Feather staffers get opportunity to experience professional journalism

News provides a way for the public to learn more about the world around them. The KMPH FOX 26 news station has been serving the Central San Joaquin Valley for more than 40 years. Their continued commitment and dedication shows their passion of their work.

Walking into the studio had our minds blown and intrigued to learn more about this line of work on September 22. The studio was bigger than we had in mind and every staff member was so welcoming and eager for us to learn about their careers. Being on the second floor while watching them broadcast was stunning because every staff member had a part to make the broadcast perfect.

We sat up at the broadcasting stage and watched, but it quickly got repetitive. Photojournalist Ryan Hudgins took us under his wing and really began our journey. The first room we had entered was called the control room where everything that you see on screen at home is controlled. Their job is to take off titles off the screen and to put videos on the news.

In the next room behind that is a place that handles all the commercials for the KMPH channel. On about big separate screens there is nine screens inside of those which show all the current running commercials. Even behind that is a miniscule room that had no lights on which was the voice control room.

Hudgins had shown us about all his callouts and how there are different codes for him to go film important videos. Being with him the whole day had shown us how news is not all about looking pretty on TV and reading the teleprompter. Everyone in that studio has a job to do in order to accomplish every running hour of the morning and day.

“What I do is I listen for keywords from over a hundred radio frequencies,” Hudgins said. “If they say one of those keywords then I will pack up and go to the site of the action.”

Award-winning journalist Jim De La Vega wants Great Day to give the latest news while giving the viewers a smile on their face before they leave the house.

“We want to give them the news and the latest stuff about what’s going on because they need to know what happening when they go out the door,” De La Vega said. “But we also want to give them a smile so they feel good about themselves so that way they can start the day on the right foot.”

Photojournalist Hudgins explains how collecting information from the scene involves having ethics and morals which brings the story to life.

“It takes patience, safety, you have to make sure you have good ethics and morals make sure you know when your going to the story,” Hudgins said. “You have to make it to the story and get all the hard and good important facts and make everything is right before you bring it back to the station.”

Our goal every mornings is to keep people across the valley informed while they go through their daily routine. Great Day is made for a listening type of group. We know that our audience is getting ready for the day. We keep our stories fast and parent oriented. We also want our viewers to stay up to date with technology. — Misti Reed, Executive Producer of Great Day

De La Vega views his job as an opportunity to show how Great Day is unique and how their characteristics catch the viewer’s eye.

“I think being yourself regardless of the job is important because the viewers can tell between a phony and somebody who is acting and somebody who is really themselves,” De La Vega said. “Here we have a little bit of a funny side to us so that gets to come out. We get to highlight a little bit more on Great Day rather than some other news cast.”

Co-host of Great day Kim Stephens agrees with De La Vega explaining how Great Day has a loose platform for the anchors to be silly and have fun. While Midday news is more serious and gets straight to the facts.  

“Right because if it was a different broadcast like the midday news you know we don’t goof around and be silly as much because it’s a hard news format,” Stephens said. “While on great day for five hours allows us to do all of that, we can be serious and we can be a little more silly.”

Executive Producer of Great Day, Misti Reed, feels that goals are an important factor to being successful in the morning. Providing new stories while updating them on latest technology is a key to keep the listeners to not change the channel.  

“Our goal every mornings is to keep people across the valley informed while they go through their daily routine,” Reed said. “Great Day is made for a listening type of group. We know that our audience is getting ready for the day. We keep our stories fast and parent oriented. We also want our viewers to stay up to date with technology.”

The executive producer’s role is to say what can go on air and what won’t be able to go on. She deals with all the music for the breaks and has to proofread the script that goes on the teleprompter. She is also a great problem solver.

While we were there the chef couldn’t come so Reed had to think fast. She went to the store and had the news anchors do a 5-minute segment on how to make eggs in the microwave.  

We then observed what the producers were doing and saw that they were really the behind the scenes people. Everything that was on on the show was because of them they write the stories that go on the teleprompter and also find the music that goes on there too. they work hard with strange computer apps that look like a foreign language to us. They are always in a good mood and kept the room behind the stage exciting.

Next we observed the sound man. He has a huge soundboard and controls all of the sound on the show. He plays the music before the commercials and when the show comes back on. He listens to everyone in the newsroom and the control room.

The final job that we observed was the cameraman. The only reason you can see what is on the your T.V. is because of them. They were in control of the teleprompter and the camera. They always kept the mood exciting and happy. Special hand signals and motions with their arms were used to communicate with the news anchors.

Hudgins had shown us about all his callouts and how there are different codes for him to go film important videos. Being with him the whole day had shown us how news isn’t all about looking pretty on TV and reading the teleprompter. Everyone in that studio has a job to do in order to accomplish every running hour of the morning and day.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @melendez_tim and @mattthewtanaka1 and via email: Tim Melendez and Matt Tanaka.