Some say you need to dress in layers if you live and/or work in San Francisco. I suspect that’s true for folks on early morning shifts, like me.
I arrive at work before dawn and I wrap up in shawl to ward off the chills from the fog. I take a lunch break while most people are grabbing coffee before the start of their work shifts. Lately, the fog lingers and the city is still cold outside. By the time I go home, the sun is out and I don’t want to carry a jacket after work. My shawls have been cozy so far.
Newsrooms around the country couldn’t get enough of Irene, as a hurricane or a tropical storm. I got a chance to booth live reports from North Carolina and New York this weekend. It reminded me of boothing live satellite interviews in Sacramento. The conversation with the East Coast producer and reporter sounded the same.
Me: “Good morning North Carolina! It’s Kris in San Francisco.”
East Coast: “Good morning San Francisco!”
My hubby said it was alarming to watch those high waves rising behind the reporter.
In the booth, I banged my head against the wall when we lost audio from his location. It’s just one of the risks you take when you’re attempting a live report in the middle of a category one hurricane. Winds ripping through the outer banks at 90+ mph may thwart the satellite signal. During the live show, I had a few seconds to figure out what’s the backup plan and what’s next for the anchor, reporter, meteorologist and crew. I ran the reporter’s story on tape as the live crew and control room troubleshoot the audio problems. Ninety seconds later, the reporter answered follow-up questions from my anchor.
As one Kansas show director said: “Live TV, gotta dig it.”