By: Emma Eskridge
Journalism scholars broke out of the Bellarmine bubble and ventured out into the world of news last week. They traveled to Louisville news stations WLKY and WDRB to get a behind the scenes look at the news industry.
At WLKY, the day began with a tour of the facilities and news rooms, given by President and General Manager Glenn Haygood. Journalism scholars were able to tour the control room, where the fast-paced nature of news became very obvious. That morning, a semi carrying pigs toppled over on a Louisville highway and WLKY was eager to cover it on their noon news, but they did not receive the needed/adequate footage. Scholars got to witness the frenzy this caused in the control room, but then minutes later they transitioned to the newsroom where all appeared to be well. From this trip, scholars were able to see the inside of a news station and all the grit, hard work, and adaptability that working at a news station necessitates.
On Friday scholars went to the WDRB station, along with the film studies focus area. There, they learned about the difficult sacrifices news anchors face and the need to love your work. Anchor Candyce Clifft told scholars: “It’s just important to love your work.” Glenn Haygood also mirrored this statement by saying it’s important to read the news and be well-versed in it to be a great news anchor.
From both of these trips, journalism scholars learned how news today is becoming increasingly more digital, and they were able to see the stations’ ways of addressing this first hand. The news industry is one based on adaptability and versatility, and having the opportunity to see this in action greatly influenced the scholars’ decisions on whether or not they would be interested in journalism as a career. But, the most rewarding part of this field trip was getting to see Jacob (AKA Weatherman Woods’) excitement as he sat behind the meteorologist desk.
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