé and I are considering opting out, which may be weird, but so many people are ridiculously expensive — $500 for just three hours is outrageous. Don’t get me started on photographers. You think a DJ-less wedding would be bad? I’ll have a schnazzy iTunes up and ready to go w/music, and my brother-in-law says he’s willing to run that for us.
I’m just thankful the wedding will be here soon enough. I hate introducing Tim as my fiancé – solely because the word “fiancé” sounds snobbish. I’m ready to show off my husband, and I’m even more excited about our future. We’re always making each other laugh. I think at this point in the wedding-planning process, that’s healthy.
Anyway, I just wanted to fill you all in on my life. It’s been a little while since I’ve last posted material on the website – I apologize. I’m going to play catch up with my news stories, and I hope when February rolls in, things will be back to normal.