On Friday, March 15, Austin Authors newspaper staff members visited the Channel 5 News Station in Needham. Austin’s very own Lisa Simmons used to work as a news producer at WCVB, so she was kind enough to arrange a tour for us so that the members of our club could see what a career in news broadcasting and journalism is really like.
On the tour, we got to witness all of the fundamental jobs and assignments the crew there had to complete to broadcast the news on television. The first room we visited was the newsroom, a large office area where crew members write stories and analyze other news stations to keep up with what’s happening worldwide.
Next up was the control room, which was a dark room filled with screens and equipment used to produce the news. This room was the brain of the news operation where the producers made quick and decisive decisions to smoothly broadcast the news and switch between the content and advertisements.
Finally, we got to visit the studio floor and meet the news anchor and meteorologist. We saw Ben Simmoneau (middle right) and Storm Team 5 Meteorologist David Williams (middle left) present the news right in front of us. After they broadcasted their news, we got a chance to take a picture and examine the green screen and equipment in the room. Surprisingly, the only other person in the room was a camera and technical equipment operator on the studio floor.
At the end of our time in the studio, the camera was turned on us as we got to film a quick clip to be used as the “eyeopener” at the beginning of a future broadcast. Our editor-in-chief Anna Ferranti led us in the fun announcement. Watching the Channel 5 crew create news stories right before my eyes gave me a better understanding and respect for the hard work and dedication it takes to run a news station.
