“HOLLA!” This word will forever be the word that comes to mind when I think of my cycle with the Web desk! Leanna said the phrase when George, one of the summer interns, asked her to say it.  It made me laugh not because it had a different ring from when artists like Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, or Kanye West say it, but because we BOTH say it kind of “awkward” haha!!!

Leanna not only gave me many laughs, she was a great teacher! She showed me daily routines preformed at the Web desk and had GREAT patience with me when I asked “dumb” questions. I know there’s no such thing as dumb questions, but I’m sure I had a lot of them, and she never made me feel “dumb” not once. THANKS!

At the Web desk, I posted a lot of Associated Press wires from Virginia and North Carolina area.  I must admit, I was intrigued with a lot of the stories that was posted on the wires. But Leanna and Jane explained how I have to put on a “news helmet”.  This means I have to think whether it’s news-worthy and if people would care about it or not.

Also, headlines cannot read as slugs, which I found myself falling into a lot.  But once I got the hang of it, I got to write a local post.  This was pretty exciting!  I was able to read raw information about the news event and then put together an online post! And yes, the most thrilling thing about it was to see my name as the author under the headline! I couldn’t show my TRUE excitement at the desk! But once I left the station, I just couldn’t stop smiling about it! This definitely made my day, my week… and probably even my month!

The Web desk was awesome! Leanna, Jane, and Jessica are amazing! I hate having to say goodbye to the Web crew… so I’ll just say see ya later

Gianina Ayana

So… I’m in my second cycle and that’s with The Hampton Roads Show. There’s a lot that goes into making this show as fantastic as it is. I’ve been floor-managing by myself for the last two days. It’s an adrenaline-rush, but with any type of rush, the rush has to result in action and not wasted in panic! Even when things go wrong, the show must continue!
During one of the shows, we had a “pet pal” segment. This segment was to promote the idea of adopting a pet. That day’s show had a kitten. I’m not really a cat person, especially being that the kitten was black with green eyes (think of those scary movies!), but this kitten was just a little kitten and looked more shy than “evil”. Little did I know looks can be deceiving? I was multi-tasking by holding the cat and preparing the live audience to clap. The cat went into a panic mode once the clapping began. She clawed her nails into me. And in that moment the microphone box dropped! Yikes! I should better describe the kitten’s action as normal and not “evil”. I say this because obviously she was scared. This was a completely different setting for her and the clapping alarmed her. Even through the scratches and burns of the sanitizer, it was all made up by Tropical Smoothie stopping by with loads and loads of Sunrise Smoothies! Delicious!!!! Although this cat experience may sound gruesome, I must say I actually appreciated it. The kitten experience was an example of…. Multi-tasking at its best. If I can keep up with the show, while a kitten tested her Wolverine skills on me, I can practically do it all!
But that’s not all! Far from it!!!! Today’s show was filled with exciting moments! We had a live band- Star 33! Amazing!!!!!!! And guest appearance from Bobby Lee. O-M-G, I’m a total fan. For those who do not know who he is, he is an Asian comedian who is always on MadTv and sometimes on the Chelsea Lately show! He was really late, and I had only seconds to mic him before he went live in the studio! Luckily, I pulled it off! The adrenaline-factor worked in Bobby’s favor because he was all jokes and laughs right as he walked on stage! It was too funny!!! This is something that could never be forgotten! Wow!
After the show, I’ve helped with “stacking” the next day’s show. This is where I wrote the introduction script for guest interviews, cooking segments, and teases. It was awesome to see my own words put on the teleprompter and hear Kerri, Cheryl, and Arianne read it! AMAZING no doubt!!!
I also learned how to mic people CORRECTLY—meaning NOT showing the wiring. I feel anyone can mic someone, but doing it correctly is the real magic! I finally got it! HAHA!
Reminds me of a laugh-out-loud moment I had the other day. I was on The Hampton Roads show set after the show, and the midday news was going on. Well, one of the cameras was still on set, meaning the teleprompter was rolling…. So I read along with it as though I was an anchor. And I said out loud this would be so embarrassing if someone saw me doing this. Guess I didn’t knock on wood because Antonio from production came through the door and said he was wondering what I was doing because he could see me “talking” to the camera! Can you say embarrassing or what?! HAHAHAHAHA! All I can do is laugh because it is VERY true that words have power!!! Clearly I am living proof HAHA!
So far, so good at The Hampton Roads Show. It is truly a great learning experience where I find myself in something new EVERY DAY! I wonder what Monday will surprise me with?! I look forward to it!!!

Gianina Ayana

Wow! Where to begin?! It is Day 7 of my internship and I am beyond words of excitement! I must confess that I was really nervous on the countdown toward the first day. I mean, who wouldn’t be?! This is WAVY/FOX 43! The experience is amazing and has been a thought-provoking acquaintance to different realms within the news field. First off– there’s the assignment desk. There is only one word to describe this area– HECTIC! It is almost like being at a Best Buys store where there are various audios playing. There’s the police scanner, NBC TV channels playing, consistent ring of the phone, producers in and out, communication between reporters, the list goes on and on. However, this adjective of hectic evolves into something more appealing– excitement, and then inspiration. The staff within the assignment desk are truly skilled within their art of ideas and researching the who, what, where, when, and even why the Hampton Roads area would care about it. Jeff Becker could probably do this stuff with his eyes shut! And I am completely serious when I say this! However, even with the mass disturbia from the assignment desk, there are many laugh-out-loud moments in the mix as well, especially from the incoming calls of those who are either asking to speak with a meteorologist to get a personal forecast of the weather or even debating WAVY’s promotion of W82TXT. Yes, this is all VERY true to say the least!

Jamie Bastas is another amazing person I’ve met here at WAVY/FOX 43. She showed me behind the ropes and made me feel very comfortable in the BIG shoes the news department puts on every day and every hour of the week! It is mind-blowing how much stuff takes place within the news room! So many different projects and task, yet every one is on the same pace– FAST pace! The meetings with the producers, photographers, reporters, and yes the summer interns, who act as the flies in the room made me realize something about the WAVY/FOX 43 staff. There is such diversity in personalities and ideas that the average Joe’s and Jane’s would probably claw each other to death. However, WAVY/FOX 43 staff is well-able to disagree, yet compromise and move on to the next order of business. Amazing or what?! This definitely made me see the “brand” of WAVY/FOX 43 as a family working together.

Cheryl, the meteorologist for weekday mornings, was such a big help to me too! She is so kind and sweet! She gave me a lot of insight within the perspective of an anchor. She even gave me a few tips, but I’m keeping those secrets for myself

Also, working with Katie and LV who are the reporter and photographer for morning news are by the far the most amazing people I’ve ever met. They definitely are the epiphany of what a reporter and photographer team are suppose to be. I have witnessed this dream team work beautifully together! Today, I went out to shoot a story with them (Norfolk testing their floodgate walls). The satellite truck is pretty awesome! I should have brought my camera! It’s basically a mini studio. I even interviewed one of the managers at the testing sites of the floodgates! So if you watched the evening news, I witnessed all of those shots AND it was me who did the interview with one of the construction guys (Ray Sneedecor)! Then back in the studio, LV showed me how to edit using the AVID system– pretty awesome stuff!

I can honestly say that I have received nothing but kindness from the news department. Everyday is filled with an adventure and I’m ready for tomorrow’s journey already!

Oh and did I mention that there is ALWAYS something pretty good to eat in the news department- cake, pie, cookies… and did I say cake already? Yes, the pros of the news department!!!

Gianina Ayana