IJMC - Flip's Bit'o'Week

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I said I'd do it and I am. 
Flip sent me a bit of his week, and since he's in Boston and can't fight 
back, I'm posting it as promised. Welcome to a little bit of Flip's 
world, and if you run across him in Boston, buy him a pint of Guiness, 
he's worth it!                                                     -dave






Decided to go ahead and send you a bit of my week.  It's not great
comedy, but there's a funny bit here and there.  Don't think you'll
actually want to post it, but it's good for a laugh or a cry....
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My week:
(most days are fairly similar, so I've only done one day.)

8.30  morning meeting (rather uneventful).

9.00  morning meeting ends.  start lining up the various supplies I'll
need for the day (aspirin, antacid, etc....) on the side of my desk.

10.00  finish lining up medication on desk, go get coffee.

10.05  "put up the board" (read- divide up the day's stories between the
five and six newscasts- they have to be grouped in such a way that the
stories in each show can work together, but one show won't have 10
minutes worth of material, while the other has two.  this is usually
about as complicated as making a coherent looking image using pieces
from about five different jigsaw puzzles.)

10.20  line up show on my computer.

10.21  call computer services to resolve network problem on my computer.

10.45  finish lining up show, inform managing editor that I am about
three minutes short on material.  take short break to go harass people
in sales.

11.00  help out noon show by writing some scripts for them.

12.00  noon show on air.  take lunch break.

12.05  finish lunch break.  (ah, the wonders of vending machines- ham
sandwiches are not supposed to have the consistency of concrete.)  argue
with managing editor about order of show, which seemed to be just fine
about an hour ago.

1.00  meet with promotions writer to give her info on today's stories.
have you ever tried to explain Hitler to a small child?  this is about
the same sort of task.

1.20  write a live cut-in to be aired at 2:28.

2.25  run around like a chicken with its lips ripped off, wondering why,
with four anchors in the building, I can't find one to do the cut-in.

2.30 start afternoon session of talking to reporters on two-way. after
more than half a day working on their stories, why do reporters have no
idea what those stories are?

4.00  inform 10pm producer that I still have a tease for that show in my
rundown.

5.00  start printing show.

5.02  call computer services again, with question about why printers
seem to make better boat anchors than printing devices.

5.05  computer services arrives, increasing my vocabulary of four letter
words substantially.  call 10pm producer for a reminder about that
unwritten tease.

5.30  finish printing show.

5.40  something explodes downtown.  throw out all scripts, dispatch live
trucks and reporters, and start over.

6.00  show time...  we're going up without scripts, ad-libbing all the
way.  no crews have established IFB, so I have to cue them over the
two-way radio, all the while, trying to tell the studio crew what's
next.  they follow my mad ravings without incident (at least I can count
on the techies!).

6.22  go into sports segment VERY tight on time.  I have nothing left to
drop out of show- my back is up against the wall.

6.23  managing editor calls control room...  "Got a script coming your
way... we've just had a cop shot- get it in your show."

6.24  tell sports anchor to drop his last story.

6.25  do reader on shooting, go to break, listen to sports guy scream at
me (as he goes red in the face) because he had to drop his reader about
some major league pitcher signing a contract for a few million more.
(and he considers THAT earth-shattering news?)

6.30  post-mortem on show.  listen to anchors whine about how they
didn't have enough reads in the show.  ("I'm not in here very much.."
"No. Very observant.")

6.35  go home.

7.30  receive page: "Morning show producer is sick.  Need you to fill
in.  Be here at 11."  oh, well... at least I'll get about three hours of
sleep before doing it all again....